Hello! Hope everyone is having a lovely day, sorry this one is a little late today... but I think it will be worth the wait.
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Hermione leaned on the wall of the seventh floor hallway, next to the strange tapestry of dancing trolls. She was exhausted but so happy and relieved; N.E.W.T.'s were finally finished. A smile continued to creep onto her face as she thought about her accomplishment. Hermione even laughed a little about the fact that when she returned to her time, she wouldn't have to feel guilty about skipping her seventh year anymore.
But the blissful feeling in her body began to waver again.
Hermione looked down at the small slip of parchment in her hand and sighed.
Regulus had sent her a short letter requesting to meet her, alone, at the Room of Requirement after all her official testing had been completed.
The letter had come through Remus; who had been asked to keep the interaction a secret. The werewolf had been reluctant, but still agreed to relay the message without alerting anyone else.
The note had only said:
'Need to meet. 8:00pm. No Sirius.'
But the fact that Regulus wanted to meet one-on-one made Hermione uneasy. They were on friendly terms now; but that didn't make the request any less strange. Why could Sirius not be here?
Light footfalls echoed through the hallway causing Hermione to look up. She felt her eyes suddenly grow wide.
There were two people coming toward her.
Regulus had his disdainful empty mask in place, but Hermione could see a little look of sad apology in his eyes. She prepared herself for the part that the younger Black brother had to play with her…
"Miss McGonagall…" Regulus tilted his head slightly up so that he could look down his nose at his brother's girlfriend. He hated the twisted feeling that his gut began to take; Hermione had become a welcomed acquaintance and he had hoped to call her friend in the future, but addressing her with such contempt made him feel like that was an unlikely possibility. Even though Hermione knew the words to be only a front, how could someone overlook such a hatful tone?
"Mr. Black… and Mr. Snape, lovely to see you both again," Hermione had caught herself before addressing the taller boy next to Regulus as 'Professor'. Severus looked exactly as he had the night that Hermione had been attacked; all black clothes that were a little worn but well kept, frown in place and slightly uncleaned hair. She knew that Snape was going to become a member of the Order, but that wouldn't be until Lily was in danger so sharing information with him now would not be safe. "How can I help you?"
Regulus gave a mocking chuckle, "I fear there is really nothing that you can help we with, muggle-born. But my family has requested that I relay a message to my dear brother, and he has refused to speak to me or receive owls with my writing… and so I must rely on you."
"Wouldn't that require me helping you?" Hermione put some edge to her voice and narrowed her eyes.
Regulus shrugged, "Do we call it 'helping' when an owl does its job and delivers the post?"
Hermione almost laughed.
What an absurd thing to be compared to; she would definitely have to throw something at Regulus when they were in private.
"Now, I am sorry Severus; but I will need some privacy while I speak to my brother's muggle-born," Regulus bowed his head slightly in a dismissive fashion.
Snape sneered at Hermione and turned on his heal; his shoes clicking loudly as he marched along the hallway and down the stairs.
As soon as the footfalls were out of earshot, Regulus began to mutter his apologies, "I'm so sorry. Severus wouldn't leave me be; he kept asking what on earth I would need to do on the seventh floor. He insisted on coming with me when I came up with some story about my parents wanting me to rely a message to Sirius. I think he was afraid the Gryffindor's would attack me or something… even though I said it was you I had finally made contact with…"
Regulus's mask had fallen away again.
"Regulus, stop… I know, it's alright. Let's just get into the room before anyone else sees us talking," Hermione offered a smile and motioned for the Slytherin to call the room.
When they were safely in his uncle's living room, Regulus plopped down onto one of the intricately carved antique chairs and sighed heavily; he felt like the world was pressing down on him.
The pillow hit him on the head fairly hard and he was jarred back from this thoughts, "What the bloody hell was that for?!"
Hermione laughed freely now that they were alone, "That was for comparing me to an owl." A wicked smile crossed her lips making Regulus laugh too.
"I think you may be spending too much time with Sirius. That smile looks vaguely familiar." He had to duck to avoid another pillow being thrown at his direction.
After the brief moment of earned childishness, the two sat down and discussed seriously the introduction meeting that Regulus had attended two weeks ago. He explained everything that he could remember; making sure to share even the smallest detail that came to his mind. He described the other people who had been in attendance and the few names that he could assign to the faces.
Hermione sat quietly and absorbed all the information with stride. She was still terrified about Regulus's plan to become a double agent, but she knew that there was no way of talking a Black out of something when their minds had already been made up. The best thing Hermione could do now, was assist as much as possible and try to keep him alive… whether Regulus wanted that or not, Hermione was determined to try.
They discussed the plan to accept the next Death Eater invitation without hesitation. Regulus let out a heavy breath but smiled at the witch in front of him, "When do you think the others will join the Order? I would really like to have a connection there before I have to get marked… I feel like it would make me feel a bit better with the whole ordeal."
"I'm not exactly sure. But I know that the Marauders joined all together. I'm sure it will be as soon as they can; you know how reckless we Gryffindor's can be when it comes to playing hero," Hermione smirked as her comment drew a laugh from the Slytherin.
"Yes… I guess you're right." Regulus shifted his weight a bit in the chair. He had wanted to ask the question since he found out that Hermione was from the future, but he had never been sure if he really wanted to know the answer… The black haired boy chuckled; I guess I have a little bit of Gryffindor in me after all…
"Will you tell me how Sirius dies?" Regulus met Hermione's gaze with curiosity and sadness.
Hermione swallowed thickly as she tried not to react to the request, "You're the first person to ask me that outright… Why would you like to know?"
"Does Sirius not know the details already?"
"No, I explained it to him briefly, but… he might be afraid to know every detail… and I'm afraid to tell him." Hermione pulled a stray piece of hair out of her face and tried to sit up a little taller in the chair. "Sirius wants to change the future for you and himself, but I think we're both afraid that if he hears the specifics he won't hesitate to walk the same path again."
Regulus nodded his head, "I can imagine…" A sad smile crossed his features as his gaze fell to the floor between them. "Will you please tell me what happens… so maybe I can help you devise a way to safe my stubborn brother?"
A chuckle escaped Hermione's throat before she could choke it back, "A bit like the pot calling the kettle…"
Regulus's smile grew, "We are related."
"I am beginning to see that clearly now," Hermione nodded her head with a smile.
Hermione took a deep breath and began retelling the story of the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. She briefly touched on who Harry was and his issues with Occlumency. She explained how the Dark Lord sent him a false vision of Sirius being held hostage in the Hall of Prophecy and the failed attempts to make contact to confirm or negate the vision. Hermione briefly mentioned the tricky conversation with Kreacher and quickly moved on to how they traveled to the Ministry. She went over the confusion in the Room of Doors and some of the very frightening objects and creatures that inhabited each room. And when Hermione got to the part of the story when the Death Eaters cornered them and the Order came to the rescue…
Hermione's voice stopped; it just ceased functioning. The mental image of an older Sirius fighting alongside Harry played through her mind. She saw Sirius's smirk and laughter, and the encouragement that he had given Harry… and then she saw him hit with a stunning spell and slowly fall backwards into that eerie vail.
She closed her eyes as Harry's screams echoed through her head.
Hermione was startled as a hand clasped over hers. She opened her eyes to see Regulus leaning forward. He wore a look of confusion and anxiety, he didn't know what else he could do for the witch other then hold her hand to offer some comfort.
Quickly wiping the tears away and clearing her throat, Hermione continued with the rest of the story. She told Regulus that it was Bellatrix who had killed his brother, but how Harry had felt responsible for the death a very long time after that. Hermione admitted quietly that she also carried a bit of guilt over Sirius's death.
When she finally finished telling Regulus everything she could muster, he began to ask questions.
"Why was Kreacher involved? Everything else seems to have been unfortunate circumstances and a few poor choices, but what was my house elf's role in this?"
Hermione blew out some air with reluctance, "Well Sirius wasn't very good to Kreacher. He was always calling the elf names and yelling profanities at him, and once he yelled at the elf to 'get out.' So Kreacher used that as a loophole to leave Grimmauld Place. I'm assuming he went to Bellatrix because she was the next in line of the Black's. She instructed him on what to do… and Kreacher obeyed."
Regulus's eyes were almost slits now with how much he was furrowing his brow. He looked more than just angry… he looked malicious, "What right did she… Bella had no authority… Sirius should have known better!"
After the younger Black calmed himself, Hermione suggested that they part for the night, "We can talk about this more later, but I'm always here if you need a friendly ear Regulus."
And then she did something that surprised herself as much as it shocked Regulus; she hugged him.
Graduation was a bit boring.
Well, Hermione did enjoy the fact that she was seated next to Remus… but she had to admit that the ceremony itself was a bit lackluster. Professor Dumbledore spoke about the comradery and cooperation that he wished the graduates would act on to preserve and support their magical community as it marched ever closer to the impending darkness. But Hermione knew that the speech was wasted on the audience; she knew how bad things were going to get in the next few years…
Hermione did have a touching moment with Professor McGonagall, who was handing out the rolled diplomas as the students prepared to walk across the stage. The younger witch flung her arms around her 'aunt' and whispered her appreciation for everything that the Gryffindor head had done for her this year.
But other than that, Hermione had been uninterested and had even had to fend off sleep once… which Remus had found quite funny. He had taken to poking her in the arm every ten or so minutes to make sure that the witch beside him was still conscious through the remainder of the ceremony. Hermione glared at her werewolf friend and looped her arm through his as they waited for the conclusion of the many speeches that they were being bombarded with.
Finally it was time.
"Congratulations on your Graduation from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"
Everyone erupted with excitement; though Hermione was unsure if it was for the happiness of graduation or just that the commencement ceremony was complete.
Remus pulled her along to meet his family briefly. His father and mother both hugged her tightly and expressed their gratitude and happiness at Hermione being such a wonderful friend to their son. Then Remus's mother, Hope, asked if she could take a picture of the two of them.
Hermione chuckled as she remembered the old, peeling picture that was now stowed away safely in her trunk, "Yes of course. But only if I can get a copy as well." Hermione found herself adjusting her stance and smile to match what she had already done; she shook her head and hugged Remus and his parents again before she went to find her boyfriend.
Surprisingly, Hermione found Sirius was standing by McGonagall speaking in hushed tones with serious expressions.
"What is this all about?" Hermione called as she stepped forward and hugged her 'aunt' again and then reached for Sirius's hand.
"Oh nothing dear, just discussing what Mr. Black will be doing now that he does not have classes to distract himself," Minerva smirked a little as she surveyed the couple in front of her; she did have to admit that they complimented each other very nicely. The older witch shook her head, "But I may have heard some rumors that you have more pressing things to attend to then just your graduation…"
A wide smile spread across Hermione's face, "We do in fact. Come Sirius, lots of work to be done."
Hermione and Minerva exchanged knowing looks as the blonde pulled her boyfriend away from the celebrating crowds.
Since Hermione did not have any family who could attend graduation in this time and Sirius's family had refused to attend all together, they had volunteered to help James in setting up for his proposal.
They ran to the courtyard under the clock tower and began summoning the boxes from the open window of the boy's dorm room in Gryffindor Tower.
"What are you two doing? Aren't you supposed to be celebrating the fact that you're finished with Hogwarts?" A scornful voice called to them.
Sirius' face lit up, "Reg? What are you doing here?"
Regulus stepped out of the shadow he was hiding in and smiled broadly as he embraced his older brother, "I may have taken my apperation test early so that I could sneak away from time to time. Decided that I wanted to come see my brother graduate school; needed to see it for myself. Who would have thought it possible?!"
Hermione took a small step forward and hugged Regulus as well; he laughed at her slight hesitation, "Congratulations to you as well… Um, what would you prefer I call you?"
Hermione scowled at her Marauder, "I told you he noticed…"
Sirius smiled sheepishly, "Just call her Mia for when it's just us and McGonagall if you feel like you have to. We'll discuss her other name… later…"
The three continued to speak as they opened the boxes and Hermione began instructed how everything should be placed. It took a better part of the afternoon, and thankfully everyone on the grounds was too preoccupied to notice the Slytherin working alongside the two Gryffindor's.
When they were finished, Hermione quickly waved her wand and placed a disillusionment protection charm on everything.
"When is Potter going to do this?" Regulus questioned as he vanished the boxes and left over material.
"When things have died down a little," Hermione answered as she looked over the courtyard again to make sure that everything was hidden. "Lily said she really wanted to give her parents a tour of Hogwarts since graduation is the only time that muggle parents can visit the castle. And James's parents wanted to go along with them and get to know them a little better; everyone except Lily knows what James is planning so I think they'll help stretch the time."
"Are you two staying out here until they arrive?"
Sirius nodded his head, "Might as well. We're both packed and Remus and Peter are supposed to be taking care of the champagne… last favor from the elves hopefully."
Regulus looked a little nervous, "Could… could I stay with you? I'd like to see how Potter pulls this off."
Hermione laughed as Sirius joking locked his arm around his younger brother's head.
James was nervous to say the least.
His hands were shaking, his breathing was erratic and sweat occasionally dripped into his eyes.
Mrs. Potter had smoothly covered for her son by catching his arm taking up the rear of their little group, while insisting that Lily take the lead while giving the tour of the castle, "Am I going to have to say that you've fallen ill."
James tried to take a deep breath and began to cough, "… maybe… I just… I'm terrified."
Flora smiled at her only son, "Well you did everything you possibly could to prepare. You told us your plan, you asked her parents for permission and expressed your intentions, you had your friends assist you; what's the worst that could happen, Dear?"
"She could laugh, say no, hex me into next Tuesday…" James began to feel his stomach constrict into a tiny lead ball.
Mrs. Potter tried not to laugh at the ridiculous comments, "If Lily is anything like I believe her to be, the only hesitation she will have is over the issue of your ages." She glanced at her son and saw the pain and doubt etched on his handsome face, "But I say, time and age do not matter when you've found that one particular person… it will be fine James."
"Where are we going James? I thought we were meeting everyone in the Great Hall before we have to leave?" Lily was concerned about her boyfriend. He had appeared distracted all day and now he almost looked green…
"We are Lil, don't worry. I just… I just wanted some fresh air for a second… getting hard to breath in there…" James cursed the fact that his partial sentence structure had returned.
"James… are you alright? You're not still anxious over our parents meeting, are you?" Lily herself had been concerned over her very muggle parents meeting her boyfriend's very established magical ones, but it had gone wonderfully in her opinion. They all seemed to get along well enough and they had found some common ground when speaking about some sights to see in London. The four adults had even set a day for tea at Harrods so that Lily's parents could show the Potter's around muggle London a little.
"Um… yea, that's all… just a bit nervous… never know what my parents will say about me…" James tried to laugh, but the chuckle got stuck in his throat as he suddenly realized where he was.
James stopped so abruptly that Lily, who had been following him through the hall, ran into his back somewhat painfully, "Ow, Merlin…"
James turned around to face Lily, "Shite, I'm so sorry Lil… are you alright?"
Lily chuckled, "So I have to be hurt for you to finally come out of your little world?" She had meant it teasingly, but she saw James's face fall as she said the words. "Alright, James… what's wrong? When did you suddenly decide that you couldn't tell me what's bothering you anymore?"
"I didn't… that's not why…" James looked around the courtyard.
Hermione peeked around her pillar and saw James searching around for something. She took a small step into the open, but only enough so James could see her, and she smiled softly and nodded her head to encourage him to push on.
James took a deep breath and finally looked at Lily.
He gazed at her bright green eyes and he found that his stomach stopped clenching and his breathing seemed to even out. He smiled at the steadiness that Lily brought him. He waved his hand around and gestured to the courtyard, "Hogwarts means a lot to me, it's been really difficult knowing that our time here is over. I met all my best friends here, including you; and I'm very grateful for this place. But this spot specifically is even more special than the rest…"
James took Lily's hand and led her over to one of the stone benches and sat down. Lily followed his example and sat beside him, "And why is this spot so special James?" Lily had no idea what this was leading up to, but she knew that James had something planned so she played along.
"This is where I got to kiss you for the first time; when you agreed to be my girlfriend in fact," James grinned wildly and leaned forward to place a gentle kiss on his girlfriend's lips.
"Oh," Lily smirked and looked around like she was lost, "was that this place? I thought that was the paved courtyard by Dumbledore's office."
"Haha, very funny Evans…" color rose a little in James's cheeks as he had a momentary dread that he had gotten the spot wrong.
Lily offered a sincere smile this time, "I'm sorry; that was rude of me. This trip down memory lane is lovely, James. Is there anything else?"
"Just one more thing, I swear." James fumbled for her hands and took another breathe, "I love you Lily. I've loved you for a long while; longer than I'd like to admit I think. You're not just brilliant and beautiful inside and out... But you… you also put me in my place, you care for me but don't let me get away with too much. You love me despite my ridiculous antics… and you make me want to be a better person. I'm not sure where I would be without you."
Lily's smile had grown weak as James pulled at her heartstrings. Hermione took the pause as her cue to unveil the hidden decorations of gorgeous red lilies and delicate golden bows. Lily and James peered around astonished by the beautiful arrangements that appeared around them.
James smile with a little more confidence as he continued, "My life would be empty without you; I would be nothing but a bloody prankster without you. And I want to spend the rest of my life trying to show you how much I love and appreciate you and everything you've done for me. Will you marry me Lily Evans?"
Tears streaked down Lily's face as she took in everything James had said. A smile began to pull at the edges of her mouth as she stirred up the courage to answer.
"Yes… yes, of course I'll marry you."
YAY! I was so happy writing that last bit. And I rewrote it SEVERAL times until it was exactly how I wanted it... one of the reasons I was late posting today. I redid it twice just today...
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Always,
Misha
Ps. Check out the other stories by me: 'Begin Again,' 'The Bookworm and The Prankster' and 'Penelope Jackson: The Lightning Thief.'