A/N: Thank you to my lovely Beta, lozipozivanillabean. Enjoy!

xxxxii.

they've seen things that you never quite say

(You Matter to Me by Sara Bareilles)

July 14, 1979

Hermione warmly smiled at Lily when she opened the front door.

"Ready for today, Hermione?" her best friend asked, as she linked arms with the brunette and pulled her out of the house.

"I mean, I don't really have a choice, do I?" the younger witch asked with a laugh.

"No, you don't," Lily simply replied, leading Hermione towards the Apparation point near the Pettigrew's House.

Hermione rematerialised near the entrance of the Leaky Cauldron and trailed behind Lily as the redhead meandered through the throngs of patrons inside the busy pub, towards the brick wall separating the Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley.

As Hermione went through the opened brick wall, she paused and stared at the dreary streets. She half-expected Diagon Alley to be bustling with people, seeing that it was summer. But what greeted her was an almost empty alley, with only a few shuffling wizards and witches hastily going to their destinations.

"After the attack at Hogsmeade, business has been down," Lily lowly whispered, hooking her arm around Hermione's once more to pull her towards Twilfitt and Tatting. "Some shops were forced to close due to lack of customers. It's… it's a bit worrisome. I think people are starting to realise that Voldemort's threat over the Wizarding World is going to cast a dark shadow over all of us."

Her heart clenched at the unfiltered fear on Lily's face. "We should just get this over and done with so that we can go home and you can rest," she softly replied.

A hollow laugh escaped from Lily's lips. "Don't you think it's a bit silly we're shopping for bridesmaid dresses when we're in the middle of a bloody war?" She gloomily tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear and frowned at her feet. "Maybe Sev was right. Maybe this isn't the right time to get married when there are far more important things to focus on."

Hermione squeezed Lily's arm and sighed. "No," she said. "I don't think it's silly. Sev told me you wanted to marry him because, if things went downhill, you'd at least want to spend your remaining months by his side."

"I did say that," she said, a small, forlorn smile appearing on her face.

"So, let us focus on our agenda for today," she insisted. "Let's pretend there's no war, that we're just two friends stupidly excited for your wedding."

Lily expelled an unladylike snort. "I can do that, I guess," she replied. "I am stupidly excited for my wedding." Her face brightened amidst the dreary, empty streets of Diagon Alley. "I haven't been properly sleeping for the past few days. Did I ever tell you that? I just—I can't believe I'm actually marrying Sev soon! I only have a few weeks to go and it's silly, because we've been living together for almost a year already. But I've been a little giddy." A pretty blush dusted her pale cheeks. "I'm sure it's going to be one of my best days ever."

Hermione sadly smiled at her excited chattering, her heart clenching once more due to an entirely different reason. With Lily's open excitement at her wedding with Severus Snape, her last ditch effort to get her together with James seemed stupidly farfetched now. Lily's feelings for Sev had never subsided; instead, they mightily grew, unswayed by all of the atrocities that were happening in their world right now.

She glanced at Lily's twinkling emerald eyes and grieved that her Harry Potter, with his twinkling emerald eyes, seemed like a faraway dream right now. She just wished she could finally, finally move on from her Harry and his bright green eyes just so she could properly and completely be happy for her best friends. For James too.

And well, for herself, above all.

She forced those thoughts away, knowing she couldn't afford to be mournful today. Her best friend needed her today, and Hermione would focus on that. She'd think about her Harry during moments of solitude, when no one would be able to see the welling of tears in her eyes.

They finally reached Twilfitt and Tatting, a merry bell twinkling overhead when they pushed the door open. Hermione eyed the bell with a frown, thinking it was terribly out-of-place in a shop that was located in an almost abandoned alley. The shop itself was cosy enough, with multi-coloured dresses displayed on different racks, boasting both Wizarding and Muggle fashion-alike. She glanced at the different styles of hats and ridiculous gloves, with glitters and sequins and laces and frills.

This shop definitely catered more for casual and formal events, in comparison to Madame Malkins, which usually sold the standard wizarding robes for Hogwarts students and Ministry employees alike.

Lily pulled Hermione towards a rack filled with dresses in various shades of pink. "I've decided that my wedding's motif will be more 'old rose' or 'blush pink' type," Lily declared, her hands skimming across the various silks and laces.

"Pink?" Hermione echoed, eyeing her fiery red hair. "I thought that colour clashed with redheads."

Lily snorted and gave her a withering glare. "If you don't know what colour to match with your hair, yes it will terribly clash," she pointed out. "Now, come on! Get the dresses that catch your fancy."

"You're not going to peruse the wedding dresses?" Hermione asked, glancing at the displayed white dresses fluttering around bewitched mannequins which changed poses every five minutes.

"Hermione, I've been ready for ages," her best friend said with a laugh. "The only thing missing is your dress."

The brunette's eyes widened. "Really?" she asked, disbelieving. "Lily, you shouldn't have postponed your wedding waiting for me to graduate and—"

"Nonsense," she said, waving her hand flippantly. "Sev and I decided that we wanted to wait for you, Hermione. We've been with each other through and through. Did you know that Sev owes you a lot? He said that if it weren't for you, he reckoned he may not have apologised for what he'd done during our fifth year and thereby ruined our relationship." She beamed brilliantly at the stunned witch. "I wasn't really planning on forgiving that idiot either, to be honest. But Sev promised he'd make it up for as long as he lived and… well, look at me now, desperately in love with said idiot. I can't wait to spend my future with him."

Hermione's heart swelled at the adoration in Lily's eyes, tears prickling in her eyes at how Lily could never look at James like that. Not when she had Sev by her side, who seemed set on spending his future with Lily too.

A kind store clerk, dressed in the latest Wizarding fashion from head to toe, approached the two witches. "May I help you?" she asked with a pretty smile.

"Oh yes," Lily said, turning towards the witch. "We're looking for a dress in this shade of pink. A bridesmaid's dress."

The witch nodded her head and pulled out her wand. With a little twirl, a small book hovered towards her. "Which do you prefer? Wizarding style or Muggle?"

"Definitely Muggle," Lily said with a firm nod.

The pages from the book fluttered, much to Hermione's amusement.

"Something really simple too, but still pretty," the redhead added. "Hermione would kill me if I chose something too extravagant."

"I'm right here, you know," Hermione dryly quipped as the pages from the book fluttered furiously once again.

Lily continued listing down things she'd prefer to see in Hermione's dress. The younger witch chose to keep quiet, eyes slowly scanning the different dresses in the shop. Lily always had a good taste for clothes and she trusted her enough to choose something that would look nice on her.

By the time Lily was done, the store clerk had pulled various dresses from the rack, steadily piling them into Hermione's arms. Lily was highly amused by Hermione's flustered reaction, merely quirking an eyebrow when the brunette shot her quiet pleas for help.

"Oh, I think this will look good on you too!" the excited witch exclaimed, placing a shimmery dress on Hermione's growing pile.

"I think this is enough for now," she deliberately replied, her face already obscured from the heavy heap in her arms.

"Of course, of course," the witch replied, already steering Hermione towards one of the dressing rooms. "Let us see which one's you fancy."

Hermione was shoved giddily inside a brightly lit booth. Her panicked eyes met Lily's amused emeralds, but the older witch was stifling a laugh, clearly having fun. She glowered in return and drew the curtains with as much force as she could.

She deposited the dresses on a small stool inside the dressing room. Hermione mentally guessed there were at least fifteen dresses in total.

She grimaced and looked at her reflection, knowing full well this would be a very long day.

-ooo-

The moment Lily's eyes landed on Hermione as she walked out of the dressing room for the umpteenth time, Hermione knew this was the right dress.

"Well?" she tentatively asked, blushing awkwardly at the store clerk who was excitedly clapping.

"You look lovely!" the redhead exclaimed, immediately standing beside Hermione as the younger witch looked at her reflection.

It was one of the simpler dresses that had been shoved into her arms, but it looked really pretty on her. The one she was wearing right now was a two-piece set, with the top made of tiered lace displaying an intricate pattern that shimmered when it was hit by light. The tulle skirt was darker in shade, flowing down to her ankles with an asymmetric hemline. The back of the skirt fully brushed against the carpeted floor, but her beige, open-toed shoes with high heels and bows tied around her ankles could be seen in front.

Hermione actually felt lovely just by looking at herself in the mirror.

"I think," Lily said as a brilliant smile stretched wide on her face, "that if Potter sees you wearing that dress, he'll instantly ask you to marry him."

Her heart leapt to her throat, eyes widening at Lily's words. "W-what?" she stuttered out, horrified.

Lily snorted at her ridiculous reaction. "We're in the midst of war, Hermione," she pointed out. "If it's going to be the end of everything, you might as well spend it with the person you love the most."

Hermione's cheeks turned a furious shade of red as Lily sauntered towards the store clerk and started to discuss the price.

Hermione glanced at her reflection again, a horrified, pale face staring right back at her. The sapphire bracelet wrapped around her wrist twinkled teasingly, as if backing up Lily's nonchalant words a while ago. She was once again reminded of the formal dinner her family had shared with the Potters. James never broached that topic anymore, knowing full well that Hermione would grow mighty uncomfortable. He had never explicitly told her what he planned to do with her in the future, but the formal dinner had already spoken volumes about his intentions.

Her breath hitched in panic. Hermione didn't know what she would do if that day finally came.

Lily arrived beside her and urged her to change out of the beautiful dress. Hermione changed back into her casual, Muggle clothes and mechanically followed Lily around, her mind still deeply bothered by Lily's words.

"Are you okay?" the redhead asked, worriedly looking at Hermione once they'd walked out of Twilfitt and Tatting. "You look like you've seen a dementor."

"I'm fine," she croaked. Hermione cleared her throat. "Do you still need to purchase something for your wedding?"

Lily shook her head. "Everything's set," she said. "I only need to contact a few more people but besides that, I have nothing to buy here. But maybe you'd fancy some ice cream at Fortescue's? It's been a while since I've ventured out into the open. Unspeakable work has been tiring me so."

"You're not busy?" she tentatively asked.

"I still have a few reports to finish," the redhead said, wrinkling her nose in dismay. "But maybe eating ice cream for a few minutes won't hurt."

Hermione silently nodded her head and allowed Lily to lead her towards the cosy ice cream parlour. Like Twilfitt and Tatting, the shop was void of boisterous customers. There was one couple tucked into the far corner of the shop, making googly eyes at each other. But, besides them, they were the only ones inside. Normally, there were giddy children running around, leaving mayhem in their wake, whilst parents constantly apologised to Fortescue for their rowdy children.

Whilst Lily bought their ice cream, Hermione chose a booth inside the shop. A small smile appeared on her face, remembering that this was the exact booth she had been sitting on, when she'd met the Marauders for the first time - back when she was eleven years old. It seemed so long ago now, at the time, when all she'd wanted was to steer clear of the boisterous boys as much as possible, just so she wouldn't get involved with them. Now, Hermione was deeply entangled with their everyday lives and it would be quite impossible to pull away from them now.

Lily soon arrived and offered Hermione her toffee-flavoured ice cream. For a moment, the two witches sat quietly and contentedly ate their ice creams.

Hermione licked her spoon clean and gazed outside the huge window, watching as one mother hurriedly carried her child and scurried away. Diagon Alley today was strangely reminiscent of the Diagon Alley from the year 2000, with empty streets and closed shops. There had been more destruction then, but Hermione didn't doubt that with the increasing attacks by the Death Eaters, there would come a time when havoc would wreak.

"Do you think I will survive this war?"

The brunette stilled on her seat, eyes growing wide as her gaze immediately snapped towards Lily. The older witch was grim-faced, her emerald eyes trained intently on her vanilla ice cream. Hermione's tongue turned thick, unable to form proper words that could answer Lily's question.

With her long silence, Lily was forced to look back at Hermione. "You've read the Daily Prophet, Hermione," she added. "You've seen how they're constantly attacking Muggleborns and their families. I— My parents… they're still oblivious to how dangerous the world has become for them. I've talked to Sev, asked if it would be wise to place my parents – Merlin, even Petunia and her horrible husband – into hiding. I-I'm too involved in this war, being a member of… you know. Sev instantly agreed, said that we could arrange that after we get married."

Lily's eyes glistened as she tightly clenched her jaw. Her gaze was unwavering and although Hermione wanted to look away, she couldn't. "So, do you think I will survive this war, Hermione?" she asked once more. "Will I be… will I be popping redheaded sourpusses in the future, reigning terror over our lovely home? Will I be able to grow old with Sev, because honestly, that's all I want in this whole world?"

Hermione swallowed down her emotions and looked away, tears now streaming down from her eyes.

"You're from the future," Lily gently continued. "I… I know I shouldn't pry. Being an Unspeakable taught me that knowledge can be a curse. I can't even begin to imagine how you're struggling right now, trying to let the future you've always known unravel into reality. But – but that's impossible now, don't you think? You're Hermione Pettigrew, not Granger. I'd like to believe you've done a lot of things in this timeline to effectively change the course of the future."

She shakily lifted her hand and brushed away the flowing tears.

"But I'd like to know," her best friend continued, "if everything's still worth fighting for. If… if there is hope I can become happy after the end of everything."

"You will be happy," Hermione vehemently proclaimed. "I'll make sure of it."

She'd done a lot of things in this timeline already. She'd managed to save Regulus from his supposed death. She'd managed to locate four out of the current five horcruxes. She'd manage to repair the relationship between Lily Evans and Severus Snape. She'd managed to destroy the Vanishing Cabinet that had been the means of Death Eaters infiltrating Hogwarts and had ultimately led to Dumbledore's death.

The changes she'd made were already too pivotal. Lily and Sev were both right: the future she was used to was impossible to achieve now.

Lily's gaze on her didn't waver, her emerald eyes flickering with resigned understanding. Even though Hermione hadn't voiced it aloud, the older witch knew what her future had been in Hermione Granger's timeline.

"You will be happy, Lily," Hermione vowed, reaching forward to tightly clutch the redhead's shaking hand. "You and Sev. You both will be happy, build a family you love, make a home. You will be happy."

Lily chuckled despite her tears, her hold on Hermione's hand equally tight. "From the way you're saying it, I can't help but believe you completely." She reached forward with her free hand, fondly brushing Hermione's tears away. "I want you to be happy too, Hermione."

For a moment, Lily's face morphed into a face she had once loved more than life itself. The very same emerald eyes had once stared back at her, with glistening tears and a loving smile stretched wide on his face. Grief overwhelmed her and Harry comfortingly squeezed her hand in return. "I want you to be happy too, Hermione," Harry said.

Hermione miserably closed her eyes tight and took a deep, shuddering breath. Perhaps, Harry Potter wasn't really meant to be born in this timeline and although the grief was almost too suffocating, Hermione's only consolation was that her Harry would never know pain and suffering.

If fate wanted Hermione Pettigrew to change the world, in which all the people she had come to love were going to live and be happy, in exchange for the birth of Hermione Granger's version of Harry Potter, maybe she had no other choice but to accept that. Besides, Harry Potter was a bloody force to be reckoned with; Hermione already had an inkling Harry would still find a way to be born in this world, even though it wouldn't be through James and Lily.

Maybe, just maybe, she could even be his—

'Now, don't get too ahead of yourself, Hermione Pettigrew,' a voice chastised inside Hermione's head, putting a halt on whatever possible conclusion her mind was already starting to form.

Briefly, however, an image of a blue-eyed, messy-haired boy flashed before her mind's eye, prompting her breath to hitch and her eyes to widen.

Hermione honestly didn't know how she felt about that.

July 21, 1979

"All set, Hermione?"

Hermione looked up sharply from the book she was reading. "Mum's not outside?" she asked.

Peter shook his head and completely opened her bedroom door. "She told me in passing that Euphemia had invited her over for tea at the Manor," he said, striding inside her room uninvited. "I think James suggested it to his mother so Mum would be preoccupied today."

She expelled a huge sigh and stood up from her chair. "Mum's starting to get suspicious," she pointed out. "Do you think we should tell her about our involvement in the Order?"

"She's not exactly privy to the Order of the Phoenix," Peter reminded her. "She'll be safer if she knows less about it."

"Mum's not stupid, though. She knows we're up to something."

Peter lightly smiled. "I already have this inkling she'll catch us in the act," he confessed. "I just hope it won't be too soon. She's already disapproved of my current missions as an Auror. Imagine what she'd feel if she discovered we're also involved in the resistance."

"She might hex us good," Hermione cajoled. "Unleash the Selwyn within."

"She'd definitely do that," Peter answered with a snort.

He waited as Hermione got ready for today and then ushered her out of their house.

It was an awfully cheery summer morning. Peter mockingly waved his hand in greeting at Mrs. Jones who lived across from their house. The sixty-six-year-old lady narrowed her eyes at the Pettigrew siblings and muttered indecipherable words under her breath, no doubt insults about their freakish nature.

"Lovely lady," Peter dryly said. Hermione rolled her eyes and pulled him towards the Apparation point, aware that Mrs. Jones's steely green eyes suspiciously followed them.

"Do you think we should give her a nice little trick that'll keep her awake at night?" Peter suggested.

Hermione disapprovingly frowned and swatted his arm. "She's old, Peter. Don't do anything that might trigger a heart attack," she pointed out.

"She's awful," he whined. "Remember when she tried to call the Muggle police when we were younger because she thought we were cursing her?"

"Mumwas trying to curse her, though," Hermione said with a laugh, fondly remembering that day. "As payback for making you cry."

Peter made a face. "It would have been a nice memory if that man hadn't caught Mum doing magic and hit her," he snarled. The smile on Hermione's face fell as she silently reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze. It didn't escape her notice how Peter never called Timothy Pettigrew his father anymore. Hermione didn't either, but it gave her some comfort knowing he was already comfortable bringing up this man that had once caused them turmoil.

The Pettigrew siblings Apparated on the spot and reappeared just outside the Anti-Apparition wards of Hogwarts. Peter stared for a while, jaw dropping a bit as he gazed at the imposing castle from the distance. "It seems like yesterday that we wreaked havoc in this place," he said, tearing the iron gates open and leading their trek towards the castle.

"You were here during my graduation," she pointed out in amusement.

"Yeah, well, my memory of that day isn't exactly pleasant with everything that had happened after the ceremony," he dryly replied. He pointedly ignored the sadness in her eyes and ushered her to hasten her steps after glancing at his watch. "We have a few more minutes before the supposed meet up. Come on."

Hermione nodded her head and walked throughout the huge expanse of the Hogwarts grounds. It was a beautiful day and Hermione made a mental note to marvel at Hogwarts once their agenda for the day had ended.

Once they reached the doors of the castle, Hermione was able to spy James, Sirius, and Remus. It was Sirius who first saw them, already excitedly waving his hand in greeting. Remus's scarred face lit up and Hermione was struck with another realisation that the werewolf was looking more and more human as the months flew by. The Wolfsbane Potion had been kind to the weary wizard, and Hermione made another mental note to write a letter to Damocles Belby, thanking him for the kindness he had shown to all the werewolves who only wished to be normal.

"You're almost late," James greeted with a smirk. "Moody will go ballistic, Wormy."

Peter paled. "Which is why we should get going then," he insisted, already brushing past his three friends and taking the lead. Remus and Sirius soon followed behind, already loudly reminiscing about their Hogwarts days. James absentmindedly held her hand and pulled her inside. He was content at laughing at the antics of his best friends, occasionally squeezing Hermione's hand to bring her comfort.

By the time they had reached the stone gargoyle guarding Dumbledore's office, the Marauders were buzzing with nervous anticipation. Hermione bemusedly glanced at their giddy faces, wondering why in Merlin's rotting teeth they were so excited to visit the Chamber of Secrets. Memories of the Battle at Hogwarts rushed inside Hermione's mind, and from what she remembered, it wasn't a pleasant visit. The huge difference right now was that the basilisk was still very much alive and that was enough to make Hermione a bit fearful.

"Jumping Jellybeans," Remus offered to the gargoyle. The statue came to life and jumped aside, revealing the revolving staircase leading to the Headmaster's Office. The five of them clambered inside and patiently waited as the stairs took them upwards.

"Merlin, it seems like yesterday when Dumbledore called us four here for breaking another rule," Sirius said with a wide, nostalgic smile.

Remus snorted and strode forwards, knocking thrice on the wooden door. They heard Dumbledore's muffled 'come in' as the door clicked open, revealing the cosy Headmaster's office.

Hermione took a moment to gaze around, surprised that not much was different from Dumbledore's Office in the 1990's. There were still scattered trinkets around, a few vials emitting multi-coloured fumes that blanketed the whole office with a slight haze. Fawkes quietly eyed them from his golden perch. Beside the magnificent phoenix stood Alastor Moody. Hermione shot the three Aurors beside her an amused smile when their backs snapped ramrod straight at the sight of the Senior Auror. Even Sirius looked ridiculously obedient. Perhaps Auror training had really instilled discipline in these rowdy boys.

"Welcome," Dumbledore jovially greeted. "Come sit down."

With a wave of his wand, the two arm chairs across from his table stretched into long couches to accommodate them. They silently shuffled closer and sat down, eyes expectantly looking at the old wizard for further instructions.

"Jumping Jellybeans?" he offered instead, extending a tin can full of erratically moving, different coloured jellybeans. They politely declined, too nervous and excited at the same time to start eating.

"Is it really necessary to invite them all today, Dumbledore?" Moody grumpily asked, his eyes narrowed at the young members of the Order.

Dumbledore kindly smiled at Hermione. "I was hoping it would only be Miss Pettigrew accompanying us today," he confessed. "But I believe her friends are persistent."

"With all due respect, Moody, sir," Sirius drawled. "We have been trying to locate the elusive Chamber of Secrets for years. We cannot miss this for the world."

Moody narrowed his eyes. "Have you finished your weekly report, lad?" he barked.

Sirius grew pale. "Still working on it, Moody sir," he hastily said. Beside him, Remus started to snicker under his breath, earning him a scathing glare from the terrified shaggy-haired Auror.

"Now, now, Alastor," Dumbledore placated, "we have an entirely different agenda today. I'd rather we get this over and done with as soon as possible."

The grumpy Auror sighed and stiffly nodded his head.

The Headmaster clasped his hands together and looked back at Hermione. "Now, Miss Pettigrew," he started, "as much as I do not want to involve you and the others in the killing of the basilisk, loathe I am to admit it, I do not know where it is and how to gain entry to the chamber. You once said that only a Parselmouth can open it?"

"Parselmouth?" Remus asked with furrowed brows. "People who can understand Parseltongue are quite rare." His eyes widened as they landed on Hermione. "You can understand Parseltongue?"

Hermione smiled and shook her head. "Fortunately, I don't," she said. "My best friend can, though, from the different timeline."

"Blimey, who is this enigmatic best friend of yours?" James quipped with incredulous eyes. "Not that I'm accusing him or anything, but usually wizards who have this skill tend to be associated with the Dark Arts."

The brunette snorted, imagining Harry Potter running around and destroying the whole world with Voldemort by his side. "He's anything but," she said, already struggling on how to explain Harry's situation without revealing too much to his supposed father. "But… there was an accident and, well— never mind that. What matters is that the Chamber can be opened by simply hissing the word 'Open' to the stone snake."

"And you know what its translation is?" Peter asked, looking at his sister like he'd never seen her before.

"Err, no," Hermione said, awkwardly scratching her chin. "But you see, while I was on the run with my best friend for years, I sometimes lay awake at night and listened to his mumblings whilst he slept." A sheepish smile grew on her face. "He mostly hisses, so I figured that was Parseltongue."

Sirius made a face. "That's a creepy thing to do, Hermione," he pointed out.

Her cheeks flooded red in embarrassment, because she knew it was mighty weird too. "Shut up," she grumbled. "It proved to be quite useful, since at one point, we were able to open the Chamber of Secrets without him."

"Very well," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Might as well try it, Hermione. Hopefully, it'll be the right password."

-ooo-

She led them to the abandoned second floor bathroom. Hermione wrinkled her nose, remembering all the months she'd spent concocting a perfect Polyjuice Potion, only to botch it up when she managed to put the hair of Millicent's cat in, instead of the Slytherin's.

A shiver ran down her spine, hoping never to relive that memory again. Hermione purposively walked towards the sink which would lead to the entrance of the Chamber of Secrets.

"An abandoned loo?" Moody sneered. "Terribly anticlimactic, Voldemort."

"Terribly convenient, though," Hermione murmured, already bending forward to meet the glinting green eyes of the stone snake. She gingerly brushed a finger on the stone and swore it almost slithered away.

"Get on with it," Moody snapped. "The other Aurors will be here soon and if you don't want to raise more questions, we have to open it as soon as possible."

The brunette rolled her eyes took a deep breath. A series of hisses escaped from her lips, and she hoped against hope that at least one of them would translate to 'Open'. Harry always hissed in his sleep, most likely after dreaming vividly about Voldemort and his evil plans. She'd never really thought about them before, dismissing them as random incomprehensible words. But Ron had surprised her during the Battle of Hogwarts when he was able to open the Chamber of Secrets after hissing random sounds. From then on, Hermione made it a point to listen to Harry's hissing while he slept, having an inkling it would be of great use to her in the future.

Her blue eyes suddenly widened when a creak resounded in the whole lavatory. She wildly looked behind at the others, noting that they too wore unfiltered surprise on their faces. Even Dumbledore was fascinated as the sinks slowly lowered themselves down and revealed a hole.

Moody strode forward and peeked inside. Everything was pitch blank on the other end, prompting him to grimace.

"The basilisk is still locked inside another door," Hermione reassured. "The bottom isn't too deep. We just have to jump inside to reach the other door."

The Senior Auror stiffly nodded his head and jumped inside without any hesitation. Sirius and James followed, then Remus and Peter.

"Please, Miss Pettigrew, you go on first," Dumbledore said, gesturing at the hole in the ground.

Hermione nodded and took a deep breath, before plunging inside the hole. A small squeak escaped from her lips as she rushed down and landed squarely on someone's back. Hermione's eyes widened as she glanced down, recognising her brother, who now was groaning loudly in pain.

"Hermione," he complained. "Get off."

"I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed and allowed a laughing Sirius to haul her back onto her feet. Hermione helped a frowning Peter back onto his feet, and gave him a brief hug in apology.

Dumbledore lastly jumped down, landing elegantly onto the grimy floor. His blue eyes surveyed the dark basement, with leaking pipes lining the stone wall.

"This way," the brunette murmured, taking the lead once more. Her face would occasionally twist in disgust as her boot crunched down on bones of mice and other unidentified objects. "Holy shite," she heard James from behind, eyeing a huge pile of snake skin deposited near the entrance of the Chamber of Secrets. The littered bones and snake skin not only just proved that the basilisk was indeed real but also it had roamed freely before.

The imposing circular door with stone snakes greeted them at the end. The glittering, emerald eyes pierced Hermione and unwittingly, she shivered.

"Hermione, if you may," Dumbledore said, gesturing at the door.

"Right," she answered, steeling all of her bravery before trudging towards it. Hisses tumbled out of her mouth, hoping that the right word would come out. Opening this door took longer than the sink, as Hermione's hisses grew harsh and frantic.

After what felt like an eternity, the bottom snake shot backward as another stone snake slithered around the periphery of the door.

Hermione took a few steps back, heart lodging in her throat in anticipation.

"Well, who knew Parseltongue was strangely a turn on."

A collective exclamation of James's name in various tones – Hermione: scandalised, Peter: disgusted, Sirius: teasing, and Remus: exhausted – echoed throughout the cave, drowning the hissing sound made by the slithering snake.

James realised he'd spoken aloud and turned a dark shade of maroon. "Shite, I'm sorry that was wildly inappropriate," he murmured, sheepishly smiling at an equally flustered Hermione.

"Well then, I believe it's time to call for Benjy now, Alastor," Dumbledore said, pointedly ignoring James's comment.

The Senior Auror glared at James before sweeping his electric blue eyes towards Dumbledore. "I'll be right back," he gruffly said. Then, to the others, he barked, "Nobody goes in if you don't want to die by my hand!"

"Always so melodramatic," Sirius grumbled under his breath.

"What was that, Black?"

"Nothing, Moody sir," the shaggy-haired Auror smoothly said with a pleasant smile. "Enjoy the trek back up."

Peter snorted a laugh, which he quickly covered into a cough when Moody pierced him with a dark glare.

Not even ten minutes had passed when Moody came back, together with Benjy Fenwick. Dorcas Meadowes and the Prewett twins also accompanied them.

"Wicked," Gideon exclaimed with reverent awe. He glanced at his twin and impishly grinned. "If only we'd discovered this during our Hogwarts days, imagine how famous we'd have been."

"Prewett Twins, Slayer of a Basilisk," Fabian added. "Imagine if that was embossed on a gold, shiny trophy, brother. Hogwarts will forever remember us."

"Shut it, you two," Dorcas sourly replied. The witch brushed away her numerous braids and warily eyed the younger members of the Order. "Is it necessary for them to be here, Dumbledore?"

"They're not coming inside, if that's what you're worried about," the Headmaster reassured.

Sirius expelled a disappointed sigh, earning him numerous glares from the older Aurors. He petulantly frowned at James, who gave him a half-hearted shrug.

"I'll accompany Fenwick, then call you lot once its dead," Alastor ordered, his eyes trained intently on the redheaded twins and the witch. "Stay guard here. If something happens, I want you to place powerful wards to stop the basilisk from getting out."

They firmly nodded their heads and brandished their wands.

"It's terribly easy to kill a basilisk, seriously," Benjy said with an annoyed frown on his face. Hermione bit her bottom lip to stop herself from laughing at the incredulous look Moody had shot at him. But Benjy was too busy pulling a small pouch from his pocket to notice Moody's expression. He pulled out a large cage housing a terrified rooster, noisily clucking inside.

Benjy then calmly walked inside the opened chamber, with Moody immediately scrambling behind him, words of caution falling onto deaf ears.

Not even a few minutes had passed when the rooster expelled an unmistakable loud crow, followed by an ear-splitting shriek that prompted Hermione to cover both of her ears in shock. A loud thud soon followed, causing the whole cave to shake briefly from a mighty impact.

"It's done," Benjy announced as he emerged out of the chamber, a wide-eyed Moody closely trailing behind. He calmly crammed the rooster inside its cage and placed it inside his pouch once more. "Do you have any other creatures that need slaying, Dumbledore?"

The corners of the Headmaster's mouth were twitching in amusement. "As of the moment, regrettably there isn't any, Benjy," he said, his eyes twinkling brighter when the wizard became obviously disappointed. "I will contact you if the need arises."

"Very well," Benjy replied, then murmured a brief goodbye under his breath and left.

"Prat," Dorcas snorted, already sweeping inside the chambers with the excited Prewett twins.

Dumbledore turned to Hermione and kindly smiled. "I believe we have some procuring to do," he said, gesturing towards the Chamber.

Sirius excitedly brushed past Hermione whilst Remus ran after him to keep him out of trouble. Peter was eyeing the room with distrust, prompting James to loudly laugh and swing an arm over his shoulder. "Come on, Wormy, the blasted thing's dead," he cajoled, absentmindedly clutching onto Hermione's hand and pulling the Pettigrew siblings inside the chamber.

It still looked exactly like how Hermione remembered it. James skidded to a halt, mouth hanging open as they gazed back at the huge statue of Salazar Slytherin. The basilisk was now a messy, immobile heap at the mouth of the statue, its yellow eyes already hazy and lifeless. Hermione was unable to suppress another shiver, remembering how she'd stared at the creature's reflection back when Hermione Granger was in second year. She still thanked the lucky stars above she was only merely petrified by the basilisk.

"Holy Mother of—" Peter shrugged off James's arm and shot towards where Sirius and Remus were standing. The latter two were already collecting valuable basilisk fangs with dripping venom while wearing special, dragonhide gloves and carefully placing them inside leather pouches.

"Come on," Hermione said, tugging onto James's hand to snap him out of his surprised reverie. James allowed his girlfriend to pull him towards the dead monster, kicking it with his dragonhide boots thrice to make sure it wouldn't start slithering once more and kill them.

"Wicked," he gushed out as he fell on his knees and started cutting off the fangs.

While the Marauders and Hermione collected the basilisk fangs, Dumbledore and the older Aurors disappeared, most likely perusing the humongous Chamber of Secrets. Hermione didn't doubt that this place also housed other valuable things of one of Hogwarts's Founder, leaving treasures lying around for his heir to discover. The thought that Voldemort once spent most of his time here in this place, plotting world domination, made her scowl in disgust. This prompted her to slice through the fangs with increased vehemence.

"Merlin, Hermione, have mercy on this poor creature!" Sirius exclaimed, placing a hand on top of Hermione's to stop her furious assault. "It's already dead. Show some respect."

She was mollified by their snickers, her cheeks colouring in embarrassment. "Sorry," she said, absentmindedly reaching forward to pat the dead basilisk on its head.

"So this best friend of yours," James quipped, "you said he faced this vile thing when he's twelve years old?"

"Yes."

Peter whistled under his breath, placing the newly sliced basilisk fang inside another bag. "Blimey, why'd you hang out with him all those years?" he asked. "You said that Voldemort marked him as his equal, so then this boy would undoubtedly be followed by danger. Why'd you stick around?"

"Because I loved him," Hermione said matter-of-factly. "That's why."

James stilled, eyes growing wide with horror. "What?" he breathed out, thinly veiled jealousy simmering in his voice.

Hermione snorted. "Not in the way you're thinking, James Potter," she dryly replied, nose scrunching up at the thought of entering a romantic relationship with Harry Potter. She glanced at James, whose face he shared with her Harry, and found the whole situation laughable. "More like a brother. Like… like Peter." She looked at Peter and gave him a lovely smile. "I'd do anything for him."

Peter's eyes softened, and he reached forward to squeeze Hermione's hand. "Then, he was luckiest bloke to have Hermione Pettigrew by his side," he said.

"Hermione Granger," she corrected with a laugh. "But yes. He never got tired of saying that to me. He always told me he thought he'd have been dead by first year if I hadn't tried to befriend him." She laughed again, this time sadder and softer. "I did a pretty good job of keeping him alive until… well."

Peter squeezed her hand again for comfort. Hermione shot him a grateful smile and went back to slicing through the basilisk fangs.

"You've never really told us anything about this elusive best friend of yours, you know," Remus pointed out. "You only address him as The-Boy-Who-Lived, the Chosen One, the beacon of all light and hope." He furrowed his brows and stopped his slicing. "You never even mentioned his name."

Her heart lurched, unable to stop herself from glancing at James. The bespectacled wizard met her eyes in surprise, but she immediately looked away and focused all of her attention on slicing the nearest fang. "Maybe some other time," she deliberately replied. "We have had enough excitement for today."

She knew they were all looking at her curiously, wondering why she was being vague with her answers. Thankfully, that was also the time Dumbledore and the others chose to stride out from whatever secret room they'd discovered inside the Chamber. The Aurors were carrying a pile of various knick-knacks, some emitting thick dark magic that made Hermione scrunch up her nose in disgust.

"All done?" Dumbledore pleasantly asked.

With one last mighty sweep from her wand, Hermione was able to remove the last basilisk fang. She deposited it inside the pouch. "All done, sir," she said as she climbed onto her feet.

Dumbledore nodded his head and looked back at Moody. "I trust you'll take care of these valuable things, Alastor?" he said, fingers absentmindedly brushing at one of the wrinkled spines of the books Moody was carrying.

"Of course," he gruffly replied. "Are you sure you do not need any help in destroying the horcrux?"

The Headmaster politely shook his head, his eyes meeting Hermione's. "I think we can manage to do it alone," he said, his eyebrows climbing a few centimetres on his forehead, an unspoken question in his gaze. Hermione nodded her head to silently relay that they could.

"Very well," Moody said. Then, to the twins and Dorcas, he barked a gruff "Come on." They all strode out of the Chamber and left with murmured goodbyes.

"Now," Dumbledore said once they were alone. "I believe we have a horcrux to destroy in my office."

-ooo-

Ravenclaw's Diadem sat on top of Dumbledore's desk, its sapphire gems twinkling menacingly under the bright lights of the Headmaster's office. Hermione unwittingly glanced at her own sapphire gem wrapped around her wrist, seemingly comforted by how its twinkling soothed her troubled heart.

"Do you think Reggie should be here?" Sirius asked Hermione, snapping her out of her reverie. "He was with you when you got that diadem after all."

Hermione smiled sadly. "I'm sure he'd love to be here," she replied. "But I think he has other important things to do today."

She had owled him prior to the excursion today, but Regulus had politely declined, vaguely telling her he had something else to do today. He didn't need to explicitly write out that Voldemort had given him a task. She wanted to persist, ask him if the task given to him would cause him any harm, but thought against it in the end. Regulus would surely tell her if he wasn't able to handle something.

Sirius's grey eyes dimmed, most likely already imagining these 'important things' his younger brother might be doing today. "All right," he dully said, jaw clenching tightly as he focused his attention back on the horcrux.

Hermione reached to touch his elbow in comfort. "He'll be all right," she reassured, hating how her voice slightly wavered with worry. It didn't escape Sirius's notice either, but he gave her a grateful smile anyway.

"Please," Dumbledore said, gesturing towards the diadem. "Any volunteers?"

"I'll do it," Hermione quickly said lest somebody else did it. James darted a worried glance at her, but she smiled in reassurance. "I've destroyed one before. It isn't dangerous."

Remus extended the pouch containing the venom-coated basilisk fangs towards Hermione. She grasped it in her gloved hands before slowly striding towards the table. Blood rushed in her ears, her heart pounded loudly inside her ribcage, with every step she took.

Dark magic was thick in the air. The sapphire gems almost looked harsh, like the diadem knew her ill intent. Memories of her horcrux hunt with her best friends rushed back into her mind, her breath hitching with overwhelming emotions. Hermione never realised she'd be at the exact same place she'd been as Hermione Granger. Wryly, she wondered if Harry Potter was watching over her wherever he was right now, a disappointed look on his face.

'I'm sorry, Harry,' she thought, eyes clouding with tears as she gingerly pulled out a basilisk fang from the pouch.

Hermione took a deep, shuddering breath while a few tears escaped from her eyes. Then, with steely resolve, she raised the fang in the air and plunged it towards the diadem, right where the biggest sapphire sat. The dark blue gem shattered and Hermione backpedalled as black smoke billowed out of the destroyed horcrux. The smoke formed an image of the dark mark, emitting a piercing shriek that gripped Hermione's heart in fear. She took a few shaky steps back, only stopping when a solid figure halted her steps.

A grim-faced Dumbledore stepped forward and with a swish of his wand, the black smoke was dispelled and Hermione could properly breathe once more. "Miss Pettigrew—"

"I-I'm fine," she stuttered as she unsteadily wiped away her tumbling tears. "Give me a minute."

The person behind her turned out to be her brother, who had silently stepped beside Hermione and had steadfastly held her hand until she'd calmed down. She squeezed his hand in return for her thanks.

"It has been a tiring day," the Headmaster softly said with a small, sad smile. "As I've said before, I will contact you once more if I deem it necessary to destroy another horcrux." His blue eyes met Hermione's. "Seeing that we now have a means of destroying the horcruxes, I think it is also time for you to retrieve the last horcrux. I will contact you soon to give you and Mister Black further instructions."

Hermione silently nodded her head in reply.

"Well then, off you all go," Dumbledore said, clasping his wrinkled hands. "Rest if you must. We need as much energy as we can for the following months!"

They didn't need to be told twice. Peter tugged Hermione and led her out of the Headmaster's Office, closely following the other three wizards.

Before the door completely closed, Hermione craned her neck to look at the destroyed diadem one last time. A wave of relief and grim satisfaction washed over her. With newfound determination, she glanced forward and clenched her free hand into a tight fist.

'One down. Four more to go.'

A/N: James's inappropriate line about Hermione's hissing was inspired from various Youtube comments on the DH clip where Ron and Hermione opened the Chamber of Secrets without Harry. I immediately knew it was something James would say hahahahahahaha.

Next chapter is… *sigh*. Both my Beta and I agreed it's quite lovely hehe. See you tomorrow!

With love,
WickedlyAwesomeMe

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