DISCLAIMER: I don't own Potterverse. Only the plot is my own.
CHAPTER 3
"I'm going to kill that rat." Sirius growled with hatred lacing his every word.
Hermione's smile dropped and her face went blank. "No, you can't." she said firmly.
He looked at her in disbelief and exploded. "HE'S THE REASON THEY DIED HERMIONE!"
Hermione jumped, looking around in a panic. "Keep your voice down Sirius!" she hissed.
"I already cast silencing charms" he said, waving her off and muttering under his breath.
Hermione glared at him and proceeded to cast wards of her own, allowing him to cool off in the meantime. Once she was done, she turned to see Sirius looking at her angrily.
"Now, are you willing to discuss this calmly?"
"How in the world do you expect me to be calm?!" he demanded, lowering his voice nonetheless. "You yourself acknowledge that we can change everything and yet, you're not letting me correct the one thing that went most wrong!"
"Sirius, just listen to me! Of course we are going to change everything! Lily and James won't die. I will not have Harry lose his parents on my watch!" she said determinedly. "But, that said, killing Pettigrew isn't the way to go about it! That would expose us and ruin everything!"
"Then let it!" Sirius shouted. "We'll fight Voldemort openly and end this once and for all."
"It's not as simple as that!" Hermione shouted back, before falling into a coughing fit. Sirius' anger instantly gave way to concern as he stroked her back. When her spasms subsided, leaving blood on her hands, his hands clenched around her more tightly. She cleaned herself wandlessly and turned to look at him, her eyes softening seeing the pain in his. "I'm fine" she said, stroking his cheek. He leaned into her palm for a moment before placing a soft kiss on her palm and pulling away with a sigh.
She made herself comfortable in his arms as he leaned into the headboard and covered them both with a blanket. "For starters, we don't even know if Peter's joined them yet." She continued, in a more patient voice. "And even if he has, as long as we allow Peter to think he's spying for Voldemort successfully, we have the upper hand. We know what happens when and we can prevent it. But if we expose ourselves, their plans will change accordingly and everyone's safety becomes a wild card, especially James and Lily's! And I'm not willing to risk that!"
His shoulders slumped in defeat as the sense in her words got to him. "So what can we do?"
She was quiet for a long time before saying in a low voice, "Voldemort cannot be defeated in an open confrontation. Not right now anyway."
That got his attention. "What do you mean?" he asked, warily.
"I know how to finish him once and for all." She said with a blank face.
"What?! What are we waiting for then?! We should tell Dumbledore right away!"
"No!" she protested vehemently, causing Sirius to look at her in confusion.
"But Hermione, he's the greatest wizard in existence; the founder of the Order!"
Hermione shook her head in protest. "Yes, but not right now Sirius. Please, trust me. And he especially, cannot know about you! Do you understand me?!" she asked frantically.
"But why…?" Sirius asked, still confused.
Hermione took a deep breath. "Sirius, on the night you… you… well, you disappeared, Dumbledore died." She heard Sirius' sharp intake of breath as she continued. "A lot of things about Dumbledore's personal life became public knowledge after that, thanks to Rita Skeeter. I have too many things at stake to risk telling Dumbledore everything Sirius! So please don't force me! Not right now!"
He looked at her for a long while before leaning in and kissing her forehead. "Okay, love. So what do we do now?"
Her head snapped up as she suddenly realized something. "Wait. Does Dumbledore already know what happened to you? Does anyone? That you're not completely the Sirius they know?" she asked, worriedly.
He laughed humourlessly. "No. I was too angry at the state you were in yesterday and I collapsed after Madam Pomfrey said you were stable. Nobody had any time to question me."
She sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. Sirius, you can't let them know anything; not even the marauders! You can't let anybody suspect you, or Peter for that matter!"
He frowned. "I don't like this at all… but I understand."
"And secondly, you can't act as though you know me from before."
"What?! There's no way I'm leaving you alone, now that you're here!" he said, angrily.
Hermione grinned ruefully and grasped his hand. "Sirius… think about it calmly. A girl appears out of nowhere and Sirius Black won't leave her side? There goes keeping anything under wraps! And when you can't even explain it, it's going to arouse everybody's curiosity, and we can't get anything done under so much scrutiny."
He looked as though he was about to protest, but she beat him to it. "It's not like we can't talk at all. You can always get to know the new girl, right? And who knows? You might even become best friends!" She winked.
He chuckled. "Anything else?"
She frowned, biting her bottom lip. "Actually, there is one other thing. When Dumbledore questions me tomorrow – which he will – I can't lie to him. He's not someone you can lie to. I'm going to have to bend the truth."
Sirius nodded. "Which means…?" he prompted.
"I'm going to have to tell him that I got here because of the spell that brought you here. That won't be a problem, right?"
"No, of course not. But Hermione," he said, "How exactly did you get here?"
She swallowed. "I…don't know." It's not technically a lie. They sent me here as clueless as he is now. Although, some of it makes sense now… Sirius lost flesh memory of the veil when he was merged into his fifteen year old self. That's why I had to reclaim my bond.
"Hermione"
"Huh?" she looked to up to see him smiling at her softly. She was surprised that he hadn't interrupted her thought process.
"It's late. Plus, you're definitely going to have a long day tomorrow. You need rest as it is, not to mention your injuries."
Only when he mentioned it, did she realize how fatigued she was. A yawn escaped her involuntarily. Sirius chuckled and kissed her fondly on the forehead.
"Goodnight Hermione. I'm really glad you're here."
As he settled her under the covers and tried to get up, Hermione clutched his shirt in a moment of panic. "Don't go. Don't leave me. Please." She croaked.
Sirius kissed her knuckles and gathered her in his arms, mindful of her injuries. "I'm not going anywhere." He said with conviction, replying to her unspoken questions as well. As he gently stroked her hair, she found herself drifting off into a peaceful slumber. Just before she slipped over the edge of consciousness, she thought she felt his lips ghost over hers, but she couldn't be sure.
"It's good to see that you're awake, Miss…?" Dumbledore said as he walked in and stood at the foot of her bed.
As she had expected, Madam Pomfrey had fussed over her for a few minutes once she woke up and immediately sent for Dumbledore. Sirius still seemed to be asleep in the bed beside hers.
"Granger, sir. Hermione Granger."
"Ah, Miss Granger, it seems you have the benefit of already knowing who I am, however, I do not seem to recall meeting you before." He peered at her over the rim of spectacles. She almost wanted to roll her eyes seeing the familiar twinkle in his.
"Perhaps it would be best if our conversation were to be kept private." He proceeded to close the curtains around her bed and cast silencing charms. He then sat on the stool beside her bed and said, "Now, my dear, tell me everything from the beginning. Who are you and where do you come from?"
"It's more like 'when'." Hermione mumbled. Dumbledore raised an eyebrow in mild surprise but silently let her continue, "I come from the year 1998, professor. I'm a Hogwarts student and there was a battle at Hogwarts. One minute I was fighting and the next I found myself here."
"A battle?" he asked warily, his eyes losing some of the twinkle.
She nodded. "Against Voldemort and his death eaters."
He inhaled sharply. "I would have never expected things to become so grave in the future." He said, as if speaking to himself. "However, that still does not explain how you are here, or what you did to young Mr. Black upon your arrival."
She looked at him curiously. "Mr. Black…?" Her eyes widened in realization. "You mean Sirius."
"I take it you are acquainted with him?"
"Yes" she replied. Here goes nothing. She took a deep breath and continued, "I – I can't remember clearly… But if I had to guess, I think I was hit by a time spell. Exilium ad tempus perditus..."
Dumbledore gasped. "Exiled to time lost…" he whispered to himself. He looked at her gravely. "That is very dark magic, Miss Granger. There is a reason time magic is forbidden. I hope you realize that you can never return to the future as you know it…"
She looked down at her hands. "I know, professor."
Dumbledore gently patted her hands. "You are welcome to remain at Hogwarts and I will do my utmost to help you." He said, looking at her so kindly that she felt a little guilty not telling him the whole truth.
But this is for the best, she thought to herself and smiled in gratitude. "Thank you, professor." She took a deep breath and continued, "As for Sirius, I was fighting beside him and he was possessed… I think I was caught in the time trap before I could speak the spell to release him."
"One can't help but wonder why a young girl such as yourself would need to know such spells, Miss Granger." He said speculatively.
Hermione looked him in the eye and answered confidently. "I came across the spell in a book and thought it would be useful to know. One of my friends was possessed a few years back so I couldn't let go of the opportunity to learn it"
"And what, exactly, is this spell?" he asked, barely concealing his curiosity.
She shook her head. "I'm afraid I don't remember it professor. I think it was one of those old magicks that leave one's memories after being used. …Anyway, I suppose I couldn't tell the difference between this Sirius and the Sirius from my time in my battle adrenaline."
"It is quite understandable considering the state you were in. And I am pleased to inform you that Mr. Black seems to have suffered no big consequence as a result of this spell. He should be released within the day."
She sighed in relief. "Thank goodness!"
"Now, if it is agreeable to you, I will inform the staff and the students that you are transferring here from France next year. Since students at Beauxbatons take their OWLs only in their sixth year, you are here early to take your OWLs with your future classmates. Is that agreeable to you Miss Granger?"
"But, Professor, what about my injuries? And the people who saw me yesterday…? I'm sure someone attacked me…" she said, rubbing her forehead.
"If anyone asks, we will tell them that you were attacked on your way here. I admit, times are not yet as grave as the future you seem to have come from; however, I'm afraid the darkness has already begun to take roots in magical Britain. I'm sure you can come up with a plausible explanation my dear. As for Mr. Potter and his friends, I will speak to them personally. Please do not worry yourself." He smiled kindly and stood up, drawing back the curtains to find Sirius sitting on his bed and looking at them.
"Ah, I hope you are feeling better Mr. Black."
"Yes, thank you Professor." He replied, his eyes darting between Dumbledore and Hermione.
"Now, my dear boy, according to Mr. Potter, you seemed to recognize Miss Granger when she arrived from France yesterday. Would you like to tell me how that is?" he asked, piercing Sirius with his blue gaze.
Sirius gulped and saw Hermione's panicked face behind Dumbledore. Just go with the truth. He gulped and looked at his hands before replying, "I've been dreaming about her for many months now. She always felt familiar but I didn't know who she was… until yesterday. When I saw her yesterday, I just knew it was her."
His eyes met Hermione's and he couldn't look away. She's the girl of my dreams… literally and figuratively.
"Well, it seems the two of you have a deeper connection than you realize." Dumbledore observed, regaining their attention. "Such bonds are rare in this short life; cherish them."
They both nodded and Dumbledore turned to leave. "Oh, and Mr. Black," he said, turning around. "Poppy informs me that you should be free to leave by lunch. I would like you, Mr. Potter, Mr. Lupin and Miss Evans to visit my office at seven o'clock this evening."
"Yes, Professor" Sirius said, nodding.
They waited for a good few minutes after he had left before heaving a sigh of relief.
"That went well." Sirius commented, flopping back down on his pillow. "So what's the official story?"
"I'm sure Dumbledore will tell you. But if you must know, I'm transferring from Beauxbatons for sixth year." She smirked.
"Is that so?" Sirius got up and bowed over her hand, placing a kiss on the back of it. "Enchanté mademoiselle."
Hermione smacked him with a pillow and laughed.
A/N: I'm alive? What? Update?! WHAT?! :P