Hope you all enjoyed last chapter, and I'm glad that the emotional aspect was well received. Thank you!
Of course, hugs and thanks to: Mystery of the Night, 134eva, Raven that flies at night, themysteriousnicole, Desperate4more, xXMizz Alec VolturiXx, and windyshoes. Thank you so much for the encouraging words and continued excitement for the chapters to come. And thank you for your patience; it's extremely appreciated.
windyshoes: don't ever apologize for enthusiasm! Thank you so much for the amazingly supportive comments. I felt as if Hermione had to tell Sirius early on, so that they could have a real relationship. And Sirius isn't so bad, I promise. =)
I'm hoping this chapter can reel you all in while you wait for the Hogsmeade date (Sorry themysteriousnicole!). I think there's two more chapters until that, but I swear it's worth your patience, and please let me know what you think of this chapter while you all wait.
Remus had heard the whole conversation but was unsure of how he could help either of his friends. Sirius stopped in front of the couch; hurt and confusion in his eyes, "You knew, Moony? You believe her?"
The werewolf simply nodded his head as Sirius brushed past in a rush to escape the room.
Remus found Hermione still clutched to her bedpost with her eyes squeezed shut; trying to ward off angry tears.
Hermione held out a hand to stop Remus from approaching her as she collected herself. He took a seat at the foot of her bed and waited patiently for Hermione to become composed again. She took a seat next to Remus and stared at herself in the mirror across from the bed. Her reflection looked ghastly; there were puffy dark marks under her red-rimmed eyes, tear streaks down her cheeks and Hermione thought she appeared to have aged a few years.
Hermione roughly wiped the sides of her face, "It was daft of me to think I could have any kind of relationship with all of you." She looked at Remus' reflection as she spoke, "I'm going to change too much… all I wanted to do was help and maybe set the future on a better path."
Remus glanced at Hermione through his peripheral and turned to address her directly, "Who are you trying to change this better future for?"
Hermione's eyes drifted to her bedside table, "A dear friend mostly, but for the greater good of magical beings and muggles alike.
"That's quite a heavy burden to put onto yourself," Remus took Hermione's arms and forced her to face him. "What of your own future?"
"What do you mean Remus?" Hermione's voice was vacant of all expression.
"What are you doing to change your own future for the better?" Remus shook Hermione's arms a bit to bring back her attention.
Hermione lifted her eyes to Remus' and saw the concern he wore for her. With his creased forehead and apprehensive look, Remus looked exactly like the man she had left only a month ago. Hermione weakly smiled at the face of her former professor, "Well, you did tell me to not be afraid of coming back; that maybe I was meant to be here."
"I think you are definitely meant to be here. You are the reason for some very good changes already. The Wolfsbane potion for me, Lily giving James a chance, Sirius acting like an adult at times, helping McGonagall grieve. I have personally witnessed a lot of good you've done all by yourself." Remus took one of Hermione's hands in both of his own and squeezed it encouragingly, "But what if you didn't have to do all of this alone?"
Hermione looked puzzled, "What are you saying Remus?"
Remus was confidant in his answer, "What if you had help changing the future?"
"I can't just tell people I'm from the future Remus. They'll think I'm crazy and have me committed to St. Mungo's or they'll charge me with tampering with time and lock me up in Azkaban," Hermione's voice was very flat as she quickly dismissed Remus' suggestion.
"Well, I already know. And Sirius…maybe you could explain what happens in the future that you're so determined to fix, and we could help you. You shouldn't have to carry this weight alone," Remus said hopefully.
Hermione's mind raced. She was hesitant in telling Remus and Sirius about the horrible things that happened to them and their friends in the near future. But could she really handle the pressure and responsibility alone? Maybe Remus is right…
Hermione quickly stood and went to her bedside table. She removed the group picture of herself, Harry, Ron and Ginny. It had once belonged in her scrapbook, but Hermione had framed it the day future Remus had spoken to her. She retook her seat next to Remus and silently passed the moving picture to him.
Remus peered at the people in the picture. At first glance the messy, black haired boy and redhead looked like James and Lily, but after closer inspection Remus realized that he did not know these people.
Hermione began with herself, "That's me. My friend Ron, his sister Ginny," Hermione then laid her finger on the boy with the striking green eyes and untidy black hair, "And that's Harry Potter."
Remus gapped at the boy in the picture. "He looks identical to James…" Remus began the familiar statement"…except his eyes are exactly like Lily's."
"I believe that you are now the first person to ever have said that," Hermione mumbled to herself.
"But, if you know James and Lily's son how do you not know either of them? You told Sirius that you had only heard of them through acquaintances," whatever Remus was thinking was nowhere near the actual devastating answer that Hermione gave him next.
"They died when Harry was one year old." Hermione paused to allow Remus to take in the sentence. His eyes were wide and his fingers held tightly to the frame; it caused indentations in his fingers.
"They die?" Remus' voice is barely audible.
"Yes. They were murdered by Voldemort. They sacrificed themselves to protect Harry." Hermione sat there on the bed, motionless.
Remus' gaze dropped and his blue orbs lost their happy shine. He couldn't believe that his friends were going to die. And he worried that this bit of information wasn't the last of bad things that were supposed to cross their path. Remus searched Hermione's face for some comfort, but found only the same sadness reflected back.
"Do you think we can save them?" Remus asked fearfully.
"I don't know, Remus. But we are going to try."
Sirius went back to Gryffindor tower and went straight up to bed. He didn't speak to anyone as he passed; not even James. Sirius needed to be alone to think, and that was something that he rarely forced himself to do.
The idea of the girl being from the future had shaken Sirius, to say the least. Though he wasn't sure if the information had really changed how he felt about her as a person; though he had felt a bit betrayed not being told before Remus. Sirius knew that the thought was ridiculous, but he always had trouble controlling his impulsive reactions. But if she was friends with Remus in her time, of course she's going to be more comfortable with him. And the fact that Remus, one of the most intelligent blokes he knew, believed this girl's story; that only further supported the crazy idea that it was truth.
Sirius heard his dorm mates come in sporadically throughout the evening. James attempted once more to find out what was bothering him, but Sirius shrugged it off and told James to focus on his date with Lily tomorrow.
Remus came into the dorm room very late that night. He noticed that Sirius was still awake, but made no move to confront him.
"Remus. Uh…um…" Sirius cleared his throat. "Did Amelia make it back to the tower alright?"
"Not yet. She decided to stay with McGonagall a bit longer. Needed to talk to her Aunt about a few things," Remus watched for Sirius' reaction carefully. The tall, dark haired boy appeared disappointed, Remus noted. "She mentioned that she would be back later. I'm sure McGonagall will make sure she gets back safely if that's your concern."
Sirius nodded silently as he collected a book and headed back down to the common room. "Thanks Moony. I…I'm sorry about before," he whispered to his friend as he left the dorm.
Hermione didn't want Lily to worry if she woke up and found Hermione missing, so she asked Minerva to walk her back to Gryffindor Tower later that night. McGonagall was uncomfortable about the idea of bringing more people into the circle of secrets involving the future, but she stood by her promise to help Hermione any way that she could.
The common room was empty when Hermione arrived. She was emotionally exhausted, but could not bring herself to ascend the stairs to bed when she saw a figure appear on the stairs to the boy's dormitories. Sirius stood there, still dressed in his school uniform, but he had left his robe upstairs. His shirt was untucked and his tie loose and askew; Sirius wore a very intense expression despite his comfortable appearance.
Sirius halted at the archway of the staircase when he saw Hermione enter the tower. Her eyes were still rimmed in red and her shoulders slumped with exhaustion. They stared at each other for a few seconds; neither one knowing how to begin the conversation.
"I'm sorry…"
"I'm sorry…" They began simultaneously.
A strained laughter passed between them as Sirius descended the rest of the stairs and Hermione met him in the middle of the room. They smiled awkwardly at each other as they waited for the dialogue to begin again.
"I'm sorry that I overreacted when I found out about your…travels," Sirius grinned sheepishly as he ruffled his own hair for distraction.
Hermione placed a small smile on her face and nodded, "I'm sorry I didn't just tell you."
"My awful reaction somewhat ...supported your reluctant attitude toward the subject ," Sirius chose ever word carefully. He wanted the girl in front of him to know that he was taking the situation seriously. Sirius wanted her to know that he understood he had made mistakes in this state of affairs too.
"Yes. Well, I shouldn't have let my fear get in the way of the truth." Hermione appreciated this side of Sirius. She had only seen this thoughtful, mature part of him when Harry was in danger. Hermione closed her eyes and took a deep breath; she needed to remain focused on the task at hand and push her distracting thoughts of Sirius' lopsided grin from her mind, "Could we talk… about things?"
"Of course," Sirius was elated by the idea of Hermione confiding in him. "Should we go somewhere more private?"
Hermione glanced around the common room. No, this won't do. I need somewhere secure.
A sudden, brilliant idea hit Hermione and she excitedly clasped Sirius' hand and pulled him toward the portrait exit.
They hurriedly snuck up to the seventh floor and turned down the left corridor.
Sirius grabbed Hermione suddenly by the waist and swiftly hid them both behind a tapestry of trolls learning how to dance. They heard Filtch slowly stagger by. He was cradling Mrs. Norris and carrying on a full conversation with the cat. Thankfully, this appeared to distract the Hogwarts caretaker enough to not notice the slight movement of the wall-hanging.
Hermione covered her mouth tightly with both hands. She had begun to hyperventilate and Hermione's heartrate had also quickened; she was unsure if that was because of Filtch or Sirius though. Sirius held Hermione slightly against the stone wall, behind the tapestry, and his own body as he peered around the fabric to check on Filtch's progress down the hall, "It's alright Blondie. Just a few more minutes to make sure they've gone downstairs."
Sirius and Hermione quietly separated and ventured into the middle of the hallway when they were sure they were alone again. Hermione placed a hand over her heart and felt her heart beats finally begin to slow; Sirius shoved his hands roughly into his pants pockets when he noted the chill he felt without Hermione next to him. Sirius watched Hermione as she ran her hands over the blank wall opposite their hiding spot. "What are we waiting for? Shouldn't we get out of the open?" Sirius snipped a bit impatiently.
Hermione turned to face him as a mischievous grin spread across her face. She knew the Marauders had never learned about this room and she found it humorous that she was now the one who would show it to them, "We are waiting for the right words."
"The right words for what?" Sirius was beginning to fear that maybe Hermione was a bit mad.
"The right words for the exact room that I need," Hermione walked a short ways down the hall and passed Sirius three times while she thought, I need an impenetrable room to share my secrets and keep them protected from unwanted eyes. She thought this as she walked the hallway in front of the vacant wall.
At the start of her fourth pass, Sirius walked over and took her arm to stop Hermione from pacing anymore. But as Sirius was about to suggest that Hermione needed to see Madame Pomfrey, a door appeared in the wall where nothing had been before.
The large arched door appeared to be made of a solid piece of oak. There was an intricate inlay at the very center of the door that Hermione recognized; it was an exact replica of the vine pattern that was woven around her own wand. The inlay also looked as though it was made from the same vine wood that Hermione's wand was constructed from, but she was not an expert in wood types and just marveled at the design that formed a perfect circle in the middle of the door.
She pushed and pulled at the handle of the door, but it would not budge. Hermione ran her fingers over the vine loop on the door and witnessed a small indentation materialize at the center of the circle. The indention looked like two eggs sitting side by side. What on earth is that?
Sirius watched as Hermione's mind went into overdrive, attempting to figure out what the door required to open. He noticed that her eyes narrowed as she bit her lower lip in concentration. Sirius cleared his throat and looked at the door to keep himself from staring at Hermione's mouth.
"Do you have some kind of key from the future that could help?" Sirius asked offhandedly, not seriously considering the idea.
Hermione shook her head slowly and traced the outline of the oval shapes with her thumb as she pondered. "Wait…" Her fingers grabbed for her great grandmother's locket through her shirt. She removed it from her neck and examined the pendant's shape. A smile slowly spread across her lips. Hermione opened the locket, laid it flat, and gently pressed the double oval shape into the indentation at the center of the door. The locket slid into the space easily and Sirius and Hermione could now hear a few heavy locks turning and falling within the door.
Hermione took the locket and returned it to its hiding place under her shirt. Sirius had briefly seen the pictures the locket had held and was hesitant to ask about it realizing that one of the couples had to be Hermione's parents.
"How did you know this room was here?" he asked Hermione as she placed a careful hand on the doorknob and slowly tested the handle.
The door easily clicked open.
Hermione turned to him as she gestured to the open entrance, "This is a special room that only exists when someone is in dire need. The Room of Requirement is very useful if you know what to ask for."
Hermione apprehensively slipped her hand into Sirius', "Come on, I have lots to tell you."
Eek! Room of Requirement next chapter. It's going to be very interesting, I solemnly swear.
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-love, Misha