"Is she awake? Is she?" Hermione heard a familiar voice ask. It was definitely a man's.
Hermione had just woken up. For a split second, she opened her eyes but then immediately closed them. She needed answers, more than she needed air. It was desperate, but it was still a chance. She was laying down, on what seemed to be a bed. The bed was nice and comfy, which suited her. The blanket covered her up from her toes, to the top of her chest. The pillow kept her head comfortable. She felt a gush of wind come in the room, washing over her neck. Hermione figured she was in the Hospital Wing.
"No," screeched a familiar female's voice. It was Madam Pomfrey's, the school's nurse. "And if you keep asking then you can leave." She said sternly. She heard a few whooshed of fast walking and metal clattering against a wooden table. A few things rumbled.
"Well, is she okay?" A female's voice asked. The voice sounded, caring and tender which would have comforted her if it hadn't belonged to a complete stranger. This voice, finally, she didn't recognize. "She looked pretty bad," the the voice said worriedly, croaking out the last few words. There was a gulping noise.
"She'll be fine," calmly reassured Madam Pomfrey, a little impatient. "Now if more people keep coming," she grumbled, referring to the new amount of footsteps entering the room, "then you'll be forced to leave!" She barked, causing everyone, except Hermione, to jump in fright.
She heard someone grumble, loud enough for her to hear. "Old hag," grumbled one boy, whom she identified as a bitter Sirius. Someone else grunted back in agreement.
Shakily, Hermione opened her eyes. Her vision was foggy at first, but then cleared up at once. "Look!" A red-headed girl exclaimed. Her hair bounced on her back, as she eagerly took more steps forward. This vaguely reminded her of Ginny. The girl dragged a stool near Hermione's bedside, the screeches echoing in the room.
Oh Ginny. She thought, close to tears. What was she going to do? She stiffly yawned, unaware of how tired she was. She had gone back twenty years, twenty years. How would she be able to stay here? Who could she trust? How, on earth, would she get back home? This, as Ron would say, would be a bloody nightmare. Of course, thought Hermione, it has to be me who goes back in time, she gruffly thought. Always me.
Several people crowded around her bedside. Remus, oh how she hated calling him that, stood at the end with a shocked look. Sirius and James were there as well, both standing on the left of her side. Sirius crept over, peaking at her. He had a worried look on his face, that vanished as he noticed her staring. "Hi," he said, starting to sound confused, but quickly changed to sounding flirtatious. He winked, a half grin on his face which Hermione found adorable.
"Why are you even here, Sirius," the same girl asked with clear annoyance in her voice, "if you're just going to flirt with her?" Her voice turned from annoyance to clear bemusement. She crossed her arms, arching her back. By doing so, she looked and sounded more fierce and confident. Hermione hid a grin, realizing she would've said the exact thing in this situation.
"Well what can I do?" He shrugged, jerking his shoulders back in a swift motion. "I don't always meet girls like her, who fall into my arms." He gave her a sheepish grin, his body swinging back and forth.
"Oh, come off it, Sirius." The girl snapped. With a shock, Hermione realized that she was Lily Evans, Harry's mother. She felt stupid, seeing as she didn't realize that earlier. She was tall, with a slim figure, and an amazing posture. Harry certainly didn't resemble Lily; their features almost completely different. They had similar noses, both long and a tad crooked. And the eyes; they certainly shared the eyes. Both eyes were almond shaped, and piercing green.
"Believe it or not, not everyone wants you. I know, take your time." She fake simpered, leaving James and Remus with a grin. Lily smirked, crossing her arms as Sirius shrugged in defeat.
Hermione looked back at Remus. He looked younger, scrawnier, and, well, happier. Well as happy as he could be. Whenever she could get a glance of older Lupin, he looked tired, sad and lonely. Though he did have Tonks, he carried another burden; the fact that he was a werewolf. His younger self on the other hand looked brighter, enthusiastic and ready for life. He was in his prime time. Remus did look a little sad, but it was still a great difference between the two. It was extremely sad, yet happy to see him.
Looking at James, Hermione almost choked. The resemblance was uncanny. They both had thick and messy hair, same oval-shaped face, same lips, and same everything really; except for, of course their eyes. If possible, there was something else that was different. The aura James gave off, reminded her of Fred and George. He looked rebellious, whereas Harry looked the exact opposite. It would be hard, calling, what was practically Harry's clone, James. But she would have to get used to it, just for a little bit. It wasn't that hard, if she focused hard enough.
She looked at Sirius, her heart pounding. Sirius had grey eyes, in which gleamed in a mischievous way as if he was ready for an adventure whenever, with whoever. His hair was black, shaggy, and was messy in an 'I-don't-care-about-my-hair-but-I-know-it-looks-good sort of way. He was fairly built for his age. Noticing this, it almost made Hermione swoon. He was cute, but in a rebel sort of way. Hermione bit her lip, watching Lily and Sirius bicker back and forth, Sirius with an amused look, and Lily with an enraged one. Her eyes darted from the both of them as if she were watching a tennis match.
"Oh!" Lily cried, almost forgetting that Hermione was there. Sirius was scowling at Lily, but she ignored him. "Are you OK? How do you feel? What happened? I'm Lily Evans, and I heard a big thump in the train and went in and saw you. You don't go here, do you? Well of course not, I would've known, but you don't, right? Blimey, these idiots," She pointed at Sirius and James, "didn't know a thing! They're stupid, they are." She said this really fast. Lily leaned forward, getting a better glimpse of her. She examined her.
"Well," she nervously started. "I-I woke up in that compartment a-and I didn't know how I got th-there. I tried standing up but then I fell down a-and an-and.." She looked around, hoping someone would help her. It was hard, explaining how exactly you went back twenty years into the past, without knowing yourself.
"I caught her," murmured Sirius. All eyes darted to him. "Twice," he added. "She thought James was some bloke named Harry, whoever that is,' (Hermione wanted to say that this 'bloke' was his godson, but kept quiet), 'and we told her our names. Next thing you know she fainted. I couldn't catch her this time though." His voice sounded sad, as he looked puzzled.
"Don't forget that you told her one of the worst pick-up lines before she fainted." James piped up. "That's probably why she fainted, though." He glanced over his shoulder, peaking at Remus.
"I usually have that effect, brown eyes." Sirius said coolly, adding a cheesy smile.
Hermione wrinkled her nose, causing Remus to chuckle.
"The effect to make girls faint from his stupid lines." James smugly retorted. "And 'brown eyes'? Really Padfoot? Now you're not even trying," James grinned at his pink-cheeked friend.
"Shut up, Prongs." Sirius scowled, his cheeks turning a faint red after Remus and Lily exchanged giggles. "Besides, that's not why she fainted. Isn't that right..?" His voice trailed, seeking her name.
"Hermione." She weakly told him. It felt strange to her, but she ignored that feeling."Granger. Hermione Granger." She steadily repeated. "I'm so confused.." She murmured, leaning back into her bed, rubbing her forehead.
"So you don't know why you got there, Miss Granger?" Madam Pomfrey politely asked, ignoring Sirius and James bickers. "Ahem," she growled as Sirius whacked James backside. Both boys immediately stopped, as Madam Pomfrey scowled at them. "Not a single clue?" She said sweetly, turning back to Hermione.
"No." She said, looking down. The lie left a bitter taste in her mouth. Technically, she didn't know how she got here. The time turner screwed up, but she didn't know why or how she got there. She had no clue as to what went wrong with the time turner.
"I'll have a talk with Professor Dumbledore, sweetheart." She said. "Do want water, dear?" She thrust water forward, a small smile on her face. The water splashed in the glass cup. A single drop of water bounced of her forehead. The politeness Madam Pomfrey exhibited, eerily reminded her of Mrs. Weasley.
"No thank you, Mada-," She stopped herself before she could say 'Madam Pomfrey. She wasn't supposed to know any of this, or was she? She scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. She figured she looked like some dumb girl while doing so. It certainly didn't help that her mouth was hanging up.
"Madam Pomfrey." She breathed impatiently, looking at all five students with a questioning brow raised. "I'm going to call Professor Dumbledore. In the meantime," she glared at them, more directly to Sirius. "You four, keep her company." She instructed, then headed off, her shoes clattering against the tiles.
After Madam Pomfrey left, the five of them exchanged awkward looks. The room was silent, until Sirius spoke. "If I may just break the tension," said a preppy Sirius, "who are you?" His tone was lingering as he leaned forward while raising a brow at Hermione.
She felt her cheeks become pink. It embarrassed her, to have the other four leaning in and curiously watching her, as if she was a lion on display. She looked at them with displeasure, but they ignored her. Everyone's look shouted 'speak'.
"I told you." She groaned weakly. "I'm Hermione Granger. I-I don't know how I got here, or why I'm here." She took in a deep breath, hoping they wouldn't ask anything else. I sound like an idiot, don't I, she thought.
"Well thanks for that tidbit," James bitterly growled, running a hand through his hair out of agitation.. "Seriously, who are you?" He asked, his arms folded as he took a cautious step towards her, his eyes narrowing down on her.
"You can trust us," added Lily, glaring at James. He surrendered, mouthing the word 'sorry' to her, looking sincere.
Hermione took in a deep breath in, as Remus and Lily showed both eager and calming looks. It took a few moments for James and Sirius to realize that she'd only speak if they calmed down as well. James and Sirius relaxed, causing the entire story to spill out out of her before she could react.
"It was only twenty seconds," she concluded with a large sob. "Twenty seconds. Not twenty years." Hermione looked up at them, her eyes watering again. It was just so weird, seeing them. The four didn't know their future, they didn't know what they were in for. She sniffed, the thought making the tears cascade down her cheek faster.
Remus was the first one to speak. "Wow," he mumbled, his eyes on hers. "Did anyone ever mention that something like this could happen to you, Hermione?" His voice was gentle, which soothed her.
"No!" She cried. "No one ever mentioned this would happen to me." The tears flooded down her cheeks before she could contain herself. She saw small water stains on her shirt, but didn't care.
She felt someone touch her arm. She figured it was Lily, but when she looked up she was shocked to see that it was Sirius. His thumb softly rubbed her wrist. "Hey,' he croaked. "It's going to be all right." He wrapped his arm over her shoulder. Hermione leaned in before she could think, and her cries came to a slow stop.
"Thank you," She sniffed, determined not to sound weak. "I usually don't cry in front of strangers," she mumbled, looking down. She didn't want to sound desperate, she wanted to sound fierce. Hermione Jean Granger was a strong, independent woman. Not a crying, nervous, wreck.
"I usually don't wrap my arm around crying strangers." He said calmly, causing her to shakily laugh. He flashed a small, uneasy grin at her, squeezing her shoulder lightly.
Hermione looked at him dreamily, almost forgetting that the boy in front of her was Sirius Black. It felt odd, being in the presence of young Sirius Black but she didn't mind too much. Though, him flirting with her was, no denying there, unsettling. She was flattered though, no one ever gave her the attention. Then again, over the past few months she had worked on her hair. Her hair was no longer messy and bushy, but straight and neat. People had taken notice, but much to her dismay had not bothered mentioning it to her.
"I hate to break this love fest," James interjected with an amused smile in which caused Sirius to snarl. "But in case you've forgotten, Lily, Moony and I are still here. Please don't start snogging, either." He added, wrinkling his nose. "I've seen you do that more than I should've," he murmured.
"Do us a favor, and shut up Prongs." He grumbled, a faint blush crept up his cheeks. He growled at their gleeful faces, even at Hermione's.
Hermione had not felt weird at the mention of Sirius and her actually snogging, but felt alright. Sure, she didn't feel good about it but at the same time it hadn't bothered her it anyway. Not knowing whether it was a good or bad thing, she shrugged it off.
They all laughed; James tried using this opportunity to slip has arm around Lily's waist, but Lily was too fast for him. She grabbed his arm,scowled, and said, "try never, Potter." She sounded half-irritated and half-amused. But her face gave off a deadly signal, which scared the hell out of everyone. Her look practically dared him to try again.
James shot her a playful grin, raising his hands in defense. He looked as if, he were used to the glare, as if it were a morning routine." 'Ey, a guy's gotta do what a guy's gotta do." He winked at Sirius, who gave him a grin. "Isn't that right, Evans?"
"And does that mean being an arse?" Lily retorted, crossing her arms. She looked as if she was prepared for war. James simply grinned, nothing about her distinct aura bothering him. This girl knew how to take control, and she certainly wasn't shy about it either.
Remus chuckled to himself before saying, "I think Sirius knows a bit about that, don't you Padfoot?" Remus piped up, looking proud of himself.
Everyone roared with laughter, except for Sirius. "Har har, very funny Moony.." He scowled. He stopped after seeing Hermione's gleeful smile. He returned a dry embarrassed smile, before awkwardly patting her back.
"Why did you call him Moony? And why did you call him Padfoot?" Hermione asked. Curiosity had gotten the best of her. She knew why he'd called him that, of course, but she was curious to know why they would use that nickname in front of Lily and Hermione. Wouldn't that expose the Marauders Map? Wouldn't that be a little awkward?
Of course, Hermione had to play the part as well. It would look suspicious if she hadn't questioned their nicknames to each other, right? At least that's what Hermione thought.
Remus, James, Lily and Sirius paled; the four were finding it very hard to speak. "Well, we all have nicknames, you see." Remus unsteadily began, his voice rationally calm for his pale with white face. "And mine's Moony. He's Prongs, and he's Padfoot." He pointed to James and then Sirius. "Another friend of ours, Peter, he's called Wormtail.
"Just some nicknames we've made up." Remus said forcefully, his shoulders jerked to the side. It took her a few moments to process that he was trying to shrug it off. "Not a big deal."
"Oh ... Alright." Hermione didn't dare question him, though she would've liked them to mention the Marauders Map seeing as she did just tell them about the time turner. It hurt her feelings a bit, but she wasn't upset for too long.
A pair of feet pounded against the floor, two figures appearing in the hallway. Madam Pomfrey walked into the room with a younger version of Dumbledore. Madam Pomfrey's booming voice echoed through out the room. "Miss Granger, I'd like you to meet Professor Dumbledore. Dumbledore, this is Miss Hermione Granger."
Dumbledore merely smiled. The differences between the older Dumbledore and the younger one weren't that hard to spot. The younger one simply had a shorter beard and a face, not as wrinkled as the current one. Otherwise, they looked the same. "Hello, dear." He addressed Hermione rather kindly. He then turned to face Madam Pomfrey. "Poppy, you don't mind giving us a moment do you?" His voice remained calm. Those were one of the things Hermione loved about Dumbledore; he was always calm. At least as calm as he could be.
She nodded. "But if I hear any loud noises.." She said sternly and fiercely, glaring at him.
"Then you may escort me out." His smile remained, as Madam Pomfrey left the room, slamming the door behind her. "If you four don't mind as well.." He looked back at Lily, Remus, James and Sirius. He impatiently tapped his fingers on the side of her bedside, humming under his breath to a Christmas tune.
"No." Hermione cut in. She feared that Dumbledore would look startled, but he remained calm, giving her an endearing look. "They where there wh-when it happened. I want them to stay." Her voice was strong, and she was happy it was, because he didn't dare argue with her. "It won't be a problem no,w will it?" Her voice was daring.
"Alright, Miss Granger. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to hear the story from the top please." He placed his hands in between his lap, eagerly smiling at her.
Taking in a deep breath, Hermione began telling him the entire story, making sure she didn't miss anything important. Some parts she was unsure about saying, but spoke anyway. "Then, when I tried to get up I fell down and"
"-I caught her. Twice." Sirius said smugly. "She's quite small. Not as tall as you'd expect. Not that I paid attention, of course." She shot him a deadly glare in which she always reserved for Ron, when he did or said something stupid. "Oh, sorry Hermione." He said hastily, his attention focusing back on her.
"They told me their names," she looked at Remus, Sirius, and James, "and I fainted." She did not want to tell Dumbledore that she had called James Harry. It felt a little personal doing so.
James shot her a confusing look, in which Hermione gave him a look telling him 'I'll tell you later.' He raised a brow. He then gritted his teeth, which she assumed meant 'you better, Granger'.
"And then I came here." She concluded, waiting for Dumbledore's first reaction.
"Very well then. I'm happy to say that I do in fact know what you are talking about. Time turners have the tendencies to mishap. Yours, I assume, was broken." The effect Dumbledore wanted certainly played out. Lily, Remus and James widened their eyes and Sirius laid a comforting hand on Hermione's shoulder.
She gasped at him, wanting him to continue. "Do you know what might have caused this, Professor?" She eagerly asked, leaning forward. Her mouth hung wide open, which she immediately closed.
"I'm afraid, I do not, Miss Granger." He sadly replied.
Hermione gasped so loudly that it caused Lily to jump out of her seat. "I'm such an idiot!" She cursed to herself. "I bewitched my alarm clock, I didn't use my wand so it was OK," (Lily and Remus looked impressed),"so on the first day of school I would wake up early. It must h-have.." Her voice trailed, as she frantically moved her fingers. "The alarm clock was supposed the bang up and down, and my time turner was on the nightstand as well. I must've been too tired to notice and..."
Lily gasped; Remus and James mouth's hung open, making an 'O' shape; Sirius looked intrigued as if he were watching a drama series, though he looked horrified at the same time. "Well how will you get back?" Remus croaked, his hand clutched onto his chest.
Hermione looked at Dumbledore pleadingly. "Well, Miss Granger I will have a long talk with Professor Mcgonagall." He took a pause. "I regret to inform you this, but this could take a while. It could probably take the rest of the school year to, in fact. But we will do everything we can." He gave her a wry smile. "Now, the feasts starting and I would like you five to come as soon as possible." He smiled calmly. "Mind you, what house you were in, Miss Granger?
"Gryffindor." She said proudly, a knowing smile chancing her lips as she could practically hear grins breaking out on the other four's faces.
"Excellent. Now, if anyone ask,s you were a transfer from Beauxbatons and you're here for your seventh year. Understand?"
She nodded. "I understand, professor."
Dumbledore stood up. "We'll sort out your time tables after the feast. Please come to my office around that time. You may bring your friends if you must." He raised a brow at Sirius. "Oh, please do not tell anyone else about this. It would be rather convenient to have just us six to be aware of this news."
"I won't, I promise Professor Dumbledore." She genuinely told him. After he left, she let out a deep sigh. "One year. One year in the past. How am I supposed to do this?" She groaned, shoving her hands in her face.
"You'll be fine, Hermione," Lily reassured her. "As long as you don't listen to these scrawny gits," she pointed to James and Sirius, "you'll be fine. Promise." She ended with a shaky giggle.
Hermione smiled. "Thank you, Lily." Her words were comforting. "Thank you so much." She felt at peace. She also felt a striking connection with her and Lily. They were both Muggle-born, both were outstanding students, and there was so much more, she of course, assumed. Another assumption that she made was that Lily was a Prefect. Though in fact, she could be wrong, her opinion didn't change. Lily Evans, was, and always will be, just like Hermione.
"Yes, thank you Lily," growled James. "She really needed your input." He bitterly grumbled. His lip was twitching, unsure if he should smile. He smiled, much to their shock.
"Lily just wants you to listen to this scrawny git," James said with a fake bright voice, as he pointed to Remus. He furiously glared, but James ignored him. "They're both head girl and head boy and they make me want to puke." He flashed Lily a wry grin, as she scowled, a glare forming between her brows. James simply smiled back, his eyes gazing into hers.
"Anyway," Sirius said, cautiously eyeing the duo, "you must be hungry," he turned to Hermione. She slowly nodded. "C'mon, brown eyes." He mumbled, as Hermione slowly stood up, stumbling over to him. Sirius wrapped a protective arm around her waist. She didn't mind; it felt nice. His fingers slipped carefully around the end of her waist, then locked, his index finger making swirls around her shirt. She placed her head onto his neck, feeling tired. They began walking; neither waiting for the other three.
Hermione, surprisingly, didn't find it weird. His arm fit around hers perfectly, as if it were made for Hermione. But, oh what a silly thought, it was not. Sure, he was Harry's godfather but it wasn't anything serious. He simply wrapped his arm around her, that's it. Nothing else. So, it wasn't a big deal. Right? Hermione figured she shouldn't let this thought nag her, so she didn't. Then again, it was weird. Everything was weird. Talking to Lily and James, Harry's parents! And talking to a younger Remus, how weird could it get? But, alas she couldn't do anything significant for now.
He noticed her sleepiness, and smiled to himself. "Stay with me, Granger." He teased, lightly bouncing his shoulder up causing her eyes to immediately open again.
"Shut it, Sirius." She grumbled into his ear, then placed her head back into his shoulder. Sirius didn't dare tease her again, not wanting to interrupt her interaction with his neck. He tilted his head to the side, the warmth of Hermione very pleasing.
The three gawked at them, their mouths hanging open. James raised a brow; Remus let out a small laugh in amazement; Lily gave a cautious smile as if this could be a trick by the deceiving Sirius Black.
"Looks like 'ole Padfoot's gotta crush." James said teasingly, almost loud enough for them to hear. He waited for their heads to spin back at them, hoping to see how red their cheeks would be; but they did not. Sirius and Hermione simply kept walking at the same pace, locked in each others embrace.
Lily smacked James arm, glaring at him. This surprised him; he wasn't aware of the violence beneath Lily Evans. "Don't ruin this moment for them, James." She huffed. He couldn't help but grin, as she turned her head the other way. This allowed him to casually slip an arm, again, around her waist. Carefully, he slipped his arm in between the gap of her arm and waist. Lily didn't flinch, she did notice. She did not snap at him; but simply let him. Lily sighed, fighting the urge to smile. Instead, she rested her head onto his shoulder the way Hermione did. James couldn't find the words to speak, so he stayed quiet. James couldn't stop beaming.
Remus grinned at James, in amazement and clear approval. It was the first time that Lily had called him James. And it was the first time she'd actually let him wrap an arm around his waist. It was a big moment for his friend, and he wasn't going to ruin it for him.
The five headed down to the Great Hall, in almost complete silence. They were late, but Dumbledore gave the teachers an excuse for them.
"First Padfoot and Granger, now me and Lily. I swear, Cupid's on a roll, Moony." James whispered eagerly to Remus, as they took their seats. Hermione and Sirius chatted; James, Lily and Remus sat together, leaving the two alone. James hadn't stopped beaming through out the entire walk there.
"If only Cupid could shoot me with an arrow," sighed Remus.