"Excellent, Miss Wilkins!" Professor Dalton exclaimed. "Well done!"
Hermione smiled at the praise from her Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and proudly watched the brilliant, silvery-white otter she'd conjured move gracefully across the classroom.
"Now," Professor Dalton said to the rest of his students, "let's see how many of you can emulate what Miss Wilkins has kindly demonstrated for us and produce a Patronus of your own by the end of class. Remember folks: think happy thoughts."
The students got out of their seats to practice.
"Was it him?" Sirius asked Hermione, nodding his head in the direction of their Defense professor.
Hermione rolled her eyes. For the past few days, ever since she'd revealed during the Truth or Dare game that she'd had a not so innocent dream about a teacher, Sirius had been pointing out to her different Hogwarts' professors and asking that same question. As she had every other time, Hermione, a little annoyed now, replied in the negative.
"You know, Jean," Sirius said as a wisp of silver shot out of his wand, "Remus here wants to be a profess—"
"Drop it," said Remus sharply, and Hermione was grateful his friend heeded his words.
The class practiced for the remainder of the lesson time, Hermione helping the others. Even though the conditions were easy, nothing like they would be had they actually been face to face with a Dementor, nobody could produce a fully-fledged Patronus like she had, not even Remus. With him being so good in classes, especially this one, and since he'd been the one who'd taught Harry this particular skill, she found it odd that he was having trouble with this charm.
Hermione watched his failed attempts and tried to remember if she'd ever seen him cast the Patronus Charm in her time in the future. The only occasion she could think of was when they'd first met on the Hogwarts Express at the start of her third year. A Dementor had come on board to their compartment, gliding towards her and her friends with its characteristic chill before being driven away by Remus and something silvery that had shot out of his wand — but his Patronus had been shapeless. Hermione frowned. Surely the talented wizard could conjure a corporeal Patronus. He had to be able to. He'd been a member of the Order of the Phoenix and that had been one of their methods of communication.
After class, while Hermione was walking along the corridor with Remus and Lily, the redhead asked her, "How did you get so good at the Patronus Charm? Did you already go over that at your old school?"
"No, Harry taught me," Hermione said without thinking. Instantly realizing her mistake, color rushed into her cheeks. She shouldn't have mentioned Harry to Lily — he was her future son!
Clearly misinterpreting her blush, Lily asked her teasingly, "Who's Harry?"
"He's a friend of mine from my old school."
"Just a friend? Or—?"
"Just a friend. He's really more like a brother."
"Is he very smart like you?"
"Not exactly," Hermione told her, deciding it was okay to talk about him. After all, Lily didn't know she was Harry's mother. "But he was the best in our class at Defense Against the Dark Arts. He learned how to conjure a Patronus in his third year."
"Wow. That's majorly impressive."
"Third year?" Remus said, sounding surprised. "Is that when they start teaching you that charm at your old school?"
"No, Harry took extra lessons."
"He must be a very good wizard," Remus reckoned.
"He is," Hermione agreed. Then, smiling at him slightly, she added, "He also had a great teacher."
"Was it him?" Sirius asked, suddenly coming up from behind them.
Though Hermione pretended to be annoyed again by his repeated question and didn't deign to give him a response this time, Sirius grinned at her anyway, and she cursed the warmth in her cheeks for giving her away. She'd never blushed so much in her entire life until she'd met the younger versions of Remus and Sirius, and while Sirius seemed to enjoy causing her this reaction, she didn't find it fun in the least.
Fortunately for her, the subject turned to Quidditch as soon as Marcia and James joined them.
"We need to win Saturday," said James. "It might prove to be the most pivotal match to winning the Cup."
"We will win," Marcia declared. "We're faster than they are, and I for one am willing to play rougher if it means getting the victory. I know I can take Harris."
They went on talking tactics and Quidditch mumbo-jumbo Hermione never quite understood, but she could tell that this match was very important for them and for Gryffindor House.
And so on Saturday morning, Hermione, Remus, Lily, Sirius, and Kirsten, sat in the stands cheering on the Gryffindor team. An hour into the thrilling, fast-paced game, the scarlet-clad flyers led sixty to twenty, and Marcia, soaring around the pitch with great agility and aggression, already had three goals to her credit. James was circling above the others all the while, scouting for the Snitch and fiercely out flying the opposing Seeker whenever they spotted a glimpse of gold. He so reminded Hermione of Harry, and she felt a pang of homesickness.
"Where have you been?" Sirius asked Peter when he'd finally presented himself at the match.
Peter squeezed into the small space on the bench beside Sirius, the others scooting over to accommodate him, before he answered his friend, but Hermione didn't hear his reply. The unexpected contact between her and Remus distracted her completely. He had shifted closer to her, and already hyperaware of him under normal circumstances, she became rather self-conscious now, an unsettling battle rising within her as his warmth spread to the side of her body pressed against his. Her impulse to move away from him clashed with her urge to get even closer, and she fidgeted uncomfortably. Remus, on the other hand, appeared unconcerned by their proximity and oblivious to her inner struggle.
The score favored the Gryffindors eighty to forty when James made a spectacular dive toward the ground at breakneck speed. Just before he was about to crash into the earth, he pulled up, pumping in the air his fist enclosed around the golden Snitch. The Ravenclaws and Slytherins in the stands groaned in displeasure. The Gryffindors, meanwhile, roared triumphantly, and Hermione, hugging and cheering with her friends in celebration, rejoiced for reasons other than Quidditch when Remus embraced her.
A few days after the match, a young Hufflepuff boy found Hermione after classes and informed her that Dumbledore wished to see her. She thought this must mean he'd finally heard back from the Ministry about his request for a Time-Turner. Had it been granted? Did Dumbledore have the Time-Turner in his possession right now? Would she be returning home shortly?
Hermione could hardly believe an entire month had passed since she'd first arrived to this time. These last few weeks seemed to have gone by so quickly, though in some ways it felt like she'd been here for much longer than she actually had.
"Time is curious, indeed," Dumbledore said when she'd confided this to him. "I imagine you must miss your home, your family and friends…"
"I do miss them, very much. But it's odd, sir. I've been starting to feel as though this here is my real life, and the life I had in the future was like some sort of dream. I suppose it's because I've gotten so used to being here. I think it'll be a bit strange going home again. Has the Ministry granted your request for a Time-Turner, Professor?"
"I have called you here this afternoon precisely to speak of that matter, Miss Granger. It seems the approval for our request is being delayed due to a disagreement I am having with those at the Ministry. They wish to interview you before granting us the Time-Turner we seek, to verify that you are genuinely an accidental time traveler and to determine your possible motives for being here if you are not."
"Well, that's fair, isn't it, Professor?"
"In theory. I fear, however, they would ask you too many questions and for the wrong reasons. You have knowledge about which we are all curious — where the wizarding world is heading, the status of Voldemort in your time — but this is foreknowledge I believe we should not be given. I have discussed at length with the Ministry my belief that it is safer for everyone involved if you do not reveal to us anything about the future, but they argue you must be here for a reason. They believe it is possible you were sent back in time to help us reach a better future."
"I don't know why I was sent here," Hermione said slowly, "but I don't believe it was to change anything. I know one tiny change can make ripples in the timeline of events and lead to uncontrollable changes in the future… I don't want that. I don't want to be responsible for that."
Dumbledore smiled. "Very wise and sensible of you."
"But if we don't let them interview me, they won't give us a Time-Turner?"
"I assure you we will get the Time-Turner we need, Miss Granger. It just may take a little more time and convincing. If worse comes to worst, you will be interviewed by the Ministry, but I would be there to ensure no unnecessary questions are asked."
Hermione nodded.
"Professor, you said the Ministry believes I must be here for a reason… I keep wondering if there is a reason. Why am I here? I don't think I was purposely cursed here by somebody because it just wouldn't make sense for anyone to do that, so I think it had to be an accident. But then I believe it's too coincidental to be an accident because out of all the times and places I could have been sent to, I was sent here. I was sent to my school, directly to a person I know from the future, and where I could befriend other people that I know of in the future. And though there are some things I would like to change, I know everything that happened in this time happened for a reason. I wouldn't change a thing."
"Perhaps you are not here to change anything," suggested Dumbledore thoughtfully, "but because there is something you must learn."
Hermione hadn't considered that possibility before. "Like what, sir?"
"It could be information regarding one of your classmates, maybe the truth behind an incident that occurred… Perhaps you should take a closer look at the person you know from the future, the person to which you were directly transported here."
Remus. Was there something she needed to learn about him? What could it be? Obviously something very significant if she'd been sent back in time to find it out.
Hermione was walking back to her dormitory, wondering what could be so important about Remus that she'd needed to time travel in order to discover it, when she saw a flicker of light in the peripheral of her vision. She paused along the empty corridor, noticing a door standing ajar to her right. She peered through the narrow strip offering a glimpse into the classroom. Another flash of light.
Hermione stepped toward the door and carefully pushed it open a little further, just enough to slip her body past it. Inside the classroom, her eyes skimmed the profile of Remus sitting atop one of the desks, then turned toward the luminous creature circling the room — a corporeal Patronus, as bright and as powerful as any Harry had ever conjured. It was almost blindingly white as it raced toward her, and left her seeing spots after it suddenly vanished.
"Jean," Remus said, jumping off the desk. "I thought you had an appointment with Dumbledore."
Hermione disregarded this and asked him in amazement, "Your Patronus is a wolf?"
"It — Yeah," he confirmed, rather reluctantly.
He picked up the wand he'd dropped when he'd caught sight of her moments earlier, and Hermione contemplated him in confusion when his gaze returned to hers. Was that shame in his eyes? Disgust? She didn't get it. Why would he…? But then she understood. Though his Patronus was an ordinary wolf, to him it was probably a reminder of his affliction, of his curse, of the part of himself he despised. He probably also feared it could be a giveaway to those around him about what he turned into every full moon. Was that why she'd never seen him conjure a corporeal Patronus before, because he was ashamed? Did he intentionally refrain from producing one in class, afraid somebody might make a connection between his Patronus and his lycanthropy?
"That's a wonderful Patronus to have," she told him. "Wolves are family-oriented and non-aggressive, and they symbolize intelligence, strength, and compassion. May I see it again? Please? It was very beautiful."
Remus hesitated for a moment, then raised his wand. Out of the tip erupted the wolf she'd seen before, and he conjured it with such ease that Hermione suspected she'd been right in assuming he'd purposely held back from producing it in front of all the other students during Defense class.
She took out her own wand to perform the spell, and a brilliant, silver-white otter appeared. It joined the wolf, and together the two Patronuses soared around the room, flooding it with their dazzling light. The otter twisted and swam through the air after the wolf, then nudged it friskily before diving away again. The wolf trotted after the otter next, narrowly pursuing it but never getting too close. They took it in turn to do this, playfully baiting and chasing each other, and Hermione smiled.
"It looks like they like each other," she noted. Then, realizing what she'd just said, she blushed and glanced self-consciously at Remus.
"Yeah," he agreed, his face glowing with the light. "Who knew an otter and a wolf could be friends?"
Friends. Of course. That's exactly what she'd meant. Friends, and nothing more.
Hermione watched as their Patronuses continued their dance, teasing and chasing each other, her otter spiraling through the air. But then his wolf suddenly vanished for a second time. She looked over at Remus and saw his expression had changed. His smile had faded.
"I've just remembered," he said to her, only briefly meeting her questioning gaze before starting toward the door, "I'm supposed to meet with Sirius and Peter before dinner. I'll see you later."
Without giving Hermione a chance to respond, Remus abruptly fled from the room, fled from her.