Chapter 11: The untrodden path
12th of September 1999
Hermione rang the door bell of Snape's house in Spinner's End with a heavy heart. It was only yesterday that she had been here last and even though she wasn't sure if she was welcome, she didn't know where else to go. And so she had resigned herself to ask her former potions master if she could stay, until she had found something for herself.
It didn't take long until the door was opened by the man himself. Severus Snape was wearing a casual black shirt and jeans, while his hair was tied back with a hair band. It was the most unusual sight. But Hermione would have to learn living with these all-day-differences.
"Hermione," he said and looked at her with furrowed brows. "I wasn't expecting to meet you again quite so soon. Is everything alright?"
She looked at him nervously. "Sorry for intruding," she apologized and couldn't help biting her lip. "But I didn't know where else to go." She ducked her head. "Could I stay with you for a bit?"
Snape looked at her for a long moment. "You're not staying with the Prewetts any longer?" he asked and Hermione shook her head.
"I… I don't trust them. They are hiding something and they refuse telling me and…" But Severus waved her of with his hand.
"This sounds like we'll need at least a cup of good English tea for covering that particular story," he said and stepped aside. "Come on in then. Charity is back at school and I was starting to feel the need for a decent conversation partner anyway." He smiled at her crookedly and led her into a comfy looking sitting room. "Make yourself at home then. I'll be back with tea in a minute. And then I want to hear your story from beginning to end."
With that he disappeared and Hermione sunk onto the sofa with a tired sigh. She must have sounded like a petulant teenager at his door, which wasn't the best second impression to make. The old Snape would have scowled at her and sent her away with at least a sneer, but Severus had invited her in to sit her down for a proper talk. And Hermione was surprised to find, that she was even looking forward to hear his opinion on the whole story.
It didn't take him long to return back into the sitting room and after they had settled together on the sofa, Hermione told him about her encounter with professor Lupin and the twin's conversation, she had listened in to. Severus didn't interrupt her once, but followed her story with patience. When she was finished with it ten minutes later, he looked at her while rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I do see your point, Hermione. Not having all the facts can be unsettling and quite annoying."
She nodded darkly. "Yeah. What do you think they are hiding?"
At that the corner of his mouth twitched. "Seriously? I have no idea. But I don't think it's anything too bad. I'm sure it's something the three of you have been up to in the past which they don't want to spring at you unprepared."
She blinked at him owlishly. "Like what?"
He looked at her with a shrug. "How should I know? The three of you where thick as thieves back then. From a torrid affair to a break-in into Gringotts anything seems possible."
Hermione choked at her tea. "You think we had an affair? Like, all three of us?" she said wheezing for air and Severus gave an amused snort.
"Why am I not surprized that this is the thing you are scandalized about and not the break-in into Gringotts?"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She didn't say anything for quite a while and contemplated the idea of an affair in her head. But she dismissed it after a short while. "What do you think I should do now?" she finally asked her new friend with a small voice and he looked at her with his dark eyes.
"Well, at some point you'll have to speak to them, I guess. But I don't see a reason why you shouldn't stay here for a while and let things settle down a bit."
"I can stay?" she asked enthusiastically and looked at him with wide eyes. He stared back at her with a twitch of his mouth.
"As long as you don't grate on my nerves. There's an empty bedroom with a desk upstairs, which you can use. The books are in the sitting room and you can amuse yourself with them, as long as you know how to treat them properly. The lab downstairs is out of limits though."
Before she knew what she was doing she had pulled him into a fierce hug. "Thank you, thank you so much!" she said and he laughed.
"Don't count your blessing to soon, Hermione. You'll be making breakfast and lunch as I am working downstairs during that time. And Draco's coming over on Saturday. I know you didn't like him very much in the past, but he's still my godson in this timeline."
She let go of her friend and shrugged. "He isn't so bad this time around though. In fact he was my healer when I woke up at St. Mungo's."
"Then it might not be a total disaster after all," Severus said with twitching lips. "And who knows? Maybe the two of you end up shagging each other in the guest room after a few hours." He winked at her and Hermione couldn't help but swat his leg.
"Severus Snape!" she scolded and looked at him with her best imitation of Professor McGonagall. "This is not funny!"
But then the two of them broke out in hysteric giggles. And Hermione had to admit, that she was already feeling worlds better than an hour ago.
2nd of May 1981
Remus Lupin lived in a small understated house in the middle of nowhere. As they hadn't been in the area before Fabian took them to a small village called Barrington in Dartmoor from where they decided to walk the two miles to the house, where Hermione's former DADA professor was supposed to live. It didn't take 500 metres though, until Hermione transfigures her shoes into hiking boots. The path they had to take was winding itself through a thick forest and was plastered with smaller and bigger rocks, that were lying around loosely on the ground. Hermione doubted that many muggles frequented the area but she rather suspected that this was the whole point of her professor's hideout. It took them almost an hour to reach the place and when Hermione finally passed the wooden picket fence to step into the garden, she was sweaty and wished for a shower and a cup of tea. But she guessed that would have to wait.
This time it was Gideon ringing the door bell and Hermione was happy, to stay behind her two friends and wait to be introduced by them. The conversation would be hard enough as it was and it couldn't hurt, if Remus was talking to someone he knew and possibly trusted first.
"Who's there?" came a suspicious voice from the inside of the house that Hermione immediately recognized as Lupin's.
"It's Fabian and Gideon Prewett," the twins announced themselves and after a moment and a mumbled reply the door finally opened. The Remus Lupin that came into view a moment later was much younger than Hermione had ever seen him, but he was thin and the bags under his eyes showed that he was everything else but well. Hermione studied him with sympathy.
"I can't say I've been expecting the two of you. Did Dumbledore send you over? And who's the girl?" the man in front of her asked suspiciously and Hermione decided to keep her mouth shut at first. It was Gideon who gave a reply instead.
"Nah, we're here on our own. Hermione here wanted to meet you, Remus and we hoped to have a little chat with you."
At that one of Remus eyes twitched and he looked at her with analysing eyes that were almost golden in colour. How long was it until the next full moon, Hermione suddenly asked herself. And had the man just been inconspicuously sniffing her? "Alright, come in then. I have nothing to offer you though," he finally said and Hermione couldn't help but release a relieved sigh.
"Don't worry Remus," Fabian smiled. "Hermione packed to feed a whole army. Nothing special, but there's at least a dozen sandwiches and some cookies as well."
Hermione nodded and put down the backpack, she had enchanted with an untraceable extension charm for herself. Of course she knew about Lupin's precarious situation and his problems to hold a proper job in her days, and so she had prepared herself to bring as much food as she could do unsuspiciously. This way Remus was hopefully fed and in a good mood, before she had to spring the bad news on him.
Lupin guided them into a scarcely furnished kitchen area and motioned for them to sit down at a small table in the middle of the room that was covered by a checked tablecloth. Hermione smiled at him thankfully and placed the lunchboxes she had packed into the middle of the table. But Remus watched the offerings with suspicious eyes.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not used to visitors," he apologized after the moment and looked at her.
Hermione nodded with a smile. "I understand. Believe me, I wouldn't have come, if this wasn't so important to me. But I don't want to spring this on you with an empty stomach."
Fabian laughed. "Our Hermione knows how to make a man curious."
"Don't worry, she's on our side. Not sure if you heard about it, but she saved our arses from a death eater attack some days ago. We brought Dumbledore in for a little chat with her afterwards…" Gideon continued and grabbed himself a sandwich.
"… and he reckoned we can trust her," Fabian finished for his brother. Hermione looked at them with warm thankful eyes. She was happy she brought the two of them with her and she remarked to herself, that she would have to remember to thank them for their support later.
Remus looked at her with an inclined head. "Alright then," he said before finally taking a sandwich for himself. "Why did you want to talk to me then?"
Hermione took a deep breath to calm herself. Here we go, she thought before looking at her professor with a serious gaze. "I come to you to deliver a warning," she said carefully without breaking eye-contact. "There… is a traitor among your friends."
His body went rigid instantly and Hermione could see how his gaze turned wary. She sighed. "I know how this must sound to you, Mr Lupin. You don't know me after all, but I swear that I am telling the truth."
At that her counterpart closed his eyes while resting his head on his folded hands. Hermione used the chance to throw her friends a questioning gaze, before fixing her eyes back on her former professor. She waited for his reaction in silence.
"I'm not sure if you are aware of this Hermione, but my friends are like a family to me. I trust each of them implicitly and I have therefore problems to believe, that one of them would be considered a traitor." With that he opened his eyes and looked at her. She nodded at him with a sad expression.
"I understand," she assured him and for a moment she was tried to take his hand. But she caught herself before doing so. The man didn't know her yet and she was sure this gesture would not be appreciated by him. "…and it pains me to tell you otherwise."
He looked at her with his amber eyes and Hermione itched to know what he saw in this moment. "How do you even know there's a traitor? You don't even know me or any of my friends. I'm pretty sure I would remember you, if we've met before."
This was she part she had been dreading. She needed Lupin to trust her, but this time Legilimency was not an option. What else did she have to prove her point? Hermione sighed heavily. "Well, to be honest, I do know you Moony," she said using his nickname deliberately "even though you might not know me in return. I can't tell you why this is, but I swear that I am on your side."
At that something shifted in Remus' eyes and he almost looked at her with something like panic. "Who is it then?" he asked before looking from her to the twins.
Hermione sighed. "It's Wormtail," she said and looked at him with sad eyes. "Check him for the Dark Mark and you'll see for yourself, that I am telling the truth."
Her counterpart looked back at her tiredly. "I'll do as you say, but know that I don't like this one bit. And I swear I'll inquire with Dumbledore about you, because something about you makes my nose twitch in suspicion."
Hermione nodded. "I understand. Thank you for trusting me anyway." With that she got up from her chair and nodded towards the twins that got up next to her immediately.
"I wouldn't go so far as saying that I trust you, but I do trust Dumbledore's judgement. That's why I'll do as you say after contacting the professor. Expect to hear back from me afterwards."
With that the man got up himself and guided them to the door. Hermione send him a thankful smile, before saying her goodbyes. This conversation couldn't have gone much better, she thought to herself, when she and the twins hiked down the small path through the woods. Soon the traitor would be dealt with, she told herself and she couldn't help but break out into a pleased smile at the thought.