.

VII. She's the Peace Maker

September 30, 1975; Tuesday

Hermione

"DANIEL CHRONOS!" A voice, reminiscent of Molly Weasley's, shouted as he entered the Gryffindor common room. Hermione reverted back to Daniel at about half-past seven that night. It was most probably the same time yesterday he transformed. Turning back to 'guy' form was not as painful as he expected. It merely felt like his whole body was on pins and needles. Afterwards, though, his body felt like it had run a marathon.

"Oh, ummm—hi—er—Lily…" Hermione rubbed the back of his neck guiltily. The said redhead stopped in front of him giving him a glare. He mentally winced and readied himself for the explosion that was sure to come. To his surprise, the look on her face melted into relief as she flung her arms around his neck.

"Sorry." Lily muttered as she let go of him.

"It's all right." Hermione smiled at her in understanding. He'd probably do the same thing if either Ron or Harry would go missing for an entire day.

"Where've you been? I was so worried!" she bit her lip. It didn't escape Hermione's notice that somewhere in the background, James' shoulder slumped and Sirius led him out of the common room and back to their room.

Hermione tore his gaze away from them as he answered Lily. "Didn't Professor McGonagall tell you?"

"Yes, well," she blushed. "I just wanted to hear it from you."

"I visited my mother and sister." He repeated the lie he'd been practicing for some time. His 'girl' self could definitely pass off as his sister.

"I hope she gets better."

"Me too," Hermione agreed, mentally referring to himself. "Well, it's been a long day. See you tomorrow, Lily!"

"Good night, Daniel!" she called after him as he ascended the steps to the boy's dormitory.

When Hermione opened the door, all three occupants stopped talking and turned to stare at him. A moment of awkward silence passed before James spoke.

"So Chronos, where have you been?" His tone was heavy with implications.

"Yeah, Chronos, tell us. Been torturing muggles?" Sirius added viciously causing Hermione to splutter. He couldn't help but wonder where they'd gotten their conclusions from. Harry, Ron and he had come up with ridiculous theories, such as Malfoy being the Heir of Slytherin and Snape trying to kill Harry, but they never had the gall to actually accuse them to his face. Peter, probably seeing Hermione's expression, quickly intervened.

"Uhhh, c'mon, guys, let's play Wizard Chess or something." He said. Granted, it wasn't very subtle, but at least he tried.

"So where were you?" Sirius pressed.

"I had no idea I had to tell you where I go," Hermione said stiffly. "If you must know, I went to visit my sick mother and my sister." At those words, all three of them froze, a unanimous expression of shock on their faces. Hermione raised his eyebrows at their reaction. Had it been that surprising?

"Oh," Peter said, being the first to recover. "I—er—hope she gets better?"

Sirius cleared his throat. "Yeah…what—what Peter said." James looked away from him, probably not knowing what to say.

"So, uhhh, Wizard's Chess?" Peter suggested.

"Sure." It took James a while before he agreed, and the tension in the room deflated a bit. Hermione sat on his bed and watched the three set up the chessboard. Only when Peter was losing did he notice that there was no one there to coach him.

Where was Remus?

"Where's…" he trailed off when the answer popped into his mind.

"What?" Peter asked him over the shouts of advice from his white chess pieces.

"Nothing, nothing." He said quickly.

Of could he have forgotten? It had been a full moon last night. Remus would still be recovering in the hospital wing.

Hermione then groaned as he remembered the shocked look on their faces and the sudden change in their attitude. The excuse he gave was almost exactly the same one Remus used when he had to disappear for a few days during the full moon.

First, his roommates thought he was a Death Eater. Now, a werewolf.

Life couldn't get worse than this.

October 8, 1975; Wednesday

Apparently, life could get worse than it already was, and the reason for that was academics. Hermione was breezing through most of his classes already, but there was one particular class that he still had trouble with—trouble meaning getting an E instead of an O.

That class was Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Their professor was Albert Eichel, a retired German auror. Apparently, he'd gone against Grindelwald himself during that legendary fight. He had a high forehead and sharp features. His green eyes, though warm, showed the experiences he had on the battlefield. He looked nothing like Moody, or Lupin, but everytime Hermione saw him, he couldn't help but be reminded of them. It was probably due to the fact that he was incredibly supportive of every one of his students, but at the same time constantly pushed his students to do better and had unconventional ways of teaching.

On their first day, he disillusioned himself and waited for everyone to enter the room before spelling the doors shut and shooting stunners and disarming spells left and right. It was Snape who noticed that the spells were coming from one direction and disarmed him.

Today was another one of those strange lessons. Eichel started the class by sending a stunner towards Hermione. Thankfully, he managed to erect a shield in time and the spell bounced off of it harmlessly.

"Good reflexes, Chronos," Eichel smiled at her. "Take five points."

Thank Merlin for DA, Hermione thought.

"Today, we move onto something very difficult," Eichel spoke. The class was on the edge of their seats waiting in anticipation. "You will be battling," he paused for effect. "A boggart!"

Half the class looked put out, and the other half rolled their eyes as if to say "Pffft! That's easy!" Dorcas Meadowes even went so far as to voice out her opinion.

A decidedly mischievous smile crept up their professor's face. All Hermione could think of was, Uh-oh, as Eichel explained what they would be doing.

"Defeating a boggart is easy, but what about defeating the real thing? If you were afraid of dementors, and were confronted by even just one, would a simple riddikulus work against it? Definitely not!" He paused, looking them all in the eye before continuing. "So today's lesson is understanding your fears and analyzing them; learn what spells you can actually use against them. Potter, you first." he beckoned at James, who looked slightly green as he stepped forward.

The professor opened the trunk and stepped back, allowing the boggart to change into a…

Snake? Hermione thought incredulously as James fervently backed away from it.

"A snake, Potter?" Eichel sounded just as surprised as Hermione felt. He could hear the Slytherins sniggering from their side of the classroom.

"No wonder you're so hostile towards Slytherins." he said offhandedly. "Anyway, as that is a normal snake, any spell would work on it. You could use a simple stupefy, reducto, incendio. But if it's a magical snake, bombarda would do fine or even fiendfyre—no, wait—that's dark, forget I said that. You could use a killing curse too, but you'd land yourself in Azkaban for sure. Oh, yes, you could also levitate it and throw it at a wall or something. All right, thank you Mr. Potter," —James all but ran back to his seat beside Sirius— "McDonald, you next."

For every student, Eichel would make them face their boggart then tell them what spells to use. Hermione noted his classmates' fears with great interests. Apparently, Mary was deathly afraid of werewolves. Eichel commented that if she were paranoid, bring a set of silver knives with her.

"But I want you to remember," he looked Mary in the eye, "That werewolves are not dark creatures. They are people who are sick. They didn't ask for this to happen to them, and I would want my class to be a little more understanding towards them."

Alice's fear was a dozen rats—which had both James and Sirius sniggering at Peter's expense. Lily's boggart was a faceless Ministry official telling her she'd never be able to get a job because of her blood status.

Eichel snorted. "Ms. Evans, I don't think there is any spell that can actually help you here, but I do know some pretty nasty hexes you may employ if somebody ever had the gall to tell you that."

Peter's fear was—no surprises there—dying. It sure explained a lot of his future actions.

When it was finally his turn, Hermione grew both embarrassed and nervous. He remembered his third year boggart of McGonagall telling him he had failed everything.

Might as well get it over with, he thought as he moved closer to the chest. It opened slowly and the figure that came out wasn't McGonagall, it wasn't any teacher for that matter.

It was Voldemort.

He had only seen the deformed man once, through Harry's memories, but it was enough to make him cringe in fear. Hermione paled as the Dark Lord ascended and looked towards him slowly. His impassive expression turned into a mocking smile.

"Ah yes," he said softly, making Hermione shiver. "The mudblood, the lone survivor. Your friends maybe gone, but fear not. You will join them soon."

Boggart-Voldemort raised his wand, no doubt about to cast either a Cruciatus or an Avada Kedavra. At this point, Hermione was already hyperventilating. Before boggart-Voldemort was able to cast a curse, Eichel stepped in front of it and it immediately turned into a white orb.

Hermione couldn't think—couldn't breathe. There was a war? Everyone was dead. Being alone—it used to be what he feared the most, but now it was coupled with the deaths of his friends.

He heard a voice speaking to him, but it came out muffled, he couldn't understand a word it was saying. Then there was a hand on his arm. Dimly, he was aware that someone was urging him to walk, and he obeyed, not caring what or where it was taking him.

Nothing mattered—they were all dead.

Something cold was pressed to his lips and liquid flooded his mouth. He swallowed it on reflex, and immediately, his mind cleared and the ringing in his ears stopped. As his vision returned to him, the first thing he noticed were a pair of green eyes staring at him in concern.

Harry, he thought and before he could control himself, he flung his arms around the person and cried.

" I'm so, so, sorry." he sobbed.

"There, there." he said awkwardly while patting Hermione's head. After a few minutes he calmed down, and the person stroking his hair asked, "Are you all right now, Mr. Chronos?"

Shock and embarrassment permeated through him as he pulled back and saw that the person he'd been bawling on was none other than Professor Eichel.

"Merlin! Professor! I'm so sorry!" Hermione wished he weren't blushing so hard.

Eichel waved his apology aside. "It's quite all right, Mr. Chronos. It's perfectly normal for you to lose control after what you saw. I must admit, it terrified even me."

"But still—" he moaned in misery. "I thought you were someone else, I'm really sorry, professor."

"You must really care about this person a lot." As Hermione cocked his head in curiosity, Eichel smiled softly and added, "Boys aren't usually very vocal about their feelings."

"Oh." Hermione felt his cheeks heat up. He didn't really think about things like that, he'd have to be more careful.

"Don't worry about it, Mr. Chronos. I, for one, think that it would be a nice change to meet a boy who isn't constantly asserting how 'manly' he is." he smiled and patted his leg. "I still have a class with the first years, Merlin knows I shouldn't leave them unsupervised for too long. I'll see you in class, Mr. Chronos." He nodded at him before leaving.

Hermione flopped down on the bed he was sitting on. He wasn't sure which one was worse: his fear of Voldemort and its being broadcasted to the whole of his batch, or his mortification at sobbing on his professor's robes.

Well, at least he had some time to kill. Merlin knows that Madame Pomfrey wasn't going to let him out till she had forced about a dozen potions down his throat. He rolled over to a side and yawned. All that boggart drama had taken a toll on his body. He could use some sleep. After all, it wasn't as if he had a good night's sleep yesterday, with all the drama over his disappearance. If he happened to skip dinner, he'd just go down to the kitchens.

Sirius

Sirius attended the remainder of his classes in a daze. He tried engaging James in a discussion about Quidditch, thinking up of new pranks for the week, heck, he even tried listening to Professor McGonagall as she explained Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration. But for some reason, Chronos was at the forefront of his mind.

As Chronos approached the chest, Sirius thought that something hilarious would be coming out of it, probably a spider, or a rat. But what came out of it was neither funny nor embarrassing, it was the scariest thing Sirius had ever seen. It as a man with snake-like features, and eyes as red as blood.

Though their appearances were different, he knew that it was the same person as the one he saw during the summer ball:

Lord Voldemort.

The mere thought of the man sent shivers down his spine. He was very charismatic when he spoke about his 'cause', and most of his cousins bought what he said about it being for the betterment of the Wizarding World. Though he only caught snippets of the conversation, he himself would've bought what the Dark Lord said, until he saw his eyes.

He wasn't sure of course, but before he was able to duck under the table to hide from public scrutiny, Lord Voldemort caught his eye. And Sirius froze mid-crouch when the Dark Lord's eye color turned from gray to scarlet. But it was gone as soon as Sirius had blinked. Heck, Voldemort wasn't even looking at his direction, anymore.

But he saw those cold, red eyes again, when he'd run into Voldemort by the apparition point. The Dark Lord eyed Sirius speculatively before he tried convincing the young boy to join him. Sirius used all of the Slytherin cunning left in him to formulate a non-offensive rejection of the Dark Lord's offer. He then proceeded to bow and apologize. Only after doing everything that was taught to him in etiquette class, did he dare look at Voldemort. He inclined his head and told Sirius to think about it, and he looked as if he was merely a bit disappointed but still amiable. But his eyes…

Merlin, his eyes.

His crimson gaze told Sirius that Voldemort was extremely displeased and it promised him of horrors that would await him if he didn't become a Death Eater.

And they were those very eyes that Sirius saw in the creature that emerged from the trunk. Though the Voldemort he met was handsome and charming, this one's appearance seemed to strike fear into hearts of everyone—ally or foe.

The biggest question Sirius had, however, was when did Chronos meet the Dark Lord? And under what circumstances? Did he try to recruit him? Was he a death eater now? Did he decline? Was he a traitor?

Crazy, implausible theories were floating around in his mind, and he couldn't stop thinking about them. It was starting to give him a headache.

"Are you all right, Padfoot?" Remus voiced from where he was sprawled on his bed.

"Hmm? What was that?" Sirius asked distractedly.

"He asked if you were all right." Peter said. "You've been really quiet since DADA."

"I—," Sirius paused. It unsettled him when he realized that he wasn't sure how he was feeling. "I don't really know."

James sat up and looked at him in concern. "What's on your mind?"

A lot of things, Sirius thought bitterly. Chronos, Voldemort, Death Eaters, Chronos, my damn parents, my 'fiancee', my brother, and Chronos.

"Can I borrow your cloak, James?" Sirius asked abruptly.

"All right," James said slowly.

"Thanks." Sirius said sincerely as he took the Invisibility Cloak from his best friend's trunk. He was thanking James not just for lending him the cloak, but for not asking why he needed it and understanding that he wanted to be alone.

"Be careful." Peter said as he made his way out of the room.

Sirius wandered around the school for a few minutes before deciding to go down to the kitchens to get some food. He hadn't realized that he'd eaten so little during dinner. As the portrait swung open, he was immediately swarmed by a dozen or so house elves.

"Master Sirius! You is coming back!" Daisy—if Sirius recalled correctly—bowed to him. "Is you wanting some food?"

"Yes, Daisy," he gave her a charming smile. She looked about ready to cry when he said her name. "Some roast beef and potatoes sound good. As well as a cup of pumpkin juice." he added.

"The food is coming soon Master Sirius! You is sitting next to Master Daniel over there!" another house elf—Tinny—gestured towards the tables.

Daniel? he looked at the table and his jaw dropped.

It was Chronos.

How the heck did he find the kitchens? How'd he get in? he thought to himself. He's only been in the castle for a month!

He stood awkwardly a few feet from the table, not really wanting to confront his roommate. However, he had no choice in the matter when Daisy came back with his plate and pushed him onto the seat directly in front of Chronos.

He started when Sirius plopped down onto the seat. "Black, what're you doing here?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Eating, Chronos. What else?" he said as he shoved a large piece of beef into his mouth.

"Oh…right."

The two continued to eat in silence. Sirius, however, was not used to the quiet and broke it after a few minutes. "How'd you find the kitchens?"

"I—Alice showed me."

"Oh, I see."

Silence.

"So where've you been since DADA?"

"Hospital Wing…you know how Madame Pomfrey is."

Sirius chuckled dryly. "Unfortunately."

Silence.

"When did you meet You-Know-Who?"

Chronos choked on the pumpkin juice he was drinking. "I'm sorry?"

Sirius winced at his lack of tact. "Er—I—your boggart…"

"I—I don't think that's any of your business."

"Are you a Death Eater?" Sirius demanded.

"No," Chronos sighed exasperatedly. "Whatever did I do to make you think I was one? And if I were really one, did you think I'd go and say yes?"

"Well…I…" it then occurred to Sirius, that Chronos didn't act like a usual Death Eater suspect. He didn't blab about pureblood supremacy, curse students behind their backs or anything that could be considered remotely evil.

"See? Even you can't give me a legitimate answer." Chronos slumped in his chair and sighed.

Sirius wasn't keen on breaking the silence anymore. He was a bit embarrassed by his question. Gryffindor or not, he shouldn't have accused Chronos straight to his face…even if he and James just did that last week. He finished up the rest of his roast beef and chugged down his pumpkin. Just as he was about to leave, Chronos spoke.

"Why do you hate me so much?" he whispered.

Sirius whirled around and gaped at him. "What?"

"Why do you hate me so much?" Chronos glanced up from his plate and looked him in the eye. The amount of pain in his eyes stunned Sirius into silence.

"I've been bullied before, you know. This isn't exactly my first time." he said quietly. "But it's so much harder when I have to share a room with you."

"We aren't bullying you!" The moment the sentence left his lips, he knew it was the wrong thing to say. Especially when he saw the fire that sparked in Chronos' eyes.

"Not bullying?" Chronos laughed wryly. "Everyday you prank me, vanish my clothes, burn my homework, put trip jinxes on me, hide my books, make fun of me, invent ridiculous rumors about me, accuse me of being a Death Eater! If that isn't bullying, Black, I don't know what is!" his voice had escalated into a shout somewhere in between. "Why do you hate me so much?" he asked in a calmer tone.

"It was because of that time you looked at Peter—"

"And because I looked at your friend in a strange way, you can do all those things to me?"

"You looked like you were ready to murder him on the spot!" Sirius said hotly.

Chronos quieted, a look of dismay on his face. "He reminds me of someone." he said, sadness seeped into his voice. "I had a friend whose parents were murdered when he was a year old. And a friend of them betrayed them, leading to their deaths. That friend of theirs looks exactly like Pettigrew, and that's why I disliked him when I first saw him."

Sirius opened his mouth to speak, but he found himself struck speechless. So he wasn't judging Peter all this time?

"But I never showed any kind of hostility towards Peter after that day, so what else?"

"Well," Sirius said slowly. "There's Evans…"

Chronos sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I don't know how many times I have to say it, but I don't like Lily that way."

"Why not? You both seem so cozy and touchy-feely all the time!"

The corners of Chronos' lips quirked up."Touchy…feely?"

"Yeah! You know! Touching? And—and feeling?"

Chronos snickered at his rather poor explanation and Sirius huffed at him.

"If I could get Potter and Lily together, I would."

"You would?" he asked, startled.

Chronos shrugged. "Of course. Potter obviously likes her a lot. The problem is, Lily isn't into bloody ponces. He has to change if he wants to get the girl."

"I've been telling him to give up recently. Evans doesn't look like she'll relent any time soon."

"I think," Chronos looked contemplative, "that those two are going to end up together someday, if Potter's head deflates a bit."

Sirius chuckled, surprising Chronos. "Yeah, he does have an ego problem."

"Says the guy who's been bragging about being the best beater alive." Chronos teased him. "So…truce?" he asked uneasily.

Sirius was surprised at this gesture. He wasn't expecting Chronos to forgive them so quickly for what they did to him.

"Truce," Sirius shook his hand and smiled at him.

"C'mon, let's get back to Gryffindor Tower. Merlin knows we might get caught by Filch if we stay any longer.

And the two didn't speak to each other again that night, save for a "good night" when they climbed into their respective beds. Sirius knew that Chronos was still a bloody mystery, but at least he wasn't evil.

Or at least, didn't seem to be.

A/N:

Well…this update took long. :( I'm sorry! College, you know? I've been busy. Plus, I started a new story, and that one was more fleshed out that this. I know I promised monthly updates, but my sched just can't take it! I thought of abandoning this story, but I decided that I hated unfinished stories, and I wouldn't want to subject anyone to that. :P So again, thanks for reading! Please leave a review!

Anonymous reviews are always welcome! :)

P.S. Can anyone guess what Eichel's boggart is? :P