This chapter is dedicated to those of you who actually READ my author's notes. I put them there for reasons, people.
Disclaimer: I own only the plot and…umm…the Hamburger Helper I just had. Well, I guess I'd have to own it, since I kind of ate it…. Oh just go ahead, it's not like anybody READS this, apparently.
Hermione sighed, running a hand through her hair before looking at her watch, biting her lip before glancing up at Bill, who was staring at the ceiling, his completed paper sitting in front of him. Only five more minutes of his detention to go.
"Hey, Professor Granger," Bill said suddenly, turning his gaze to her and making her wince a little once she saw some resemblance between him and the twins, but she squelched it and put it behind her. "What are you doing today?"
She smiled slightly, smoothing down her jeans before grinning a little at the thought of her upcoming day, "Well, I'm going to check on Professor Lupin and make sure he isn't dying before heading over to a friend's house and playing with their adorable little one year old."
"Oh…umm, cute," Bill smiled before they blinked at the beeping of her watch.
"Alright, Bill, your detention's over," she smiled back, making him pick up his things and hand the paper to her.
"Good-bye, Professor Granger," Bill said at the doorway, "Happy Halloween."
"Goodbye – oh, and Bill?"
"Hmm?" he asked, turning around and blinking at her.
"You can call me Hermione when we're not in class," she smiled as he blinked further, "I figured as many Saturday detentions we're forced to have, we're that close."
"Heh, yeah," he blushed and winced a little, "I mean – err, I'm not…" He sighed and looked up at her, looking worn out, "I'm the oldest out of Charlie, Percy, Fred, George and Ron, and Mum's getting ready to have another baby any day now."
"You just want somebody to pay attention to you, huh?" she gave him a sympathetic smile before walking forward, tugging the teenager into her and giving him a quick hug, "Bill, you're a good kid. Your Mum and Dad love you very much, they're just stressed out and busy. I can tell you with one hundred percent certainty that they think about you a few thousand times a day. Now, you better hurry up and head down to lunch or else all the good food will be gone."
"Thanks, Profess – err, Hermione," he grinned before slipping through the door, making Hermione sigh at the silence and smile before grabbing her navy blue cloak and heading out of her class and up the stairs to Remus's room. She walked in without even knocking, knowing that he would be laid up in his bed.
As she opened up the door, she found her assumptions to be correct. She sat down next to his sleeping form, smoothing his hair away from his pale face, his eyes blinking open as he stretched.
"Hey," she said softly, "I'm heading out to Lily and James's. Wanted to check up on you and see how you were doing."
"Mm fine," he mumbled, pulling his face out of his pillow a little to look at her out of one eye, "Stay safe?"
She reached forward, slowly kissing his cheek and smiling at him as his eyes closed again and he smiled. ("'Just friends' my arse," Sirius had huffed one day once he saw this exchange in Hogsmeade before she left to go and see McGonagall about something.) "Promise," she murmured before reaching down and hugging him, "Remember that we have plans tomorrow."
"Mmkay," he murmured before reaching up and kissing her cheek, "G'bye, Hermione."
She stood up, heading over to his bedroom door, "Bye, I'll see you later. Happy Halloween."
"Mmhmm, yeah, just bring back candy or I won't talk to you again," he smiled once he heard her laugh and shut the door, waiting a few seconds before burrowing further into his blankets, sighing with the warmth.
Hermione laughed and pulled Harry up from the floor, giving him a quick hug as he once again proclaimed that she was "Aunty Romy." She gave him a quick peck on the forehead before handing him over to Lily, who was already trying to smooth her son's unruly black hair back from his forehead, but found it of no use and only sighed as James grinned at her. Hermione chuckled along before blinking and picking up James's wand from off of the end table, offering it to him.
"Here, James," she said with a smile as he took it, blinking at it before wincing and grinning back at her.
"Thanks," he said, putting it in his back pocket before musing for a moment, turning back to her and grinning, "Y'know, ol' Mad-Eye keeps telling me not to do this. 'Greater wizards than you have lost buttocks like that' or something. I honestly think he's drunk half the time."
Hermione laughed as Lily rolled her eyes and grinned, "Alright, Harry, say goodnight to Hermione. It's your bedtime."
"Nigh' nigh'!" Harry said happily as he hung from his mother's arms, blowing Hermione a sloppy, wet kiss with both of his hands and squealing once she did the same with one.
"Good night, Harry," she grinned as James swooped down and kissed Harry on the forehead, rising up a bit to give Lily a quick peck as well.
As Lily was walking to the staircase, the three screamed and Harry gave a wail as the front door burst apart. Their eyes widened as Voldemort stepped through, smirking before James finally snapped out of it.
"Run, Lily, run! It's him! Go, Lily, take Harry and run!" he ordered, having Lily finally run up the stairs, Harry in her arms. Hermione cast a protective spell on both her and James before James ducked from a pot come flying through the air.
"You should've joined me when you had the chance," Voldemort said, looking at James and Hermione dully.
"Hell to the no," James said before taking Hermione's arm and practically throwing her up the stairs, rushing up after her backwards – which in itself was dangerous, but then again he was a Marauder - but ending up having a spell from Voldemort yank at his ankle and send him crashing to the stairs with a gasp, hitting his head on a step and blacking out.
"James!" Hermione screamed, staring wide-eyed at Voldemort before running to where she knew Harry's nursery was, finding Lily crying with Harry in her arms, "Lily, why - ?"
"I can't Apparate – I don't know why!" she choked before setting Harry in his crib and grabbing Hermione, standing in front of the two as Voldemort walked through the door.
"Move," he said, annoyed at the two women.
"No," Lily said, her eyes suddenly dry and her voice steady, "No, not Harry."
"Move, you insufferable girl," he frowned.
"Not Harry, please, not Harry," her voice was cracking again.
"Stand aside."
Lily suddenly came upon a sudden realization before taking a step forward, looking at the Dark Lord pleadingly, "Take me instead. Please, please, take me instead of Harry."
But Voldemort only grew more annoyed and raised his wand, "Stand aside!"
"No! – Not Harry, please, not Harry," tears were running down her face again.
"Avada - !"
"Lily, no!" Hermione yelped as she pushed her friend out of the way, gasping as the green light hit her. She and Lily hit the floor with a thud, the last thing she heard was the sound of Harry crying and somebody else screaming.
"Hermione, Hermione, please, please wake up," Lily cried as blood dripped down from the cut on her forehead, cradling Harry against her chest, "Hermione, please." She choked on a sob before realizing that James had been hurt too. Not wanting to leave her friend but wanting to check on her husband, she cried harder and stood up to go to the staircase and stepping carefully down, crying and attempting to calm Harry down as she smooth James's hair back from his face, making his eyes flutter open and have him groan.
"Lily," he gasped before lurching forward and hugging her and Harry, kissing Lily quickly and pecking Harry on the forehead before he froze, "Lily, where's Hermione?"
"J-James, she won't wake up," she cried into his shoulder as they sat on the step, "Please, James, please fix her – make her wake up!"
They looked up as Dumbledore and a Ministry worker walked through, gaping at them before Lily and James jumped up.
"Professor, please, you have to help us - !" Lily started.
"Hermione won't wake up – please, do something!" James pleaded before he lead the older man up the stairs, Lily, Harry and the Ministry worker – who's name they vaguely remembered was Fudge – following as well.
"Miss Granger," Dumbledore said softly, gently shaking her shoulder, "Miss Granger."
"Hermione, please, wake up," James hissed to her.
She shifted a little and groaned, her eyes fluttering open as Lily and James gave sighs of relief. "James? What - ?"
"I don't know, but we're all okay," he grinned before kissing her on the forehead, "Thank Merlin you're alright."
"Can you tell us what happened?" Fudge asked.
"Umm – oh, let's see – we got attacked by the Easter Bunny," James said drily as he helped Hermione stand, "What do you think happened? Voldemort came and tried to kill Harry and we tried to stop him."
"But what about the motorbike?" Fudge asked.
"What motorbike?" Lily asked, blinking.
"The one your neighbors saw half an hour ago."
"Sirius," the three gasped.
"He must think we're dead," Lily worried, holding Harry closer to her.
"Professor, watch after her!" James said suddenly, handing Hermione over to Dumbledore.
"James, where are you going?" Lily asked, freaking out at the thought of James leaving.
"Sirius is going to kill the bastard – I have to stop his arse from landing in Azkaban!" He suddenly whirled around on Fudge, "Do not follow me until I find the bugger. Get a hold of Remus Lupin and tell him to find us. Quick."
Remus and James were panting, their eyes scanning the streets as they ran down the sidewalk, pushing through crowds of Muggles before Remus let out a quick hiss of air and pointed up ahead, "Look!"
Sirius was standing, blinking as Peter accused him of killing the Potters. The two put on more spend, James skidding to a stop next to Sirius as Remus went on to chase after Peter, sending him into the concrete and sitting on top of his back as he squirmed to either get away or get his wand.
"Prongs!" Sirius shouted before he launched himself at him, "You're alive!"
"Yeah, I'm alive, we're all alright," he grinned as they pulled back, giving his chest a couple of beats with his fist, "Still going strong."
"Quit moving, Peter," Remus spat before sighing at his two friends, "It's been a rough night for us all. Can I hit him in the head with a rock or something so he'll stop moving?"
"No – Ministry worker coming up behind us, remember?" James said before crouching down and glaring at Peter, who adverted his eyes. "How could you do this to us, Peter? We've saved your arse countless times and this is how you repay us? By trying to kill me and my family and then trying to blame it on Sirius? I can't believe you."
Fudge jumped up, huffing and puffing and red in the face before Remus shoved Peter into him, quickly stunning him and having Fudge Apparate with him to the Ministry.
James let out a huff of air, his mind reeling as Sirius put a hand on his shoulder, looking concerned, "What about Hermione?"
Remus's heart pumped into overdrive, "Hermione was there? Oh, Merlin, she was, wasn't she? Is she alright?"
"She's at Grimmauld Place – Dumbledore's talking to her and Lily and Pomfrey and McGonagall are checking over them," James answered before the three checked around them and shrugged – hey, a Ministry worker had just done it a few seconds ago – and cracked over to Grimmauld Place.
"And – and I shoved Lily out of the way," Hermione said, wincing as McGonagall dabbed a rag to her head, "And the light…I don't know what happened."
"Miss Granger," Dumbledore was frowning, looking worried, "I think you might've actually survived the Killing Curse."
Hermione let out a whoosh of air as Lily did the opposite and sucked in a breath. They two looked at each other before either breathing in or out, cracking nervous smiles for each other.
"Cool," Hermione said shakily.
"Holy Mother of Merlin, you're both – you're all – okay!" Sirius sighed, reaching forward and pecking the two girls on the temple, getting Harry out of Lily's arms and hugging him before passing him off to James, "What happened?"
"Ugh, I just told that story," Hermione groaned, dropping her head into her hands before wincing as she remembered the she'd hurt it.
"Hey," Remus said, dropping down to hug Hermione and then Lily, mussing up their hair as he did before dropping in the chair next to Sirius, "You alright?"
"Oh yeah, she's never been better just – y'know – killed Lord Voldemort is all," Lily waved it away, making the boys gape at the two, "I, on the other hand, completely broke down and started begging with him not to kill my baby."
James sat down next to Lily on the couch, throwing an arm around her as she curled in next to him, smiling softly down at Harry, who had promptly fallen asleep once he'd been handed to his father.
"I killed him?" Hermione blinked before shaking her head, "Nuh-uh."
"Yeah-huh," McGonagall said quickly before wincing, "The Dark Lord was killed because Miss Evans sacrificed herself for her son, and then you sacrificed yourself for both of them. Technically speaking, Miss Granger, you shouldn't be alive right now."
"So…what happened?" she blinked.
"Has anybody ever saved your life at the last moment possible?" Dumbledore asked, "Sacrificed themselves?"
Hermione thought back, wincing back to when she'd been with Harry and Ron and everybody else. "Err – I think it might've been…Maybe. I don't know."
"Perhaps when they did, they put a spell over you, much like the one Lily would've put over Harry."
"Am I cat or something?" Hermione asked suddenly, earning a disapproving look from McGonagall, "How many lives do I have left now?"
"I'm thinking around three," Sirius grinned at her as she nodded back.
"So…he's really gone?" Remus asked, "He's actually, really gone?"
Dumbledore took a few seconds to respond, "Yes, and if he's not now, then he will be soon."
The five looked around at each other before sighing, grimacing from what they'd been through.
"I just don't really understand it all," Hermione sighed as she and Remus walked through the halls, "I mean, Lily saved Harry, I saved Lily, so does that mean I saved Harry too or did I just save Lily? And what would've happened to James? He didn't have his wand before I gave it back to him – he might not've been able to fight back. What if I hadn't had been there at all? What if - ?"
Remus cut her off with a laugh, "Hermione, relax. You've fixed everything."
"But it doesn't feel like it," she pouted at him as he held the Great Hall door open for her. Everybody stopped what they were doing and turned to look at her before her eyes widened and she realized that she didn't want everybody looking at her. As she began to back up to walk out, Remus grabbed her shoulders and started to push her forward as the Gryffindors jumped up and started the applause, Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws joining in and Slytherins sitting there mostly, occasionally clapping.
Hermione's face was bright red by the time Remus had positioned her next to Dumbledore at his podium, James, Lily, Harry, Sirius, Alice, Frank and Neville all sitting at the staff table, grinning at her as Remus held her shoulder to keep her from sneaking away.
"Last night, a very brave thing was done by a member of our own staff," Dumbledore said as Hermione turned her head and hid into Remus's shoulder, "And although I wish that she did not have to go through the fear, and that others did not have to pay for it beforehand – I am immensely proud of her."
Hermione turned back to Lily and Alice and grimaced, glancing between each other. Marlene, having been the Longbottom's secret keeper, went away after Neville and Harry's first birthday, hiding from the Death Eaters so to ensure her friends' safety. So far, she hadn't come back, and many doubted that she would.
"Please, another round of applause for our Muggle Studies professor, Hermione Jean Granger," Dumbledore turned to her as Remus whirled her around to the students, making her bite her lip and stare down at her shoes.
"You go, Professor!" somebody shouted, making Hermione glance up and find Charlie grinning at her with his brother next to him.
Once everybody was silent, they turned to her, and she realized with horror that they expected her to speak.
"Umm," she said quietly, still attempting to escape from Remus's hold and hide behind him, "Thank you." She whirled around to glare at Sirius once he sniggered, but as soon as she turned back the three men were the picture of innocence, making Lily roll her eyes and Alice shake her head.
She turned back to Remus and winced, "Can I go now?"
"No," he grinned, "You have to stay here. For the whole thing."
"Why?" she squeaked, making a few students laugh.
Remus chuckled and grinned at her before leaving her there, sitting down next to Lily and trying to hide his laughs behind the redhead. As Hermione attempted once again to slip away, Dumbledore gently tugged her elbow, making her sigh and stand there, still looking for an escape.
"Now, as this is cause for major celebration, Hogwarts will be taking a week off so that you may be with your families. You are to be at King's Cross Station on the eighth of November at promptly eight o'clock in the morning. Pack quickly, as you are leaving tomorrow."
Once the students were chattering away happily, Dumbledore turned to Hermione, "I'd like a few words with you in my office, if you'd be so kind."
Hermione nodded and shot a glare at her friends, who grinned and waved back at her, the babies waving back as well and proudly showing her their teething gums. She gave an involuntary smile and walked off behind Dumbledore, her friends looking after her in confusion.
"Now, from my reasoning, you shouldn't be here," Dumbledore said pointedly once they had sat down around his desk.
Hermione sighed, rubbing her temple and looking at him wearily, "That's what I keep thinking. I know I'm forgetting something."
"Perhaps…Horcruxes?"
Hermione sat upright with a gasp, wincing a bit once the memories flooded back to her. Once the pain was gone, she blinked before smiling at Dumbledore, "Thank you." She was about to stand up before she frowned and slouched back again, "I forgot what they all were except for one. And besides – in my time, Harry was given a lightning bolt scar because of what Voldemort did. But there's nothing. So that means there's either six, or something else was accidentally made a Horcrux last night. And I still don't know how I didn't die last night – I was hit, head on, and yet I'm sitting here talking to you. Nothing adds up."
"I have a theory," Dumbledore leaned forward against his desk, absentmindedly stroking Fawkes as the bird fluttered down next to him, "Perhaps whenever you traveled here, you have been living as both the Hermione Granger from the nineteen-nineties and the Hermione Granger from the nineteen-seventies. When you were hit, it destroyed the Hermione Granger from the nineteen-nineties."
"So I can't go back?" she asked worriedly, "But, but up in the clouds they said - !"
"No, hold on," he held up his hands, waiting for her to settle back down, "I believe that once you have completed all that you were meant to, the Hermione Granger from the nineteen-seventies will cease to exist, and another Hermione Granger will be made for the nineteen-nineties, but the new one which you created last night where Lily and James Potter didn't die."
Hermione hummed, "So far, it's the thing that makes the most sense to me right now."
He smiled at her, "Horcruxes can wait until you remember them all. Go and get some well-deserved rest, Miss Granger. I believe you've earned it."
"Actually, Professor," she said as she stood up, smiling at him, "I think I'm going to go to my friends and let them know that I didn't trip down the stairs and die or something."
"That is nothing to joke about," he said, although he was smiling a little, "I trip many a time on way to my office."
She laughed and waved as she walked out of the door.
"Say 'bye,' Harry," Lily said, holding her son in her arms as Sirius tumbled through the fire.
Harry only whined and wriggled, reaching for Hermione. Lily allowed Hermione to pluck her godson out of her friend's arms, burying her face into his black hair and smiling before pecking his forehead.
"I love you, Harry," she said, hugging him before smoothing the hairs she'd distorted back into place. "Now – no more of this prophecy nonsense, you hear? You're far too cute to become the center of one again."
Harry only showed her his gums again as James laughed and picked Harry out of his friend's arms. He grinned before reaching forward and hugging Hermione, pulling back and letting Lily hug her.
"Thank you, Hermione," he smiled, holding Harry much closer than he would've if they hadn't been through what they had.
"James, you don't need to say that," she smiled back at him, "If we switched places, any of you would've done the same."
His eyes darkened, "Except for Peter."
She could tell that Remus was still mad at their former friend, as he shifted on the couch behind them.
She shook her head, "Forget him. Who's Peter? I don't know. Some rat who doesn't deserve people like you, Remus and Sirius as friends."
He smiled again, "Thanks."
She huffed, "Stop thanking me for things that are a given. Now go – Harry's going to fall asleep on your shoulder, and then you'll be stuck with the smell of baby drool until you go change – which we know won't happen until you get ready for bed, which could take hours."
Lily hugged her friend once more before smiling and waving at them, following her husband and son into the fire. Hermione then catapulted herself into Remus, making him emit a small 'oof!' sound. He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her, smiling when she brought her head back up and huffed.
"You okay?" he asked as she frowned down into his sweater.
"I can't sleep."
"Alright," he grinned, loving where this was going. "Want to – "
She cut him off, "Yes. Please." She then buried her face further into his sweater, muttering out 'please's as he laughed. He grabbed her shoulders, sitting her up on the couch so that he could stand up and scoop her up, making her squeak.
"I can't sleep on the couch after what I've been through," he explained before dropping her onto the bed, making her laugh and grin up at him.
"Well that was smooth," she laughed before diving under the covers, burying her face in his pillow. She smiled where he couldn't see, as his pillow smelled like him. It was a good day, actually. She's saved two of her best friends from dying, saved Harry from becoming an orphan, saved Sirius from going to Azkaban, and got rid of one of the evilest guys from that time for a while just the previous day. And then for her reward, got to sleep with Remus. It was a really good day, considering.
The bed dipped as Remus climbed in as well, wrapping an arm around her waist and tugging her into him, burying his nose into her hair. She smiled and hummed, wriggling around to face him. He peeked an eye open to grin at her.
"Goodnight," he murmured to her, making her reach up to kiss underneath his chin.
"Goodnight," she whispered back, before finally shutting her eyes and falling asleep curled up next to her favorite werewolf.
…Can't really think up anything to say. Sorry. Umm…have a good day. :D