Twas the fanfic before Christmas, and all through the web – not a creature was stirring, not even the Squib. When down came the chimney with a thundering shout – Sirius Black, waving a trout. He smacked all the readers, he smacked all his friends, he smacked the Professors and the Slytherins. He smacked all the girls and he smacked all the guys. Hermione rounded on him, saying "I've got a surprise." Delighted, Sirius threw the trout back, but he should've kept it, for it was a hungry, irritated, big orange cat. Crookshanks chased him all through the night, leaving the Marauders to yell "Merry Christmas to all and to all a good fight!"
Disclaimer: I own only the plot and more of Larkspur's predictions and whatnot. (Can we even really call them predictions? I mean, I'm the one who's writing them and who knows what's going on. So…what? I don't know anymore. Carry on!)
She glared out at the window, watching as the clouds rolled in. She curled in a little, now frowning dully at Professor Larkspur. She was telling a frightened looking Hufflepuff that something he would dread would happen soon. Sirius was across the room with Remus, the two of them passing a piece of paper back and forth. James sighed loudly, earning a quick glance and a look of sympathy from his partner before she was rounded on by her professor.
"Miss Granger," Larkspur said airily, "Your palm, if you please."
Hermione and James shared another quick glance, but her hand was yanked out of her lap and out into the open, freezing atmosphere.
"Aaah, yes," Larkspur practically hissed, as if she were deflating. "Child, your life line is unnaturally short!"
Hermione glanced at her palm, "So it is. How tragic."
"You will die several times," she squinted at her skin, "You have already died twice before."
Hermione froze for a moment before schooling her features to look nonchalant. "Oh?"
"Yes – once when you lost your family, and another that is blurred to me."
She clenched her free hand into a fist under the desk as images of a golden butterfly and impossible hues resurrected themselves before her.
"You will try to prevent something, but it won't work the way you planned," Larkspur continued.
Her heart pounding loudly in her chest, she jumped up from her seat, snatching her hand back, "That's rubbish!"
The class seemed to collectively blink at her as Larkspur's tone dropped all of the light airiness, "Excuse me?"
Feeling embarrassed and somehow defeated, she froze. This wasn't exactly, calm and passive Trelawney, but Larkspur – whom she didn't know enough about. So she dropped back to her seat, head bowed as she mumbled out, "Sorry, Professor."
Several silent moments ticked by before the dreaded words were heard.
"Detention, Granger."
Hermione dropped her face to her hands as the class bubbled. "Hermione Granger, detention?" " – 's no wonder the boys made her one – " " – never beat Sirius and James, no, but her?" The three Marauders shared glances before grins broke through.
"Wicked," they mouthed to one another.
"Honestly, are you barking mad?" Lily huffed as James and Sirius sat before her, grinning as James tugged at his smoking hair. Their faces were blackened and their robes looked singed. The only one who seemed fine was Remus, as Peter had ran to the Hospital Wing instead of going back to the Common Room.
"We didn't want Romy to be left all alone, Lela," Sirius pouted, making her narrow her eyes at him.
"It is her first detention at Hogwarts after all, Love, and we just wanted to make it fun!" James was practically beaming.
"James," she huffed again, "Detentions aren't supposed to be fun. And besides – you have detention with Filch, she has detention with Larkspur."
The two boys thought about this before James loudly hit Sirius along the back of the head.
Hermione glanced up at the clock, robotically lighting different sticks of incense and blowing them out for the fumes. The moon would be full tomorrow, as told by her previous glance at the window, and she'd wanted to help Remus with his homework before he was sent to the Hospital Wing. Usually, as the moon got closer to being full, he'd slip farther and farther away from his friends. Mostly when they did homework, she'd list off answers and he'd write them down in his careful but quick script. But after the ordeal was done with and the boys were patched up - Sirius had thought for a few times that maybe werewolves really did want to play tag, so he was usually the worst of them all - he would be fine again.
"Miss Granger," Larkspur called, "Come here."
She grimaced as she sat down the candle, walking over to her. Larkspur held out her hand, waiting until Hermione had given up her own appendage.
"You have to be one of the most stubborn students I have ever had the displeasure to teach," she mumbled as she bent her head over her hand. Hermione stayed silent as she watched the skinny fingers follow the lines etched into her palm. "Your life line is the same. But I am not doing this to test myself."
"Then why are you doing it?" Hermione asked.
"Your love life," she began as if she hadn't heard her, "has been terrible."
She snorted, "Thanks."
"Don't interrupt. You have been with three men – all of whom were Quidditch players. One from foreign lands, the second excruciatingly arrogant, the last someone very close to you, but found that your ideals clashed often. They are all gone and away from you now."
Hermione was very aware that she was pale and threatening to shake as the memories of Krum, McLaggen (junior) and Ron appeared, but she remained still as Larkspur continued.
"You're stubborn to a certain extent…except…for…one." She looked up at the girl, her blue eyes glinting knowingly.
Hermione jerked her hand a little closer to her, but still held it out, "What are you saying?"
Larkspur released her wrist, giving a noncommittal shrug, "Just saying that maybe you should begin paying attention to subjects other than your education. Perhaps you will learn a few things."
She edged back before finally breaking away and dashing down the hall.
Remus sketched further down the margin of his paper, looking as if he was nearly a breath away from dying. He looked much paler than usual, his normally amber eyes having lost their gold and now looking washed out and dull. He wanted to go to bed instead of dangling off the chair and drawing on his completed homework, but he was waiting for Hermione. She'd promised she'd be back, but either her detention was keeping her or something had somehow happened. He was worried.
He looked up as he heard the portrait open, feeling himself light up and smile before he frowned as she trumped into the room.
"Hey," he said, making Hermione jump and look up.
"Oh, Remus," she said, placing a hand to her heart. It took a second or two before she gasped, "Oh, Remus!"
He smiled a little, swinging his legs off of the armrest for her to sit with him, "It's alright, I got it done just fine."
She sat down on the armrest and played with his hair, "It is not alright, I promised you and I broke it."
"It's fine," he insisted.
"I'll make it up to you," she continued.
He eyed her for a moment before grinning, "Alright. As she began to grin back he reached out and jerked her down into his lap. She gasped and blinked for a moment before turning and frowning up at him.
"Oh come on," he said, pulling her closer and looking down at her in his arms, smiling slightly but otherwise looking up at him warily. "You're making it up to me."
She said nothing, but laid her head on his chest. He grinned and they were silent for a few moments, during which Remus began to play with her hair.
"Remus," she began, "Do you think I'm stubborn?"
"Yes," he said, "Painfully so."
"Why?" she asked, pouting a little.
He chuckled, "You don't give up, you won't let people bring you down. Why are you asking?"
"Larkspur called me stubborn."
"Well you are. And I wouldn't have you any other way."
She hummed, shifting herself closer to him.
"It's not a hand thing," he continued, "It's pretty good, actually. You go by your rules. You aren't a pushover to people."
"Except for one," she mumbled sleepily.
"What?" he asked. But she was already asleep. But what did she mean by that? She wasn't a pushover, except to one. So she was a pushover for somebody? Who? Definitely not James or Sirius, or Lily or Marlene, so who? Nobody they knew fit the description, so – He froze as he remembered that he didn't know everybody she knew. There could be somebody. Oh Merlin, there could be somebody. Some guy. Some guy who was able to make Hermione some squirmy little school girl on the inside. He didn't like that at all, he thought as he buried his face in her hair, bringing her even closer to him.
And he was right. There was some guy that made her heart pound. And he was sitting in the chair in the Gryffindor common room, holding her while she slept.
Daisy Larkspur sighed happily as she blew out the incense Hermione had lighted. She walked out to the balcony and looked up at the stars.
"Everything's going great boys," she said to the stars, looking like a complete and utter loon.
Dumbledore shifted in his seat as Fred and George threw a Pygmy Puff back and forth between them. The two were grinning as Larkspur gave them a progress report.
"Our little Hermione's growing up so fast, Georgie!" Fred beamed.
"And our poor little Remy doesn't have a clue, Freddie!" George laughed.
"Neither does 'Mione, Forge," Fred reminded him.
"Oh tish tosh, dear brother, he's starting to come around."
"He wouldn't do anything even if he did know! Which, I doubt he ever will."
"Why's he got her in his lap then?"
"Purely selfish reasons, I s'pose."
"Probably," George sighed, "Those Marauders, I tell you, they're all a bit bonkers, aren't they?"
"Indeed!"
Dumbledore only rolled his eyes and shook his head as he flicked his wand and sent a mist down.
Tick tock, tick tock
Time's running out
You're going slow!
Tick tock, tick tock
You only learn as you go!
Tick tock, tick tock
Be quick before they start to die
Tick tock, tick tock
And you'll be left to cry, cry, cry
Tick tock, tick tock
Hermione squeezed her eyes closed tighter, burying her face into something that was warm and smelled grea –
"G'morning, Remus," she muffled to him as he began to shift.
"Good morning," he replied, "My legs are numb thanks to you."
"I love you too."
He chuckled as she grinned into his neck, fading down into a simple smile as he wrapped his arms around her again. He sighed as he leaned his head back to hit it against the back of the chair, his eyes searching the ceiling for something to do.
"We really should get up," he told her, making her hum in agreement.
And then they just sat there.
I wanted fluff. I've felt cranky and pubescent today, and I don't know why, so I took it out on people I like, GRR. Then my friend came up to me and asked what sort of tomfoolery we were doing today, and I told him "No tomfoolery today, I'm sick of your speckled mug!" Then he sniffed and said "Why must you hurt me in this way?" Then some other crap happened, and I hit my head on a wall and chanted "angst, angst, angst, angst." Then my friend stared hugging the crap out of me, and I started slapping him for it, then this stupid teacher I hate came up to me and started being all "blah blah blah" and me and my friend made him poo his pants. Then this crazy ol' guy started laughing and saying how fun that was. Then he asked me if I was still full of that wizard angst. I told him "I can appreciate life a lot more now." He said that was just fantastic!
I watched Potter Puppet Pals at the carwash. Don't judge.