A/N: Writing-wise I'm getting up to the good part. Maybe that'll get me to post faster, hahaha.
Oh you know I was on the honor role,
got good grades,
and got no soul,
raise my hand before I can speak my mind,
I've been biting my tongue too many times
School of Rock, Jack Black
September the first arrived not only too soon, but too early for Hermione's taste. Even though they didn't have to leave until around ten thirty since they were going by Floo, Petunia had the whole family up at the crack of dawn.
"Wake-UP, Helen!" she insisted, shaking the sleepy girl out of the strange dreams she had almost every night since arriving. Thankfully, she no longer called Lily by Ginny's name when she saw a pretty, redhead girl nudging her awake. Lily didn't seem to mind, however, and was even flattered that she would confuse her with a best friend.
"It's too early, 'Tune," she mumbled, turning over to ignore her. Lily laughed from across the room.
"It's no use, Hel. Petunia won't rest until we're all dressed and sitting down for breakfast."
Hermione sighed, but knew that she couldn't complain. She had been just as bad when she first starting going to Hogwarts, and was an early riser still to this groaned nevertheless, and opened her eyes to look out the window. The sun was barely coming up!
"Helen!" Petunia whined, and Hermione gave up.
"Okay, I'm awake!" she said. Lily laughed again, but Petunia ignored them both and loudly announced that she would be downstairs helping their mother with breakfast, and that Lily and Helen had better be downstairs before the eggs were done or There Would Be Consequences.
Eggs which were, of course, delicious. Of course, there was nothing as good as the food at Hogwarts, but there was something about a simple muggle breakfast that reminded Hermione of home almost painfully. She really should see about getting protection for her parents when she eventually went back. She had barely thought about it before, but after the conversation with Mary about Lily and Snape, she realized how naïve she had been. In fact, there were quite of number of things that she decided must be done upon her return, not least of which was digging up the photo albums that she planned on making soon. She would give them to Petunia after she left, she planned, so maybe Harry might see a little more of his parents that he had in this timeline. She didn't want to change the future, but what harm could a few pictures do?
But as good as the eggs were, they didn't take that long, and pretty soon everyone was ready to leave way ahead of time. Lily laughed at her confused expression as they all approached the fireplace, and Hermione wondered if a new term was the only thing that had her so giggly and happy this morning.
"We always wind up going early," she explained. "I mean, the train's always there, so it's not like we have to just stand there waiting for it to pull into the station. And Petunia likes to spend some time just in the area, seeing all the students and whatnot."
"Petunia likes this, Petunia does that," Petunia grumbled. "Just because I have a genuine appreciation for what you take for granted doesn't mean you have to make fun of me."
"Patient indulgence isn't teasing," Lily argued, and Petunia rolled her eyes and mumbled something about "patronizing little sisters."
Lily chose to ignore the comment, and instead helped her dad with getting her trunk through the Floo. She grabbed a pinch of powder and was the first one through the fire. Hermione followed suit, scooping up Crookshanks, and grabbing her trunk with Rose's help, in order to shout, "Platform Nine and Three Quarters!"
Flooing was worse with a trunk of course, but Lily was there to catch her when she and the heavy piece of luggage arrived, flying through the fireplace.
"I hate the Floo," she muttered, and Lily grinned.
"Nothing to hate today, Helen, dear! Aren't you excited to go back to school?"
She nodded automatically - school was always fun, wasn't it? – but then took a moment to think more deeply on it. She missed Harry and Ron more than anything, of course, and school could never be the same without them. And what would any of her classes be like without Neville, Lavender, Seamus, Parvati, and Dean? Many of the teachers would be different, and the curriculum might not even be as advanced as it was in the future! But beyond that…
She was going to get to know Harry's parents. Well, James, at least. Lily was already her best friend! And being able to know Sirius Black and Remus Lupin like they were as teenagers was an exciting thought. Maybe she would be able to figure out what the other Marauders ever saw in Pettigrew. She might even be able to make some proper female friends, if she was going to be spending time with Mary and Alice. They didn't seem half as vapid as Lavender and Parvati, and she knew for a fact that Alice later joined the Order. To actually meet Neville's parents, too! Frank and Alice were two of the bravest Aurors in history. Even if the academics weren't up to par, Hermione was now experiencing living, breathing history. How could that not be exciting?
Petunia crashed into her from behind, and Hermione belatedly realized that she hadn't moved out from in front of the fire in time.
"Sorry!" she exclaimed, though the crash had hurt her just as much as Petunia.
Petunia didn't answer, almost pushing past her to get into the station proper. Lily and Hermione exchanged a knowing look, and had to work to keep from laughing aloud. Rose came through, and Hermione caught her before they all followed Petunia into the station.
"We'll go load our stuff, and then come back out to meet you," Lily told her parents, and the sight of the familiar scarlet train made her heart ache, though either less or more, Hermione wasn't sure which. She followed Lily, though, and realized that one of the perks of getting to the station so early was that essentially had their pick of the compartments on the train. Lily chose one right in the middle, and together they loaded their trunks and cat inside.
"I'm going to have to go talk to the prefects and assign patrols once the train leaves, but it shouldn't take too long. Mary should be here soon, and Alice and Frank as well. I won't leave until they're here," she reassured her, and Hermione grinned at her friend's concern.
"Don't worry about it!" she told her. "I can handle myself for an hour. I need to learn how to meet people anyway, don't I?"
Lily smiled, but didn't agree, and Hermione was once again touched by how kind all the Evanses had been to her.
"Come on," Lily said once their trunks were put away. "They're waiting for us outside."
Hermione nodded and followed her off the train, where more students were slowly claiming space, to say goodbye to her family. Suddenly realizing that she had absolutely no idea what happened to Harry and Rose, she desperately hoped this was not a final goodbye.
"Helen," Rose said when the two girls came up to the three waiting muggles. "Thank you so much for coming to stay with us this summer. We really enjoyed having you, and do hope that you'll come for Christmas holidays."
Hermione warmed at the invitation, and thanked Rose profusely before being enveloped into a tight, motherly hug. Harry didn't have as much to say as his wife, but his sentiments were clearly the same in the way he hugged her, too. Petunia didn't so much as hug her but crush her, and Hermione was forced to remind the emotional girl that she needed oxygen to breathe.
"You have to write me all the time!" she exclaimed. "Just because you're not technically my sister doesn't excuse you from detailed letter-writing!"
"Of course I'll write you! I'll even fill you in on everything Lily will conveniently leave out," she said conspiratorially. Lily rolled her eyes, but a faint pink tinged her cheeks, and Hermione found herself wondering just what was in those letters from James Potter after all. But then it was Lily's turn to say goodbye, and she was likewise crushed in hugs from her parents and sister. Lily and Petunia apparently wrote letters twice a week, so there was no admonition to write from Petunia to her.
All the goodbyes were said, and Rose and Harry looked ready to leave, but Petunia stood looking wistfully around the station.
"You'll be here to pick us up and drop us off at Christmas, and pick us up at the end of the year, too," Lily reminded her sister, and Petunia smiled sadly in return.
"Yeah, you're right," she sighed. "I'll see you then."
"Bye!" Lily and Hermione called simultaneously as Petunia finally started walking away with her parents.
"Bye!" the three of them shouted back, and the two girls turned around to go back inside the train.
They walked back to their compartment, and while Hermione understood that to some families it might have seemed silly for them to leave their family, drop their trunks off, and then go back out to say goodbye, to the Evanses it meant that Petunia had just a few more minutes in this world that she loved so much and yet couldn't penetrate. In a way, she mused, it would have been so much easier for her to hate everything magical. What had happened to make this Petunia so different from Harry's Petunia?
Her thoughts were cut off from too much speculation, however, since they saw Mary already waiting for them in their compartment. All three of them let out girlish squeals, and found themselves in a group hug.
"I knew this was your compartment because of Crookshanks," she confessed, before changing subject. "I'm so excited. Think about it; it's our last year! We have to make this the best one ever."
Hermione noticed a difference in Mary's demeanor. She seemed much less subdued than last year. Was Mulciber out of school now? Did he graduate last year? What happened to poor Mary, anyway? Not that it mattered if she was happy now, but it would still be nice not to have mysteries surrounding her.
Then again, who did she think she was? Some omniscient seer to know everyone's past and future? She was so used to knowing everything that not knowing something was almost disabling.
"You need to hang out in our rooms all the time," Lily told Mary, and Hermione was reminded of their unique living situation. Usually the Head Boy and Girl have their own, private rooms, sharing a common room because traditionally the two need to work on many different projects together. But this year Hermione would be sharing Lily's room because of her transfer status, and since half the Gryffindor seventh year girls would be in one room, and half in the other, she expected their common room to be a veritable maelstrom of femininity.
Unless, of course, the Head Boy likewise had his friends there all the time. It wasn't likely, because traditionally their many responsibilities have led to them spending most time in the library, doing homework or tutoring or the like. Maybe hanging around Lily this year would be good practice if she found herself in the Head Girl position next year. Or, rather, she reminded herself, five years from now.
"Of course!" Mary said happily. "Especially if Alice and Frank are still spending every minute together. You know how they get."
Lily rolled her eyes and nodded. Hermione completely understood how boisterous Alice could be quite fond of public displays of affection. Hermione was reminded not too fondly of how Ron and Lavender had acted last year, and found herself wondering what Lily and James would be like when they started dating.
And speaking of the devil…
"Um, Lil, it looks like James Potter wants to talk to you," she said, pointing Lily's attention to the Harry look-a-like knocking on their compartment door.
"What?" Lily exclaimed, turning around quickly, and Mary giggled knowingly.
Hermione swore she saw Lily turn slightly pink as she opened the door, but her greeting was anything but embarrassed.
"When did you learn how to knock, Potter? Your mom finally sent you to training school?" she asked, hands on hips.
James blushed, and Hermione was pleased to see how hard he was trying. She made a note to take a picture of them when they didn't realize it.
"If anyone needs training school, Evans, it's me," Sirius piped in, coming into view from the hall. Hermione found herself laughing at the image of Padfoot being told to sit, stay, and roll over, and James must have too, because the joke had the desired effect on the nervous, would-be courter.
"I was just wondering if you wanted to head over to the Prefect's compartment to set up for the meeting," he asked, and Lily looked at him, confused.
"You're not a prefect," she said. "Where's Remus?"
"Remus isn't here yet," he said. "It's still early. I'm not a prefect, but I am Head Boy."
Lily's eyes flicked to the badge on his chest and she gasped. "You?" she shrieked. "You're my partner this year?"
"Yeah. Guess we'll be living together, eh?" he grinned.
"But-but… You're a troublemaker! A rulebreaker! You've lost more points for Gryffindor than the rest of the seventh years combined!" she exclaimed
"Not counting myself, of course," Sirius interrupted proudly.
"You're not even a prefect!" Lily protested desperately.
James shrugged. "Hey, I didn't ask for it. But if Dumbledore thinks I deserve it, well, who's going to argue against his judgment?"
Hermione was sharply reminded of a time when no one did question his judgment, and he wound up dead because of it.
"I am!" Lily insisted, furious, but James didn't seem to be afraid of her anger. On the contrary, he seemed amused.
"So, do you want me to not help you with this meeting, then?" he teased.
"Oh, no, you're helping me!" she fumed. "In fact, let's go right now!"
James was promptly dragged out of the compartment by his sleeve, and Lily stormed to the front of the train without so much as a "see you later," to Mary and Helen. Not that they minded, and as soon as she was out of earshot, they burst out laughing.
"Poor Evans," Sirius laughed. "Bets on when they start going out?"
"Two months," Mary giggled.
"Two months?" Hermione said. "I give it two weeks."
"Two weeks?" Sirius teased. "How about two days?"
"I'll take that bet," she laughed, momentarily forgetting how their last interaction ended.
"And if I win our little bet," Sirius said, grinning and sitting down next to Helen, "Will you go on a date with me?"
"Oh, goodness, here we go," Mary sighed.
"Listen, Sirius, I'm really not interested," Hermione replied, still very uncomfortable from being hit on by Harry's godfather.
"Nonsense! Everyone's interested in me!" he exclaimed, and Mary gave a very uncharacteristic snort from her corner. Hermione and Sirius looked at her in surprise, and she felt the need to explain,
"Everyone except the girls in your House and year. Neither Lily, Alice, Helen, nor I have ever, nor will ever, succumb to your advances in the slightest."
"But Mary, darling, that's because you're as dear to me as my own sister."
"That's only because you've never had a sister," she teased, and Sirius shrugged.
"That's for the best. They might've turned out like Bella and Cissy."
"Or Andromeda!" Mary said brightly. "How's she doing, anyway?"
"I got a letter about a month ago after she heard about me moving out. She offered to let me stay with her, but I told her the Potters were like family to me, anyway. I'd just get underfoot. I haven't met her daughter, but I hear she's a handful. No need to add me to the mix when I've got my buddy James!"
He sounded falsely cheerful, and Mary seemed to pick on this as well.
"Oh, no! I'm so sorry, Sirius! I didn't mean…I forgot about…" Mary turned beet red and started apologizing profusely, but Hermione wasn't exactly sure what had happened.
"No big deal," he said crossly. "It's not like we can't discuss my family since I moved out. After all, how else could we prank Regulus?"
Then Hermione remembered what he had said about being disowned and moving in with James at sixteen. That's why he hated Grimmauld Place so much. It must have been this summer that it happened, for it to still be fresh enough for Mary to forget.
But Mary was ridiculously embarrassed, and Hermione could tell it was because, not only was she a nice person who would never want to hurt somebody, she also had just recently let her guard down at school and not be so quiet and shy. Bantering like they were wasn't something Mary did often, and she was appalled to have messed up such a normal teenaged activity. Hermione vowed to find out just what had happened to Mary, but thankfully Remus Lupin appeared in the doorway to break the awkward silence.
He seemed to get both the wrong and right impression at once and immediately starting berating Sirius for flirting with the new girl.
"It's not like her friends haven't warned her about you," he told his friend. "A few sweet-talking words aren't going to seduce her." But he flashed a look at Hermione, anyway, double checking that she was indeed not the type to be swayed easily.
"I told him I'm not interested," she shrugged. "But he seems intent on ignoring me."
"You guys are no fun," Sirius complained. "I'm running out of girls who don't hate me, Remus. Don't make her hate before she even knows me!"
"Oh, I couldn't hate you," Hermione rushed to assure him. "I'm just impervious to your advances."
Remus let out a low chuckle before informing Sirius that Peter was waiting for him in their compartment, and that he personally was on his way to the Prefect's meeting. As soon as he finished his sentence, the whistle blew announcing the time to leave, and Remus and Sirius both excused themselves.
"Alice should be here soon," Mary said, taking her book out. "She's probably still with Frank."
Hermione nodded, and took advantage of the seat Sirius had vacated to spread out. "I'm going to take a little nap, but wake me when Lily and Alice get here."
Mary agreed, and Hermione fell asleep almost instantly, seeing the retreating King's Cross station out the window as her strange dreams crept up on her.
She was woken up some hours later by Lily, who had apparently finished her meeting long ago, and Alice, who had walked into the compartment only minutes after she fell asleep. They had apparently ingrained the habit of letting her sleep, which Hermione sincerely hope didn't carry too far into the term! But they decided to wake her with just enough time to change into her robes before the train stopped at Hogsmeade station, and, reflecting on the eventful night she'd be having and busy morning, Hermione quite appreciated it.
"Firs' years this way!" she heard a too-familiar voice call when she and the others stepped off the train. She looked over, and sure enough, there was Hagrid, completing his annual duty of bringing the first years across the lake.
"It's too bad you can't take the boat across, Helen!" Mary exclaimed. "It's such a beautiful way to see the castle."
"Oh, please," said cynical Alice. "There's a million ways to see the castle. She'll be sick of it by the end of the year."
"No one ever gets sick of the castle," Lily reminded her.
Hermione laughed. "I'm okay with the thestrals, don't worry," she assured her friends, and the four of them climbed into the nearest carriage.
"They're so creepy, aren't they?" Alice asked fondly, looked down at the invisible creatures with a smile. Lily sighed and Mary shook her head in exasperation, but Hermione was suddenly reminded of Luna, and smiled widely.
"Misunderstood beasts," she agreed, quoting Hagrid. Lily looked at her like she had grown another head, but Mary suddenly burst out laughing for no reason. Lily and Alice were so shocked by the sound of her laughter that Hermione found herself laughing at their expression, and soon they were laughing, too. Students in other carriages were looking at them strangely, but that just made them laugh all the harder. Every time they would start to calm down, one of them would have a strange expression or would start laughing again, until they wound up in tears by the time they reached the castle. They eventually managed to control themselves enough for Lily to act like a proper Head Girl. She hushed her friends, even while still giggling herself, and started to direct the second-years to where they were supposed to be.
"Come on," Alice said. "She's going to be such a bore while she takes this job seriously."
Hermione and Mary laughed, but followed Alice into the Great Hall, where they took their seats at the Gryffindor table across from Remus, Sirius, Peter, and Frank. James, it appeared, was outside with Lily still trying to usher everyone in.
"Hello, Alice," Remus said pleasantly. "How was your summer? Frank was just starting to tell me about the beginning of it."
"Bearable," she said, rolling her eyes. "Love, don't get me wrong, nothing against your mum, but…"
"I know," Frank laughed. "She has quite the dominant personality."
Knowing Neville's grandmother, Hermione found herself she didn't think she had given any outward indication of such agreement, something must have brought her to Alice's attention, because she immediately found herself being formally introduced to Frank Longbottom.
"A pleasure to meet you," he said, reaching across the table for her hand. She shook it, and was distinctly reminded of Neville in a different way than Alice's physical resemblance. The same kind, compassionate, yet introverted soul was present in Frank, Hermione thought.
"The pleasure's all mine," she said honestly, but before they could exchange further niceties, Lily and James slipped in, bickering all the while.
"You can't give them wrong information - "
"It wasn't wrong information! I just didn't mention that the horses - "
"Not horses, James, honestly, and there's no need to scare them to death!"
"Not to death, but just a little - "
"Here we go again," Alice said, rolling her eyes.
Remus grinned. "What, you didn't miss this all summer?"
"Spare me," she groaned. "Poor Helen is stuck living with the two of them this year."
Even Sirius looked slightly sympathetic as they all stared at her in pity.
"Maybe they'll just start ignoring each other?" Mary suggested, and Sirius snorted loudly. Everyone stared at him, but Peter knew what he was thinking of, and explained.
"Remember that time in fourth year when she tried to give him the cold shoulder?" he asked, and everyone collectively winced. Hermione looked around for a further explanation, and Frank told her.
"He hexed her right shoulder so that a little cloud followed her around and snowed on it for a week."
"In the middle of January, no less!" Alice exclaimed.
"He refused to undo it until she started talking to him."
Hermione found herself laughing out loud at the soon-to-be couple, but before said couple could finish their debate, the door swung open, and in filed the first years for the sorting.
"They get shorter and shorter every year," Sirius said, but Remus shushed him so they could listen to the hat's song. "It's the same thing every year," he protested, but was now shushed by all the Gryffindor seventh years at once.
But sure enough, it was the same thing Hermione had heard for the past sixth years, complete with the stress on unity in times of war.
"Really, at this point we know that the Ravenclaws are suck-ups Hufflepuffs are doormats, and Gryffin - " Sirius started to say, but once again…
"Sh!"
He rolled his eyes, but was quiet except for obligatory applause and cheering all the way from "Applegate, Frederick" to "Zeflin, Marjorie."
As soon as Marjorie, the last Slytherin, made her way to the table, Dumbledore stood up to encourage them to start the feast.
"Thank Merlin. I'm starved," Alice said. She then began the annual gossip over the newest Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. "Well? What's the verdict?"
"On Professor Bode?" Remus asked.
"No, on Professor Binns. Yes, Bode, you lackwit," Alice said sarcastically. Hermione listened intently. She had no idea the DADA curse went so far back.
"I heard he's doing Dumbledore a favor," Peter said. Frank nodded in agreement.
"He's an Unspeakable, but took the year off for sabbatical."
"Pretty young for a sabbatical," Sirius commented, but Mary shook her hand in disagreement.
"Not for an Unspeakable," she said, and the four boys looked at her in slight surprise, before Remus broke the silence to agree. It was frustrating for Hermione to have to piece together Mary's story without any confirmation or refutation from the others. Either way, Hermione took the surprise to mean that Mary was recovering: either she was very comfortable with all of them, or Mulciber was indeed gone. She turned around to look at the Slytherin table to examine the students there and found herself staring straight into the eyes of Severus Snape. She let out a small squeak before turning right back around to her own table.
The others broke off their conversation to look at her in confusion. She blushed, but tried to explain.
"He's staring at me," she mumbled.
"Half the Hall is staring at you, Helen. You're the transfer student. Get used it," Sirius said flippantly. She glared at him, but supposed it was true. She suddenly desperately hoped that Dumbledore wasn't going to introduce her in front of the entire school, but seeing as how they were trying to keep her existence low-key, she didn't think he would do that.
"Who's staring at you?" Mary asked in concern.
The name Snape was barely out of her mouth before being met with a flurry of outraged reactions. Sirius immediately starting cursing the boy, Frank tried to warn her to stay away from him, Alice started to threaten him if he ever came near her, Peter echoed Sirius's sentiments, and Mary looked horrified. Only Remus appeared unchanged, as even Lily and James turned to see what all the fuss was about.
"I'm sure it's nothing," Hermione tried to tell them. "Like Sirius said, everyone's probably staring at me."
"That's just because you're so beautiful, love," he said, and Hermione rolled her eyes.
"No, Sirius is serious, Helen," James said. "Stay away from Snape. He seems intent on harassing pretty Gryffindor girls."
"If he comes within ten yards of you, just tell us, and we'll take care of it," Peter assured her, and Hermione was faced with the irony of being offered protection from one spy on the wrong side against another spy on the right side. Or, actually, technically, the wrong side, too, she realized despairingly. Snape isn't even to be trusted when he gets older. He was playing Dumbledore the whole time. In reality, then, the irony is being offered protection from a spy who will later be on the same side as said spy who was…
Oh, whatever.
"I can handle myself, thanks," she said to Peter rather coolly, and suddenly hoped she would be able to make it through the year without killing the rat.
"No, Helen, really," Lily insisted. "They're not saying that you can't handle yourself, but these four might be able to handle it better."
Hermione was shocked at Lily's reaction, and supposed that hatred of Severus Snape had to be a prerequisite to being a Gryffindor. Realizing that the only way out of the now awkward situation was to agree to everything they said and then change the topic, she did so quickly.
"So, Remus," she asked after assuring everyone she would stay away from Snape. "What classes are you taking?"
He looked rather taken aback, but the rest of the seventh years then began to compare schedules with Hermione, and by the end of the night, her transfer status had been all but forgotten.
In bed that night in the room she shared with Lily, ignoring an argument taking place in the common room between Head Boy and Girl, Hermione reveled in the feeling of having a large group of friends. Like it or not, James and Lily would be dating soon, and then the Marauders would be her friends as much as Alice and Mary were now. Add Frank and Petunia to the mix, and Hermione found herself extremely happy in this convoluted seventh year of hers. She still missed Harry and Ron, and Ginny, and Luna, and Neville, and her parents, and everyone, of course. But somehow 1976 was feeling just as much like home as 1996 did.
If she could somehow overcome the immediate, on-sight revulsion she had for Peter, whom everyone else seemed to like a good deal, then she would be well on her way to becoming fully assimilated in this past society. Obviously she could never share all her secrets with her friends, and of course she would have to avoid looking like some crazy seer, especially since she had already let Lily know of her feelings on Divination. But it wasn't like she was the only one alone and without a family. Sirius had completely moved out, after all, and Remus's father had died a while back. In fact, both James and Lily's parents were going to die soon as well, as Harry had no family left except for Petunia in 1981. That was a horrible thought, really. Poor Rose and Harry! She wondered what was going to happen to them... Was there anything she could have done to stop it? If she bothered to learn of their fate back home, could she have tried to saved them here?
She shook her head vigorously. No, it wouldn't do to dwell on such thoughts. Things were going well here, and Hermione was determined to make the best of it. Scratching Crookshanks behind the ears in a comfortingly familiar gesture, she slowly drifted off to sleep.