I do not own any of these Characters.
A/N: Thank you guys for the reviews! They're wonderful, just like all of you. This chapter was sort of rushed, so it's slightly off. Please don't kill me, I tried my best to get it decent enough to read. I don't know when I'm going to get to update for the next chapter because I have a lot to do the next few days, not to mention I'm about to leave to a friends house, sooooo, that's why this was rushed. Please, I really need reviews on this chapter to know what you guys think. It didn't turn out how I wanted it to, and I want to know what you guys reflect after reading it. It'd be so helpful if you guys would give me any constructive criticism if you think I need to fix something. Well, here we go, enjoy or try to anyways! - Min
arandomreader: To answer your question, yes, Lucius will be showing up in this story. He is attending his final year at Hogwarts right now and will be showing up soon.
the-kaiba-heir: Thanks! I wasn't really sure about the dialog between them, I'm still not. I think I made them a bit too friendly with each other, but oh well. Also, Hermione will have someone to confide in about Sirius' and the Potters death. It wont be the Marauders that she speaks to about it but there will be someone soon.
Wally4ever: I wouldn't just 'dump' the 'super Remus theory,' because there is still a lot of the story to cover. I'm not sure about the HBP spoilers. Since Hermione is in her sixth year, it wouldn't really be many HBP spoilers if I use any at all. She was only in her time until about November…. So I don't know if I'll even use things from HBP. I might just act like it isn't there for my story, you know? So… I'll just have to see.
Previous:
She stumbled down the steps on her overly long pajama pants and reached out for the railing to steady herself before continuing on her way. She was haunted by those thoughts, those horrid dreams, the memories…
The girl stopped dead in her tracks. She had noticed that there were people in the common room; she wasn't alone. Four pairs of eyes stared at her, shocked at the site; she was stuck like a dear in headlights.
"Oh, God…."
"Oh, God…." Hermione whispered, staring at the four Marauders who had stopped in their steps. James was halfway under a table, Sirius had one foot on a couch as if he was about to jump over it and onto the table James was under, Remus was standing up and Peter was just sitting down, quill in hand and opened mouthed; though they all were.
Hermione hurriedly brushed her long pajama shirt sleeve against her face, wiping her tears away, though they continued to flow from her stinging eyes. Her body wrenched with her quiet sobs and her breathing was still ragged.
The girls eyes darted from each of the boys blurred faces, then she closed them tightly. This isn't happening, she thought to herself. There is no way in hell that this is happening! Her body trembled with the effort of trying to stop herself from crying, but nothing helped; if anything, it made everything worse.
She couldn't just run back up to the girls dormitory, it'd make her look like a fool but if she stayed there, she would have to explain why she was crying; it was stupid. Hermione leaned sideways so that her shoulder met the wall and then she pressed her back to it, sinking to the floor. She placed her face in her upturned palms, though covered with her pajama sleeves, and wished she would disappear.
When she felt someone put their hand on her shoulder she nearly jumped out of her skin. She jerked away from whoever it was, then moved her hands down so that only her eyes were uncovered.
Remus' face hovered in front of her, eyes full of concern and worry. Behind him, Sirius stood, stock still with James at his side; Peter was still sitting down in his seat.
"Hermione?" Remus spoke gently to her but she just stared into his eyes. "Hermione? What's wrong?"
She shook her head and muttered into her hands, the only word that was decipherable being, 'memories.' Closing her eyes again, she tried to clear her mind.
"Memories…." She mumbled again. "Bella….strange… 'demor…. Veil… dead--" Her words were incoherent to the other boys as they listened to her ramble on, all of her words coming out either unfinished or not making sense.
"Hermione, calm down. It's okay." Remus said calmly, brushing a few stray curls out of her face. "It's okay."
She nodded dumbly, and opened her eyes as the tears stopped. She saw Remus motion to the others and James came forward with Remus and helped her stand up. As if scared she would fall over at any moment, they walked with her over to a couch where she flopped down heavily in the middle, wiping at her eyes once more.
"I-I'm sorry g-guys." She sobbed. "I-I don't know what's gotten o-over me."
"Shh, it's fine. Just calm down." James said soothingly.
Hermione tried to smile at him but couldn't find the heart to. She took in a shaky breath at looked at the guys around her. "Thanks…"
"No problem, love." Sirius said quietly, sitting down on her left side. "You wanna' talk about it?"
Hermione looked at the dark haired boy quietly, then lowered her gaze to her own hands. "I… I can't…"
"You can't?"
"I can't… I just can't. Not right now. Please." She shook her head, feeling more tears prickling at her eyes. This was one of the first times anyone had ever seen her in a breakdown. She'd always been careful to stay strong around Harry and Ron.
"We understand, Hermione." Remus' voice drifted to her from her right and she turned her head to see that he had sat down next to her.
She looked at him guiltily, then looked at Sirius with the same expression. "I'm sorry I can't tell you, but, I just can't. Nothing against you guys, you're all wonderful in my opinion, but…."
"But what?"
"You guys wouldn't understand… and I can't say anything, it could be… dangerous." Hermione whispered, though it sounded as if she were talking to herself.
The room became quieter, if possible. All the boys stared at her, trying to figure out what was wrong. Peter, not handling the quiet too well asked, "What do you mean 'dangerous?' Are you dangerous or something?"
Hermione was shocked by his words. She turned to face him, wide-eyed. "I'm not dangerous!"
"Then what did you mean by saying, 'it could be dangerous?'" Remus questioned.
"It's not that I'm dangerous, it's just that… what I… why I'm upset about.. If I tell you guys, it could be dangerous."
"How would it be dangerous? You can trust us, we're the Marauders." James patted her lightly on the back.
The girls throat became tight and she couldn't speak. She only shook her head, trying to get them to understand she couldn't tell them. Hermione then realized she needed to speak with Dumbledore about this. "I need to go see Dumbledore."
"It's late, why don't you wait until morning?" James put a hand on her shoulder in a comforting way.
"It can't wait, I need to speak with him." She stood up quickly and shuffled towards the portrait hole.
"Wait! Why do you have to see him?" Sirius called after her.
Hermione slowed down slightly, debating to herself whether or not she should or could answer. She decided against it, then opened the portrait and left, snapping it shut behind her.
The corridors were dark and quiet, the only sounds the girl heard was her own heart beat, the sound of her bare feet against the cold floor, and her breathing. She practically ran towards the Headmasters office and only stopped when she reached the gargoyle statue.
"Fizzing Wizbee." She spoke as calmly as she could and watched the statue jump aside. She ran up the steps two at a time, then knocked on the door that led into Dumbledore's office. Instead of someone asking her to come in, it opened for her.
Dumbledore stood at the door, quiet surprised to see her. "Miss Granger."
"Professor, I need to talk to you." She said quietly. "About some.. Things."
"Well, Miss Granger, I was going to speak with you in the morning about some things also, but since you're here already, have a seat." He motioned towards his desk and she walked slowly to one of the soft chairs and flopped down in it. Dumbledore walked briskly behind his desk, his robes swirling around the desk as he sat down. "Now, first off, what is it that you wanted to speak to me about?"
"Sir… I know I'm being stupid about all of this, but I can't figure a way to get out of these situations I've been putting myself in. Since I came here yesterday, my memories have been… more perceptible in my mind. My past, or future, whatever you want to consider it, is haunting me more than it had before. I have the chance to change everything, but I can't. I've already had a breakdown, and I was hardly able to abstain myself from telling the Marauders about their future…"
"Ah, Miss Granger, this is along the subject I wanted to talk to you about." He opened a drawer and pulled out a rolled up piece of parchment and opened it slowly. "I have a friend, who is an Unspeakable at the Department of Mysteries. I sent him an owl yesterday evening after you came and spoke with me about your problem. He, that is to say, the Unspeakable, has told me about a recently discovered prophecy. He told me that the prophecy had said, 'One from the time yet to come shall slip into the past of which the reign of the Dark Lord shall be at one of its weakest. Thereafter, the chosen will have to seek out the Lord and his followers to diminish the darkness that will plague our lives in the future. The chosen, and only the chosen, will come to us and change what will be the future.'" He read from the paper.
Hermione listened quietly. "I don't understand, Sir…"
"Of course, I hardly understand it myself. I had a brief meeting with the Unspeakable today, and we were discussing the matter. He came up with the conclusion that you are the chosen one that the prophecy speaks of. We cannot be sure of that though, but it is the best we could come up with." The professor looked solemn, staring at the young witch intently.
"Sir… if this prophecy is meant for me, does that mean… I'm allowed to change the future?"
"Indeed, that is what the prophecy has pointed out."
"But… what happened to bring me hear was by mere coincidence. It was more of an accident, I shouldn't be here either way." Hermione was beside herself now.
"Miss Granger, it seems that some things have came and gone into your memories without your noticing. Things happen, and there are usually clues to tell you what is going on. Omens, a helpful way to figure things out. Most omens in the wizarding world are, in most cases, some type of creature. An animal of sorts and if my memory is as good as it was before, I do believe that you had said something about an owl when you came here."
The girl was silent. Dumbledore was right. She'd read about omens, but thought of it all as some Divination crap and she hadn't ever believed in any of it. What if this is real? Hermione questioned herself. What if I do have to change the future? I'm going to have to be the one that goes up against Voldemort instead of Harry…
Hermione gulped. "What is the chance of this person that the prophecy speaks of being me?"
"It's a pretty good chance, I'm afraid. You're the only one that I have met that has come to us from the future."
"Then…" Hermione looked calmly at Dumbledore and took a deep breath. "Then, I will do what I can to help change the future."
She watched as the older man nodded slowly, a small upturn in his lips. "I am proud of you, Hermione. This is a very big responsibility to take on, especially since you're so young."
"I'm willing to do… whatever it takes to help out in the future. I don't want what has happened to happen again. If I can, I will save Harry from all the torment he has witnessed, I will save Sirius and the Potters, I will--" She suddenly stopped, realizing what she'd said and clapped her hands over her mouth.
Dumbledore looked at her sharply. "What is this about the Potters?"
"I guess.. I guess since I'm here to change the future… I can tell you." She clenched her fists together and began, "In a few years, Voldemort will have come to stronger power than he is now, but that is logical. He targets the Potters, and goes to 'see' them about this time in the year. At that period, James and… Lily will have gone into hiding with their son, Harry. They will make Sirius secret keeper but at the last minute, there was a change in positions. Sirius chose someone else to take on the job, knowing that Voldemort would target himself by knowing he'd be chosen for the situation. The person that Sirius had switched with… was on Voldemort's side and sold the Potter's to him. That night, Voldemort came to them, as I said, and killed James." Hermione's eyes filled with tears as she thought about the boy she'd just met, his carefree ways and then to the girl he would soon marry. "After James was out of his way, he advanced on Lily. He wanted to kill their son, that's why he was there. Lily protected her son, gave her life away to save him. Because of that, when Voldemort turned his wand on Harry to use the Avada Kadavra curse, it backfired on him, leaving him nothing more than a broken… spirit, perhaps that would be the word for it. He disappears for thirteen years after that…"
She looked up at the Headmaster, seeing that the twinkle in his eyes had disappeared. "So, he targets the Potters because of their son?"
"Yes, sir." She lowered her eyes to her hands and fidgeted. "He doesn't stay gone though, he does return. Harry had to go up against him four times since he started at the future Hogwarts. I was there with him the last time… because he was after the prophecy that would be the weapon to killing Harry. I don't want it to happen again, Professor. Many innocent lives will be taken because of what happens. I want to stop it if I can…"
"I believe that is why you're here for." He smiled at her as she looked up. "You will be able to change what you think should be changed. Just remember, Hermione, it's not safe to go around publicly saying you're from the future. If the present Voldemort found out you were here, no doubt he would try to get a hold of you."
Hermione nodded, already knowing this. "Am.. Am I allowed to tell anyone about their future? So they will know how to change the mistakes that they made?"
Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully. "I would say that would be a start. But also, I would say that, you shouldn't say everything that you know right away. Use your knowledge cautiously. If you tell them things that will effect their friends and their families, or anyone that is important to the future in any way, they might make things worse."
Hermione thought at this. She couldn't just tell them that Peter had betrayed them. Maybe she could get them to… get along with the boy a lot more than they did now. He could change in this time and not join Voldemort. "I will be careful, Professor."
"If this really will be the turning point for the future, we will have to get things in order soon. Voldemort isn't exactly weak at the moment. We will have to find known Death Eaters and keep check on them. I suppose you could help us there?" He looked intently at the girl in front of him.
"I can help you there. I know almost everything that they've done in the next twenty years, but I suppose that since I'm here, things will change slightly, if not drastically. I will however, try to help out as much as I can." She spoke firmly, beginning to form the ideas in her head. "Any information that will be useful for the Order, I will give to you."
"You know about the Order?"
"Yes.. I've been at the headquarters in short amounts of time for the past year in my own era, along with my friends."
He nodded thoughtfully at this. "I'm going to inform the Order about this, and we will have a meeting soon. If they agree, I will invite you to meet them."
"I'd like that." Hermione smiled, thinking about the Order in her day.
"Well, seeing that you are wide awake, as I am, how about we get started on things?" Dumbledore clapped his hands together and waved his wand in front of him, procuring a teapot with cups, parchment, ink, and quills.
Hermione smiled and nodded, knowing she was doing something for the good of the future.
There was silence in the Gryffindor common room. All four of the boys had watched her leave quickly. This was by far the weirdest thing that had happened that year. They'd never met a girl who's attitude changed constantly, one minute looking vulnerable then next, determined.
"She's something else." Whistled Sirius after a long, awkward pause.
"I agree." Mumbled James. "What do you reckon she meant by telling us if she says anything that it could be dangerous?"
"Maybe she's an escaped convict." Peter squeaked loudly.
"What? Wormtail, that's got to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard." Sirius rolled his eyes. "We've known her for what, one day and now you're accusing her of being an escaped convict."
"Well, she's weird!" The shorter boy whined. "You've seen how she acts. She even stuck up for Snivellus."
"Well, Lily does that too but she's not some runaway escapee." James groaned, leaning back against the couch he was sitting on. "She's just different somehow. She's too mature. Have you seen that look in her eyes?"
Remus nodded. "She looks as if she's seen a lot in her lifetime. It could just be because she transferred here and misses her friends."
"But why would she suddenly appear here at Hogwarts?" Peter questioned, fidgeting slightly. "It's too odd! She's odd!"
"Peter, quit. We have no right to accuse her of anything. She's been here one day, as Sirius said. We know nothing about her, for all we know, she could be here because her family died." Remus said solemnly.
Peter huffed. "Fine, but I'm warning you. There's something not right about that girl. I mean, think, she was outside late at night when we first saw her."
"She could have just fallen asleep outside." James snapped.
"Lets just drop this!" Remus said loudly. "I, myself, would like to stay on the better side of things. I just found out good news and now you guys are bickering like old women!"
"Moony's right." Sirius grinned. "This month when the full moon comes around, we're going to get to have some fun."
At that, they all were immersed in plans for the following full moon.
It was nearly four in the morning when Hermione couldn't think clearly anymore. The Headmaster told her she should go to sleep and she followed his advice. She slowly and wearily made her way to the Gryffindor common room, her mind reeling over what she'd told the Headmaster.
She told him as many Death Eaters' names as she could recall, which was a long and tiring list. She then told him what some of the most recent happenings would be and Dumbledore assured her that he would place members of the Order in those locations to prevent them from happening. Hermione thanked herself for her photographical memory.
Hermione had asked Dumbledore if she'd be able to get home but he just brushed it off as if she hadn't said anything about it. She had a sinking feeling in her stomach that she might not be able to. If that was the case, she would do everything she could to make sure that life for all of her future friends would be different, for the better. She had to destroy Voldemort before he went after the Potter's. Not to mention, she couldn't do anything that would prevent Harry being born. Not to mention Ron.
The girl rubbed at her temples as she stumbled into the common room. She was beginning to get a very bad headache. She peered around the room, seeing that it was deserted, the fire dying in the fireplace. Sighing quietly to herself, she made her way up to the dormitory she shared with Lily.
When she flopped onto her bed, she didn't bother even covering up. She was too exhausted, mentally, and partially physically from the lack of sleep to do much after she lay down. Within minutes, she was asleep.
Light streamed into the dormitory from the open window to the right of Hermione's bed. Cool air filled the room, along with the sounds of people from outside. The room was practically deserted by anyone except for the girl that was just waking up due to the noise from the grounds.
Hermione sat up slowly, groaning slightly at how groggy she felt. Her hair fell into her face when she stretched her arms above her head. Brushing the brown curls out of her face, she glanced around the empty room, then at her clock beside her bed. It was almost 1 in the afternoon.
With a gasp, Hermione jumped out of bed and hurriedly dressed into a pair of light blue jeans and a black t-shirt. She wasn't one to sleep in late, even if she did go to bed late. She grabbed her brush and ran it through her long, brown curls. As she brushed her hair, she walked over towards the open window and looked out onto the grounds.
The lake glistened with the afternoon suns rays hitting the surface, reflecting the blue sky above. A light breeze ruffled the curtains around the window and she hopped up onto the window seat after brushing her hair. With her back to the wall, she bent her knees slightly so she could sit comfortably in the seat. She felt at peace, looking down at the shining lake.
She noticed movement down by the lake near her, Ron's, and Harry's favorite tree. On closer inspection, she saw the Marauders down there. It looked like Remus was sitting down with his back against the tree, James and Sirius were 'play' fighting, and Peter sat there cheering them on.
Hermione couldn't help but smile at their behavior. They were all so innocent right now. When would Peter turn to Lord Voldemort's side? When would James get together with Lily? The girl decided not to think of any of that, pulled out her wand and pointed at her own trunk.
"Accio Chocolate Frogs." She watched as the trunk burst open and a box of candy flew towards her. She did the same with a piece of parchment and a quill. She wasn't a big fan of candy, but she had some extra money after buying what she needed yesterday and McGonagall insisted she buy something for herself.
With the quill, she wrote on the piece of parchment:
I'm sorry about last night. I want to thank you all though for calming me down. Here's a little thank you gift for you all to share.
Love,
Hermione
She stuck the parchment to the box then jinxed it to fly out of the window to the boys at the lake.
She watched the package as it neared James and Sirius. Peter pointed at it and they stopped, James in a headlock. They gawked at the box until it landed on top of Sirius' head and he let go of James, clutching his own head this time. James stooped over and picked up the box.
Hermione smiled as he read the letter, then yelled something to the others. Then, he promptly ripped open the box and grabbed a Chocolate Frog. He tossed some to each of his friends in turn, though James had turned to look at the window she was sitting at. She gave the boy a slight wave and he pointed at her, causing the other boys to look up to.
Hermione only grinned and hopped down off of the window seat, lingering only slightly to watch their reactions. She could clearly hear someone yelling her name, but she just shook her head, the grin still on her face.
Hermione went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and apply a bit of makeup that she had recently started wearing, then pulled her hair back in a ponytail. After a few minutes, she found herself sitting down on her bed, thinking once more.
She didn't know how she would approach the boys after that night. She was slightly embarrassed by her breakdown, and also ashamed that she had not told them anything. She missed more than ever now, how she could easily confide in Harry and Ron. Oh, how she wished she had Ginny to talk to…
As if on cue, the dormitory door opened and in walked Lily. Her red hair shined in the light and her face was lit up with a smile. It was obvious that she was just laughing, the air around her was merry and full of mirth.
"Oh, hey Hermione. You're finally awake."
"Yeah. I slept in a bit late." Hermione smiled. "So, what've you been up to? You look like Christmas just came early or something."
"Oh, well, I just convinced Alice to go talk to Frank. She went grudgingly but when he asked her out, she was so happy I couldn't help but be happy with her. It's contagious you know." She grinned, plopping down on her bed next to Hermione's.
"Oh." Hermione laughed. "Well, that's good." Hermione thought about Neville and how his parents would be tortured into insanity by Bellatrix Lestrange. She would stop that, no matter what.
"What's on your mind, Hermione?" Lily was peering at her, her head tilted to the side and her hair falling over her shoulders.
"Ah, just thinking about home." Hermione shrugged.
"You sure do miss your friends, don't you?" Lily frowned a bit.
"Yeah, but I came here, and I can't go back. Not now anyways." Hermione said sadly and looked towards the window. "Ron and Harry remind me so much of Sirius and James."
"Oh Jeez, I can't imagine another Sirius and James around." The redhead wrinkled her nose. "The two of them alone are enough."
Hermione laughed this time, a true laugh. Lily seemed surprised by her laugh, then joined in. Contagious, Hermione though. "They don't pull pranks like Sirius and James do. They are just… inseparable, like brothers. I miss the days when they were carefree, like those boys down there…"
Lily watched her in confusion at first. "What does that mean? What happened to them to make them change?"
The brown haired girl turned her gaze to Lily. Her eyes were clouded over slightly at memories. "Lily, you wouldn't believe me if I told you anything…"
"Try me." She countered. "Nothing could shock me more than finding out I was a wizard for the first time."
Hermione smiled at that. "I thought the same thing too."
"You're muggleborn?"
"Yeah."
"Oh wow, now I don't have to be around nothing but purebloods! I don't feel so left out now." She laughed. "So what is it that I wouldn't believe?"
Hermione sighed, laying down on her bed on her stomach. She placed her chin in her upturned palms and thought for a moment. "Hm, you'll think I'm crazy for saying this, but I'm not from this time."
"What? Not from this time?" Lily stared at her awkwardly.
"I'm not from here. I sort of got transported back in time. I live originally twenty years into the future." She watched as the redhead slowly began to soak in the information.
"So… so you're really from the future?"
"Yeah, that's why I had nothing when I came here. It was an accident that I came here in the first place, or so I thought. I think there's a reason why I'm here besides Malfoy just attacking me and sending me back."
"Malfoy? You mean, Lucius?"
"No, Draco, his son." Hermione stared at the floor. "He hated me and my friends. We were called the Golden Trio and were inseparable. He hated it."
Lily let out a small laugh. "Wow, I did think it odd that you just came out of nowhere. But hey, nothing is impossible in the wizarding world."
"Tell me about it." Hermione mumbled, rolling onto her back with her head hanging slightly off of the bed.
"So what's the story? How'd you get here exactly." Lily asked, moving off of her bed and onto Hermione's to join her by laying on her back beside the other girl.
"Well, it was Halloween in my time, and Dumbledore set up a Formal Halloween Ball that night." The brown haired girl smiled at the memories. "I remember getting ready with my friend Ginny, and then I met Harry and Ron downstairs in the common room. Oh, they looked so wonderful that night… it was the first time I saw Harry so happy after… well, an incident that happened. Ron was dumbfounded of course by how I looked." She laughed this time, to herself.
"Oh, I wish he'd have a Halloween Ball for us here…" Lily whispered.
"Really? Who would you want to take you?" Hermione asked, turning her head to the girl.
"Oh.. I.. I don' know." She blushed, staring up at the ceiling.
"James, isn't it?" Hermione smiled, seeing a deeper blush darken the girls face.
"Well, yes, actually. Don't tell him anything though! Please, Hermione!" She turned to watch Hermione, who only smiled.
"I wouldn't tell him. That boy's got it bad for you though, and you lead him on to think you hate him. That would never do any good, Lily. You should try getting along with him."
"How would I do that?" She squeaked.
"Just, talk to him about something he likes. Not Quiddich though." Hermione made a face, making the other girl laugh.
"Ah, well. Hermione, I don't know. I get so… weird around him. I don't know how to react to him half the time, and it makes me confused and that's why I yell at him." She whispered.
"Well, the only thing you can do is try. I know its hard for you but I've hung around guys all of my life practically and I know. The only thing to do is give it all you've got. Don't be afraid of anything, you have nothing to lose. You love him, he loves you… simple as that." Hermione told Lily halfheartedly.
"You're right. I should just give it all that I've got. So, finish your story." She urged the other girl, moving away from the topic about James.
"Well, on the way to the ball, I told Ron I'd dance with him because he was so nervous. The poor boy was so scared, I though he'd die from it all. Well, at the ball, we danced of course… and… and." Hermione blushed brightly.
"He kissed you?" Lily asked, wide-eyed.
"Well… almost. It would have been perfect if Draco hadn't came up at that time and ruined it. He tried to attack me when I didn't have my wand and Ron tried to defend me. Draco's groupies were with him though and they went after Ron and left me for Draco. He chased me outside, and attacked me. It's quite simple actually, but confusing all the same. When he attacked me, something went wrong and I was sent back here."
"Oh, wow." Lily breathed. "It must be hard on you."
Hermione nodded, her throat tightening. "I miss them so much…"
Lily nodded. "I could imagine. Don't worry though, you'll find a way back. If you can't find a way back, I'm sure your friends will find a way."
She smiled at Hermione, who smiled weakly back. "Lily, I'd give anything to have a girl like you to talk to in my time."
"What about Ginny?" The redhead asked incredulously.
"Ah, she's always talking about boys and makeup and stuff. I'm not really into that." She wrinkled her nose this time.
Lily laughed. "Most girls are like that."
"I noticed." She said dryly but couldn't help but smile. "Things are so different in this time though. Everyone is carefree and happy."
"What's wrong in your time?"
Hermione stared up at the ceiling again. "It's all because of Voldemort. He's the cause of why everyone is so uptight. He's killed so many people, tortured countless into insanity. So many of my friends suffer because of him. Just last year in my time, he killed someone that me and my friends were close to. It was hard on us all…" Her voice cracked near the end and tears stung at her eyes.
Lily gripped her hand tightly with her own, whispering, "I'm so sorry, Hermione. I'm so sorry."
"It's fine, Lily. Its just hard sometimes, you know?" She sobbed, keeping her tears from flowing.
"No one should ever have to die before they're old. Ever." The redhead said fiercely and Hermione sobbed harder. If only Lily knew what was to become of her and James…
That's not going to happen! Hermione scolded herself. I'm not going to let that happen to her or him. Harry will live a normal life with his parents this time.
Hermione sighed and turned to look at the other girl again. She looked just as upset as Hermione. "Lily, promise me you wont tell anyone anything I've told you."
"I wont Hermione." She looked at Hermione with her bright green eyes, swimming with unshed tears. "I just didn't know you'd been through so much."
"Well, once you've lived in a world where Voldemort is constantly in your lives, you change and deal with it all. It feels odd being here, without the constant danger lurking around." Hermione said thoughtfully.
They sat there in comfortable silence for a while. She was surprised how easily she fell at ease around Lily. Harry's mother had an air to her that would make anyone happy. Lily let out a sigh, and Hermione grinned mischievously.
"I have an idea." She sat up quickly, looking at the other girl.
"What?" She asked, surprised by the abrupt change of mood.
"You said you have trouble talking with James, right?" The girl nodded. "Well, you wont have to talk to him about your feelings!"
"What do you mean?" Lily sat up next to Hermione, confusion fixed on her face.
"You can be a secret admirer." Hermione grinned broadly as Lily squealed with excitement.
"Oh, that's a great idea, Hermione!" She hugged onto the other girl who blinked in surprise.
"Well, it is romantic and you seem to be the kind that would do that, you know?"
"How are we going to do it?" Lily asked quickly.
"You'll write him a letter confessing your love, and if he writes back, then you write to him again." She thought as she spoke. "Then, at a certain time, you can ask him to meet you somewhere. I know! Near Christmas, you can ask him to meet you somewhere in Hogsmeade!"
"Oh, that sounds perfect." Lily's eyes shone with eagerness.
"You should get started on that letter then." She grinned cheekily at her new friend.
And with that, Lily jumped off of her bed and dug into her trunk for some parchment and some bright green ink that she never used except for special letters. She flopped down on her bed and began to write, while Hermione watched, the letter that would help her start a relationship with James.
A/N: Alright guys, I hope you enjoyed this chapter that was… off by a lot. I will update as soon as I'm back, which is hopefully soon unless something comes up. Anyways, you guys are wonderful, as I said before. I hope you all had a great weekend! - Min