Turning Back Time
Chapter Six: Gone

"So, come on, out with it," Sirius urged. "What's this thing you need help with?"

Suddenly her chest became very tight. She couldn't tell them everything. She just couldn't. "Well, I need you to help me steal some books from the restricted section of the library."

She waited a beat and nothing was said. Sirius, Remus, James and Peter looked at each other and each laughed. For a brief moment, Hermione could see a little of their respective animals (voluntary animagi or not) in each of them. It almost sounded like a pack of animals howling. "What's so funny?"

"A book? Seriously?" James doubled over with laughter. "She showed us this... so we would help her steal a book?"

"I feel as though you're at a disadvantage in this deal," Remus said.

Peter quieted for a moment and furrowed his brow. "Why would you need to steal them?"

"What?" Hermione asked. "What do you mean? I couldn't just ask..."

"Well, couldn't you just ask this room to have copies of the book in it?" Everyone in the room turned dead silent.

"Well I..." Hermione stopped and thought hard. How had this not occurred to her before? Just ask the Room of Requirement for the books? She relied on it for everything else, how had she never thought to ask it for the books? It would have saved her loads of time going to and from the library.

Sirius gave Peter a slap on the back. "Whoa. Lapses in intelligence punctuated with pure genius. That's all you are, Worm--"

James didn't miss a beat and interrupted his friend coolly. "So what do you want our help with instead?"

Hermione shrugged. "I can't believe I didn't think of that. It seems so simple. I feel like an idiot."

"No worries, fireball. We'll just owe you one or something," Sirius said. His friends nodded their agreement. "Until then, I feel as though we owe you a night of fun and relaxation."

"I really should get back to--"

"I doubt whatever you're looking for in those books is a matter of life and death," he waved the thought out of his thoughts with a flick of his wrist. "So you're coming with us."

"Yeah, this room will be put to very good use," James nodded. "Might as well put us to good use, too."

"It's sort of all we're really good for," Sirius nodded.



"Speak for yourselves," Remus said, crossing his arms.

"Ah, lighten up, dear Remus, there is some fun to be had," James put his arm around Remus' shoulder and grinned.

For a flittering moment Hermione smiled. Suddenly, she felt as though something very heavy had fallen into her stomach. It wasn't until this very moment that she realized that all four of the young men standing in this room would be gone when she returned to her Hogwarts. All had fallen in some way during the Last War. Her eyes brimmed with tears for a moment. It didn't seem fair nor did it seem right that these four pairs of eyes would dull and close as the sweeping hands of death carried them away from their loved ones.

Sirius left behind Harry, sad and seemingly alone. Sirius was the only true father Harry could've had past the age of one. Hermione wiped at her tears as she remembered the pain in Harry's eyes; the complete surprise and inherent rage that came from losing someone entirely too early.

Another bomb dropped somewhere inside her. Remus died beside his new bride, Tonks and left Teddy to be cared for by Harry.

James fell protecting his family. He fell trying to allow time for his wife to escape with their son. He fell just before that red-headed beauty he was chasing did, protecting their child. How painful it must have been for James to see his own death coming in those red eyes. He died when he should have been protected by that little rat Peter.

She wanted to tell them. She wanted to warn them. She wanted to tell James not to trust Peter Pettigrew when his life was on the line. But she couldn't. She just couldn't.

"Aw, fireball, don't go getting all teary on us," Sirius said and came to her side. He gave her a side hug and smiled. "You don't have to hang out with us."

"It's not that," Hermione sniffed back her remaining tears and wiped her face clean. "I'm fine. Don't worry about it. Yeah, let's have fun."

How else could she experience all this? And she would have to stay here until she figured out how to get back, anyway, right? What if she never did? Could she stay here forever? She knew the answer but pushed it to the back of her mind.

"Harry. Harry I've done something awful," Ron said, wringing his hands in the Gryffindor common room. "I think I've killed Hermione."

Harry laughed for a moment but his laughter faded as he saw the seriousness in his friend's eyes. "What do you mean you've killed her?"



"We were down in the dungeons doing this spell... potion...some time reversal thing or something, I don't know what it was for but we were doing it and...I think I did something wrong because time didn't reverse... she's just gone." Ron finally stopped for a breath.

"Bloody hell, Ron," Harry ran his fingers through his hair. "You couldn't resist causing one more problem right before we're supposed to graduate, eh?"

"What are we going to do? I don't know what went wrong... oh, if only Hermione were here," Ron said, plopping down in the chair next to Harry.

"If Hermione were here this wouldn't be an issue at all but she's not. We better go to the headmaster with this," Harry shrugged and stood up. "I'm sure she'll be able to help."