Over the next few days, Hermione quickly settled into her routine at Hogwarts. A lot of her routine involved spending time with Remus, which she didn't mind in the least. They were together for most of the day, sharing all the same classes and studying together in the library before dinner.
After her first couple of study sessions with him, Hermione felt much more confident about her ability to get caught up quickly with her coursework. Even as a teenager, Remus had the qualities of a fine teacher. He was patient with her initial panic at being behind and focused on getting her up to speed with the most important topics she'd missed. He was articulate and conveyed information in a concise, easy manner. He was an even better instructor when it came to performing spells and doing more hands-on practices.
Hermione wasn't the only person Remus helped. During the classes they had with Peter, he assisted him as well. Though some of the other students made fun of Peter's clumsy spell work, much like some of Hermione's classmates used to laugh at Neville Longbottom, Remus was always kind and patient with him. James and Sirius were not as nice. They liked to poke fun at Peter. They seemed to do it good-naturedly, but Hermione wondered whether their mocking contributed to Peter's wavering loyalty in the future.
Hermione watched them, intrigued by the group dynamics of the legendary Marauders, and also by the members as individuals. Though James looked a lot like Harry, he was more confident—bordering on cocky—and quicker to grin. Sirius came across as a bit haughty. He was also well aware of the fact that he was attractive and desirable, and he sometimes entertained himself by casually flirting with unsuspecting girls—including Hermione. She felt uncomfortable whenever he did this because she couldn't help but think of him as the man she knew in the future. If the Sirius she knew in her time had talked to her and looked at her the way his younger self was doing now, it would have been extremely inappropriate.
Hermione was also fascinated by Lily and her friends. Lily was just as friendly, charming, and bright as people described her in the future. Marcia was fiercely independent and unafraid to speak her mind. Kirsten was warm-hearted with a great sense of humor. All three girls were very welcoming of Hermione, and she felt at ease assimilating into their group.
Her other classmates were also very welcoming. Hogwarts rarely had new students besides the incoming first years. Because the seventh years had all known each other since they were eleven, everyone was curious about the new transfer, Jean Wilkins.
Severus Snape, however, did not seem to care that there was a new student. That is, he didn't care until she beat him in Potions.
"I won't be much help to you here," Remus told Hermione when they walked into class on Friday. "I've never been very good at potions."
Luckily, they were working on the Draught of Living Death potion that day. Hermione vividly remembered attempting this potion in her sixth year, when Harry beat her for the first time. She was determined to make up for that today.
Snape, on the other hand, seemed very distracted. He kept looking over at the table where Lily and James were working, his dark eyes watching them closely through his curtain of black hair. The longer he watched them, the bitterer his sallow face appeared.
Professor Slughorn walked around checking their potions towards the end of class. He was clearly disappointed by Snape's attempt but was pleasantly shocked by Hermione's perfect brew.
"Oho! Miss Wilkins, this is extraordinary work!" Slughorn praised her in front of the whole class.
Snape transferred his glare to Hermione.
"That's impressive," said Remus.
"Not really," Hermione replied modestly. "We covered that potion already at my old school."
"Still, you beat both Lily and Severus, and they're the best in the class."
As she and Remus walked out of the classroom, Snape roughly pushed past them. Hermione watched him stomp briskly down the corridor.
"That's Severus Snape," Remus told her.
"He doesn't seem too happy."
"He's not exactly a cheery fellow."
"He was glaring daggers at James and Lily during class."
"Severus and James don't get along much. Never have."
"Why not?" Hermione asked, though she already knew the answer.
"I think Severus is jealous of James, and James doesn't like people interested in the Dark Arts."
"Severus is into the Dark Arts?"
"He seems to be. Some of the people he hangs around with certainly are. They definitely have a dark sense of humor."
"What do you mean?"
"Some of the Slytherins like to play pranks, or at least that's what they call them. They're often cruel rather than funny. They usually pick on Muggle-borns."
"I know what that's like," Hermione said softly.
"But you're not Muggle-born, are you?" Remus asked, frowning slightly. "I thought your dad worked for the Ministry of Magic?"
"He does," Hermione said quickly, and mentally kicked herself for nearly blowing the background story she and Dumbledore had come up with. "I just meant that I have a friend who's Muggle-born, and she used to get picked on by some nasty people. There was one boy in particular who called her a Mudblood every chance he could get."
"That's awful."
"It was. That's why it felt so good when I punched him."
"You punched him?" Remus said, looking surprised.
"He deserved it," Hermione said defensively, but Remus smiled.
"I don't doubt it. It's just hard to imagine you punching someone."
"Well, I did. Actually, it was a slap. A really good slap. I got tired of taking the high road and ignoring him, and I just snapped. And let me tell you, it felt so satisfying. You should have seen the look on his face."
Hermione grinned at the memory of slapping Draco Malfoy in her third year, and Remus regarded her in amusement.
Just then, a fifth year girl walked up to the pair of them.
"Are you Jean Wilkins?" she asked Hermione. "Dumbledore wants to see you in his office right away."
"Sounds like you're in trouble. He must have heard about your violent streak," Remus said, his eyes twinkling.
Hermione smiled.
"If I get detention, it'll have been worth it."
A few minutes later, Hermione entered the headmaster's office.
"Hello, Miss Granger," Dumbledore greeted her. "How are you getting along?"
"Good," Hermione said, taking the seat across from him as he indicated. "It's still a bit strange, but everyone's been very nice."
"Your professors say you have been adjusting well in classes."
"Remus Lupin has been helping me get caught up, sir."
"Ah, Mr. Lupin. He is an excellent student." Dumbledore smiled. "Now, I called you here because I promised to keep you informed on my plan to get you back to the future. I wanted to let you know I have requested a Time-Turner from the Ministry, a special Time-Turner that will ensure you get back to where—or rather when—you truly belong. I am confident my request will be granted. The Ministry, however, must go through the necessary process of reviewing and considering the request which may take four to six weeks."
Hermione thought about what this meant.
"Professor, I've been wondering… In my time in the future, am I just missing? If I'm gone for that long… I'm sure my friends and family must already be very worried."
"That depends on how this all occurred in the first place," Dumbledore answered. "It could be that you are here for a month, but in the future no time has passed at all. The Time-Turner could return you to the exact moment before you were transported here. We will not know for certain until we send you back or else figure out how and why you were sent here. Is there anything new you remember which could tell us this?"
As much as Hermione had tried to remember something that could be helpful, nothing came to mind.
"No. Sorry, Professor."
Over the weekend, the weather was mild and not yet bitingly cold. Hermione and the others took advantage and spent a great deal of time out on the school grounds, studying and lounging about. Hermione noticed Remus looked a bit pale and peaky on Sunday and worse on Monday. She knew the full moon must be approaching, so she wasn't surprised when James informed her Tuesday morning that Remus was feeling a bit under the weather and wouldn't be in classes for a couple of days.
"He's ill again? That poor guy is sick more often than anyone else I know," Kirsten said.
"Yeah, well, his immune system's not so great," James mumbled, then quickly changed the subject.
The day without Remus felt longer to Hermione. Her thoughts kept wandering back to him, wondering if he was okay. How did it feel when the full moon approached? It must be painful. The Wolfsbane Potion hadn't yet been discovered at this time, so there was no alleviating his symptoms. Remus would have to suffer through it.
After her last class, when Hermione usually went to the library with Remus, she headed to the Quidditch pitch with Lily and Kirsten instead. They were going to watch the Gryffindor team, which included James and Marcia, practice. Sirius and Peter joined them in the stands.
Hermione watched James, Captain and Seeker of the team, fly with grace and incredible speed. She knew now exactly where Harry had gotten his talent. It was hard to say who flew better, father or son. Marcia was also very good in her Chaser position, unafraid to get physical even when going up against her bigger teammates.
When the team finished practice, James flew over to Hermione and the others.
"Hey, you guys want to fly? There's some old brooms in the locker room we could use."
Everybody else was up for it, but Hermione was reluctant. She wasn't very comfortable with flying. She much preferred her feet firmly planted on the ground.
"There's not enough for everyone," James said after he and Marcia returned from fetching the extra brooms. "Some of us are going to have to double up."
He pulled Lily up on his broom. Sirius mounted one of the extra ones and looked over at Hermione.
"You can ride my broomstick if you'd like, Jean," he offered rather suggestively.
James and Peter chuckled, then quickly sobered at the dirty look Marcia threw them. Hermione mockingly appraised Sirius, then took a broom from Marcia.
"I think I'll fly on this one instead," she replied coolly. "Yours is a bit small."
Everybody roared with laughter. Even Sirius had to grin.
To Hermione's relief and astonishment, she managed to get up in the air without falling off her broom or embarrassing herself. She zoomed around the pitch with the others, flying rather jerkily, but flying nonetheless. They horsed around for a while before beginning a game: Hermione, James with Lily, and Peter versus Marcia and Sirius with Kirsten. The teams were somewhat evenly matched, and they were all having loads of fun until Peter crashed into Hermione.
Fortunately, they were flying very low when it happened because Hermione fell clear off her broom. She landed roughly on the ground, feet first, before tumbling onto her side. She squealed and grabbed at her right ankle in pain.
Everyone landed on the ground around her.
"Why'd you do that for?" Sirius barked at Peter. "She's on your team."
"I — I didn't meant to," Peter said nervously, looking between Hermione and Sirius.
"It's okay," Hermione said. "It was just an accident."
"It's starting to swell," Kirsten noted. "You need to go to the Hospital Wing."
"It looks like it's sprained," James said, assessing her ankle. "Can you stand?"
Hermione tried and winced in pain.
"I'll carry you," said Sirius, and before Hermione could object, he scooped her up in his arms and lifted her easily.
"I'll come with you," Lily said.
"Don't bother," Sirius told her. "You know Madam Pomfrey doesn't like too many people in the Hospital Wing at once. She'll send us away."
"He's right," James said. "Anyway, if it is a sprain, she'll have it fixed in no time."
"I'll be fine," Hermione told the hesitant Lily. "Don't stop playing on my account."
Sirius carried Hermione, who was feeling very awkward being held by him, away from the Quidditch pitch and toward the castle. When they were well out of earshot of the others, he began to speak.
"So, Jean, now that I have you alone and in my arms," he glanced at her with his dark, mischievous eyes, "I'm going to tell you something very personal."
Hermione didn't like the sound of this.
"What?" she asked him guardedly.
"It's about you."
"What is it?" she asked again, unsure of where he was going with this.
Sirius smiled at her wariness, then said, "You're in love with Remus."
Hermione hadn't expected that at all. She stared at him, completely stunned, and he looked back at her in amusement.
"You're in love with Remus," Sirius repeated, stating it like fact. "But don't worry. He's pretty thick when it comes to these things. He doesn't know yet, but I can tell him for you if you want."
"What in Merlin's name," Hermione said when she'd found her voice again, "gave you the idea that I—? I mean, I hardly know him! We barely met a week ago."
"What does it matter how long you've known him for? When you feel it, you feel it. Nothing else matters."
"I suppose, but—"
"I've seen the way you look at him."
"And how exactly do I look at him?"
"The way James looks at Lily. The way a lot of girls look at me."
Hermione's heart began to beat faster. Was it really that obvious she liked Remus? She tried to appear as though she found Sirius's idea completely preposterous.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Sirius eyed her closely, then frowned.
"Maybe I'm not as good at reading people as I thought," he said. "But Remus is a perfectly fanciable guy, wouldn't you say?"
"I haven't thought about him that way," Hermione lied. "But it sounds like you have."
"Ha ha. Don't try to change the subject. Do you fancy him or not?"
"Not."
"Huh. I suppose I got it all wrong."
They reached the castle and went through the doors to the entrance hall.
"You must fancy me, then," Sirius suggested playfully.
"That's the most ridiculous thing you've said yet," Hermione replied.
"Ouch. Way to damage my ego."
"Your ego doesn't need my help."
As if on cue, they passed a couple of pretty girls: one of them eyed Sirius hopefully while the other glared enviously at Hermione.
"You're right," Sirius said with a smirk, and Hermione rolled her eyes.
As they turned into the passageway that held the entrance to the Hospital Wing, Hermione's feet bumped into the wall.
"Ow!"
Sirius apologized automatically, but took it back a second later. In a lofty tone, he told her, "It's your own fault, you know."
"How is it my fault?"
"You wouldn't have hurt your ankle if you'd ridden with me. And my broomstick is not small."
Hermione laughed as they entered the Hospital Wing.
"Hey, Remus," Sirius said, flashing a grin.
Hermione's laughter died away. She turned to find Remus watching them from one of the beds. He was sitting up, his face very pale, his tired eyes looking glumly at the pair of them.
"Hey," he said weakly and closed the book he'd been reading.
"Put me down," Hermione whispered to Sirius, suddenly feeling self-conscious. He set her down on one of the beds, then went to retrieve Madam Pomfrey.
"I heard you were ill," Hermione said to Remus. "Are you feeling any better?"
"Not yet, but I'll be alright. What happened to you?"
"I went flying with the others and fell off my broom. I'm okay, though. It's only my ankle."
Sirius returned with Madam Pomfrey. As the Healer assessed her, Hermione heard Remus quietly exchanging words with Sirius behind her but couldn't make out what they were saying.
It turned out James was right, and it was only a sprain. Madam Pomfrey had an easy job in healing her ankle. Hermione was free to leave in no time at all.
"We'll see you later, Moony," Sirius said, heading towards the door.
Hermione hesitated. She hated to leave Remus all alone like this. She wished she could stay with him until he felt better, but she knew she couldn't. All she could do was say, "I hope you get better soon."
Remus gave her a feeble smile.