A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I think that this chapter will help clear up some of the questions about younger and older Hermione. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions!

Please let me know what you thought of chapter fifteen and be on the lookout for chapter sixteen soon!

1996

Hermione Black hadn't been back to Hogwarts in over ten years, but it felt like coming home when she walked onto the grounds from Hogsmeade village, accompanied by her brother-in-law, Sirius Black. She had thought that she would never come back to the school, but then her son had made Ravenclaw's Quidditch squad, where he played chaser, and she knew that she had to come support him.

"What do you say to a little friendly wager?" he asked as they neared the Quidditch pitch. "I bet that Slytherin will snag the win right from under Ravenclaw's noses. Harry will get the snitch and Slytherin will get the result."

She smiled back at him, thinking about how odd it was to be so friendly with Sirius Black. In the over fifteen years that she'd been married to Regulus, she had delighted in seeing his second chance at life, one that was happy and fulfilled with his wife and children. "I will take that bed, Sirius," she said with a smirk. "You know, I don't think that I'll ever get used to you cheering for Slytherin."

"Well, Alphard is just such an amazing beater, I can't cheer against my own son," he said with a grin. "And Harry is a prodigy. Can't help it if the pair of them ended up in Slytherin together," he said with a shrug.

Hermione knew that it had come as quite a shock to Sirius and James when their sons had written home to tell them that they had been sorted into Slytherin. "I'd wager it's Draco's doing," she answered back. "They all get on so well."

They found their seats easily enough, sitting with the professors. As time had gone on, it had gotten easier for her to remember that her professors didn't remember her as the brightest witch of her age, and rather solely as Arcturus and Cassiopeia's mum.

She cheered heartily when she saw Arcturus fly onto the pitch in his blue uniform. He hadn't followed in his father's footsteps, instead choosing to play as a chaser. Her eyes scanned the Slytherin crowd and she found Cassiopeia nestled in with the other students, cheering heartily against her brother, instead choosing to cheer for her cousins.

The game got off to a raucous start. Hermione could admit how strange it was to see Harry and Draco working together on the same team, but she could admit that Draco's decision to play chaser rather than seeker (solely to thwart his nemesis) had paid off. It was the sixth year's first season as captain, and they were doing admirably, quickly racking up nearly one hundred points. The Ravenclaw keeper just couldn't seem to keep up with them.

At the end, Slytherin was victorious, with Harry securing the snitch in a spectacular dive. She let her eyes wander through the stands and found that the only Ravenclaw who seemed excited about the win was...herself. Hermione felt her breath leave her when she watched this alternate version of herself waving at Draco, sending him a thumbs up when he did a lap around the stadium.

They wanted to see their sons after the game, but Arcturus proved to be too moody over the loss to talk to his mum and Alphard was too busy trying to get a witch's attention to talk to them for more than two minutes. Hermione watched as her younger self came bounding their way, eager to speak with Draco, and she knew that she needed to get Sirius out of there as quickly as possible. It was easy to dismiss any similarities between her and her younger self while she had been younger, but now that Hermione Granger was seventeen, she knew she wouldn't be as lucky.

"Head to the Three Broomsticks for a pint?" she asked, shouldering Sirius. "I believe I owe you for winning the bet."

Sirius, to her delight, was only too happy to take her up on the offer, eagerly ribbing her about how difficult it must be to have to cheer for Ravenclaw. "Cass might take up after Reggie, though," he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders while they walked to Hogsmeade village. "Under Harry's tutelage, she could be a great seeker. Then you can cheer for a winning team!"

Hermione had grown introspective and quiet by the time that she had a pint of butterbeer in front of her. She had gotten by so far without anyone discovering her secret, but she worried that it was only a matter of time before the kneazle was let out of the bag.

Unfortunately, it seemed that Sirius was already miles ahead of her. "Were you in Ravenclaw the first time around?" he asked.

She choked on the butterbeer, unsure of what she should say to him. She'd known that Sirius had had suspicions over the years, but she never expected him to put it all together. Perhaps she shouldn't have underestimated one of the best aurors the Ministry had. Hermione cleared her throat. "I was a Gryffindor," she said quietly. "Harry was, too. And he and Draco hated one another."

"Alphard?" he asked, cautiously, as if he already knew the answer the question.

Hermione shook her head, softly. "There was no Alphard. There was no Regulus," she explained, wondering if she was burdening him by telling him all of the details. "There was no James and Lily."

Sirius recoiled in horror when she explained about all the loss that could have been. "I'm happy for it then," he said finally. "But, Hermione, you know that you can't keep this a secret forever...not from her, especially."

"I'm afraid of what it will do to her," she answered meekly. It was something that she'd mulled over for years...when and if she should tell the truth to Hermione Granger. "It could drive her insane."

"It explains why you always avoid her," Sirius said, his eyebrows furrowed. "But, mark my words...Hermione Granger is going to figure it out one way or another. It would be better if the truth came from you."

Nibbling at her lower lip, Hermione knew that what Sirius said was the truth. She wouldn't be able to avoid it forever. But that didn't mean she couldn't hold out for a little while longer.