A/N: Early update for you folks! Thank you for your reviews, follows and favourites! I have to say...Even though I'm writing several chapters ahead, You made me add this first part to the text - a glimpse of Regulus's thoughts on what he'd seen in Hermione's mind. And I'm glad I wrote it :) So, please continue letting me know your thoughts on this fic.

A shout-out to my amazing beta who invented the awesome Quidditch sideline cheers/chants!

Chapter 26: The Future unfolds

March 4th 1978 (Saturday)

It was well past midnight before Regulus left the Gryffindor Tower. What had happened with Hermione, the things he had seen, it was all unnerving, an equally astounding. Everything about her now made more sense to him.

The way she walked around the school – like she had had years of experience and knowledge about the castle, it made sense now. She had already been there. She had studied at Hogwarts. The way she looked at him, the way she looked at everyone. She had known everyone. It all made sense.

The faint scars and marks on her skin, the ones he had assumed were caused by her collaboration with the Order. But now he knew where had those come from. He'd seen her encounter many dangers with her friends. And he'd seen and felt how she yearned for them. Her family. Her loved ones.

But there was something else. She had been running from someone. From him. She was trying to find something to use against the Dark Lord. Something that could destroy him. Even though the images he had seen had been a big blur and not everything made sense to him, he was still sure of that particular fact. It chilled him to the core. It made him numb. It made him terrified.

The next day, Regulus had seen her in the Great Hall, but she hadn't even glanced up from her plate. What was she thinking? Would she forgive him? He felt ashamed for reading her mind without her consent, but he couldn't regret it. It only made him understand her and care more for her.

March 6th 1978 (Monday)

Hermione had stayed in her dorm for the whole weekend, only stepping out to eat in the Great Hall on Saturday and Sunday. Lily had tried to talk with her, about what had happened, but Hermione had told her friend that she wasn't ready to talk about it.

During the two days of silence and contemplation, Hermione had thought over and over how she had acted. How she had faced the cursed flames and actually considered dying. She was sure that Regulus now knew her every deepest and darkest secret. She was upset that he had read her mind, but even more so as she considered the risks it brought up. She felt fear gnawing her insides.

On Monday, Hermione left the DADA class alone, after having a brief discussion with Gideon. Their Professor had tried to inquire how she was holding up after the incident in the cave, and Hermione had assured him she was okay. Even though she really wasn't.

She turned around the corner and stopped abruptly. Regulus stood there, leaning against the wall, watching her with an unreadable expression.

"Hermione." Regulus said quietly.

"Reg…" She said, anger and sadness coursing through her. Without realising what happened, she lifted her hand and slapped him on the cheek.

His head turned to the side from the impact, and Hermione stared at him in shock. What had she just done?

Regulus's lips twitched a bit, and he took a step closer. "Can we talk?" He asked softly, as if she hadn't just smacked him.

She could see the red handprint on his skin. Hermione swallowed, her eyes tearing up. Everything was now amiss. Damaged.

"Come here, love." He murmured, took her hand and pulled her into a tight embrace. She let him. His hands ran down her back soothingly, making her shiver. Hermione pressed her face against his neck and breathed in his scent, trying in vain to calm herself.

"It's okay, love." He whispered softly, kissing her temple.

"No, it's not…And what if someone sees us?" She argued and glanced around them. The halls were empty, but she could hear footsteps not far from them.

"I don't give a fuck, Hermione." He said, looking at her eyes with a piercing gaze. "Not when you're like this."

Her heart ached for him, but she clenched her jaw, trying to stay rational. "Even so…Let's go to the Room of Requirement," She said and disentangled herself from his arms.

He frowned at her, but nodded. "Okay. I'll see you there," He said, his grey eyes cloudy with thought as he watched her leave and make her way towards the seventh floor.

"What…?" Regulus muttered as he glanced around the Room of Requirement, inspecting the place with confusion. Hermione had brought them straight into his bedroom. He knew it was his, but it wasn't like he remembered it. It didn't look like it had the last time they'd been in the Room of Requirement. Or the last time he had been home. There were the familiar colours of emerald and silver everywhere, draping the bed, the walls and the windows. But everything was dusty and untouched, indicating that it hadn't been inhabited for many years. He knew what it meant.

He slowly turned to look at Hermione, who stood at the door, eyeing him anxiously.

"You're from the future." He said blankly. That much was obvious, as he had seen people he knew in her mind, people, who looked a lot older than they now were. He wondered, how far from the future she actually was.

Hermione grimaced. "Sort of, yes." She said, seemingly stalling, as if she was prepared to answer only the minimum amount of questions.

Regulus huffed and threaded a hand through his hair, feeling frustrated. He saw her looking at him carefully, as if dreading of what she was going to ask.

"What did you see?" She finally asked, chewing the inside of her cheek anxiously.

She must've known he'd seen many things, but as some of her memories had flashed through her mind so fast, he was sure he had missed something. And now she was making sure she wasn't telling him more than necessary. Regulus felt disappointed but understood her. And even though he wanted to know everything there was about her, he knew that what information he already had, was dangerous. For both of them.

Regulus studied her features as he replied to her. "You've studied here. You had a life already. You knew of us." He said quietly. He'd seen her, surrounded by a different set of friends, looking happy, looking cared for.

Hermione nodded and waited for him to continue, wringing her hands in agitation.

He knew he had to mention the Dark Lord, even though he knew it probably was the most dangerous bit of information he had learned. "You were running from him, trying to find something that could destroy him." He continued flatly, watching her reactions carefully as he spoke.

Hermione's eyes widened with dread as she nodded again.

Regulus eyed her for a small moment, his stomach clenching nastily as he recalled one of her memories - the one in the cave where she'd faced an enormous fiery beast, and how she'd frozen in front of it, how emotions of hopelessness and giving up had been the only things coursing through her mind at that moment. "You wanted to die." He said quietly, disbelief evident in his voice.

Hermione pressed her lips together and looked away.

"Yes." She whispered, giving him a desperate look.

"Why?" He asked with a thick voice, closing their distance and pulling her against him. She placed her hands against his chest as he gripped her arms tightly.

Hermione set her forehead against his shoulder, taking a deep breath before she spoke. "Because for a small moment, I wanted to see them…for a small moment, it felt like the easy option. No more secrets, no more living in danger, no more staying hidden…" She whispered, her voice faltering.

Regulus swallowed hard, before placing his fingers against the line of her jaw and pulling her gently to meet his gaze. The look she had shone of despair, and yet it seemed to soften as their eyes locked. He couldn't look away from her eyes. He wanted to forget himself into them.

"I miss them." She said softly. "My friends. My family. I didn't plan to come here, Reg. I didn't want to leave them."

He nodded and was silent for a while as he studied her, smoothing his hand up and down her back. He then cleared his throat, needing to know something. Something that had become more and more clear now, as they were standing in his decaying bedroom. "Seeing as you've already been at my home…You knew me? Or rather of me?" He asked eventually, his eyes searching hers.

"Yes." She said warily.

Another short silence.

"I don't make it, do I?" He asked calmly, staring deeply into her eyes. Hermione gaped at him in disbelief. It was the answer he needed, but he still waited for her to speak. To confirm it.

"No." She gasped, seeming to be too stunned to say anything more.

He nodded. "Okay then." he said slowly.

"W-What?" Hermione blurted. "How can you be so calm about it?" She asked, her voice wavering as she gazed at him with a horrified look.

When Regulus didn't reply, Hermione continued, becoming slightly hysterical. "Don't you want to know how it happens? When it happens? I mean – "

"No, Hermione. No. I don't want to know how I die," he said sharply, interrupting her.

There was a moment when she merely stared at him, looking hurt and conflicted. "I…I won't let you." She whispered, staring at him intently.

Feeling all kinds of emotions surging inside him, Regulus looked quickly away and swallowed deeply, pushing everything away into a dark corner of his mind.

"How? How could you prevent things from happening that will happen?" He asked plainly, now feeling more calm.

Hermione's eyes moved studiously over his face. "I just…I know how to do it, trust me. I've changed some things already," She said solemnly.

Regulus stared at her indecipherably, and said nothing more to the matter. Having the information that she knew what would happen to him and how to prevent it, made chills run down his spine. What would she have to do in order to save his life?

What she'd said about wanting to give up, about even considering the option of sacrificing her life in order to meet her loved ones…It was unbearable. It made him struggle for breath. Regulus brought his hand to cup her cheek gently. "Don't leave me, Hermione." He said quietly, pleading her, hoping to Merlin that he'd be enough for her.

Tears seeped slowly down her cheeks and he brushed them away, staring at her intently, relieved to see some kind of resolve in her eyes.

"I wouldn't. If there would be another situation like that, I wouldn't take it," She said solemnly and took a deep breath. "I…I don't want to give up my life…" She continued, her voice now faltering, her throat moving as she swallowed deeply, "…Because then I'd have to give up you too."

Her final words came out almost inaudibly, and Regulus felt his chest twist with equal agony and happiness before he leaned down to kiss her softly.

After their kiss, Hermione buried her face in the crook of his neck. "Can we give it a rest for now?" She asked weakly. "I just want to be with you."

He sighed, knowing that they had merely scratched the surface, but also feeling that perhaps it was necessary for them both to think really hard what was safe and essential for Regulus to know. "Okay." He said and held her close to him.

"Reg?" She asked after a moment, leaning back and glancing at him unsurely.

"Yes, love?" He asked, brushing a curl of hair from her face.

"Do you have to go to Potions?" She asked hesitantly.

His mouth curved up a bit. "No."

She smiled. "Let's stay here, okay?"

He glanced around them. "I might have a problem with that." He said and took his wand from his pocket. He waved it around the room, making the dust disappear and the air clear a bit. Hermione smiled at him.

"Come here." He said, tugging her towards his bed. Hermione followed him and together they lay in his bed, curled against one another for the rest of the afternoon.

March 11th 1978 (Saturday)

The score was ninety to twenty, Gryffindor leading, and the game had barely started. It was Gryffindor against Hufflepuff, and although the odds where on Gryffindor to win, the opponents had formed a good team this year.

Gryffindor was gathering points rapidly, and James himself had made at least half of the goals. Their housemates were all screaming excitedly and every time their team scored, they loudly sang a new song they'd made for the occasion.

"Here comes Gryffindor with the lion's bite – "

"Hufflepuffs are terrified and just shite!"

Hermione rolled her eyes with amusement as her friends were singing along with the rest of the students who supported the Gryffindor team. She tugged her red and gold scarf tighter around her, shivering as the cold wind tore through her clothes, even though she was crammed between Lily and Remus. Mary was sitting on Remus's other side, along with Alice and Peter, while Marlene sat on Lily's other side.

"And look at that, ladies and gents, the Gryffindor Beater sends a nasty little Bludger towards Hufflepuff Seeker Grayson Green, and – OUCH! He takes the hit!" The Quidditch commentator, Jackson Abbott, from Hufflepuff, exclaimed.

"To them the Snitch is out of sight –"

"And the Quaffle won't go in even a slight."

"We're the ones who gonna party tonight!"

The Gryffindor supporters sang again as their Chaser, who had the possession of the Quaffle, approached the Hufflepuff goal posts fast.

"Gryffindor in possession. Gryffindor Chaser Hannah Marshall approaching the goal posts – Aaand GRYFFINDOR SCORES AGAIN! The game is now 100 against 20, folks," The commentator yelled, and Hermione could see him shake his head in disappointment.

Her thigh burned abruptly as the Gryffindor supporters sang again, and her surprised gasp disappeared into the screaming crowd. She dug the coin from her pocket and glanced at it, flushing bright red and quickly covering the galleon with her hand. Merlin forbid…He was utterly shameless…

They had spent the previous night in the Room of Requirement again, only this time she had gotten up early in the next morning, in order to make it to her dorm before the girls woke up. Regulus had stayed in the room, opting to skip breakfast and instead grabbing some much-needed sleep, as he maintained he had already enjoyed a delicious meal during the night. She snuck a glance at the stand next to theirs, where she knew he would be sitting. He was eyeing her with a self-satisfied look in his eyes, and Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. Merlin if he knew how much he resembled his brother…

"Hermione? You okay?" Remus asked, eyeing her with a frown.

"Yeah, sure!" She said loudly. "Just excited about the game," She said, trying to sound convincing.

Lily snorted. "Since when have you been excited about Quidditch?" She said, glancing at her friend with amusement.

Hermione shrugged. "I have my moments." She said simply, turning her gaze back to the game and when the others were singing again – as James scored, again – she quickly sent a message back to Regulus.

A bit too smug for your own good? –HD

Always. –RB

Hermione shook her head, biting back a grin.

Didn't hear any complaints though. –RB

She pressed her lips together and snuck a glance at him. There was a subtle smirk on his lips, while his focus was turned on the game.

The game continued like it had proceeded – rapidly, with both teams scoring many goals before the Snitch even made its first appearance. Then it was a battle between the two Seekers.

"Aaand GRYFFINDOR SEEKER CATCHES THE SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR WINS!" The commentator exclaimed, a hint of annoyance in his voice, and every Gryffindor supporter was standing, cheering wildly, and singing to their team. Hermione too stood up, joining the cheering, smiling at James and Sirius who high-fived in the air, looking happier than she'd ever seen them.

"Here comes Gryffindor with the lion's bite"

"Hufflepuffs are terrified and just shite"

"To them the Snitch is out of sight."

"And the Quaffle won't go in even a slight."

"We're the ones who gonna party tonight."

The Gryffindors were singing loudly the whole way back to the castle, and when they reached their common room, the party was on.

The girls went to their dorm to change, but every Gryffindor team member opted to party with their Quidditch gear on. Hermione changed into a long-sleeved satin wrap dress in nude colour she'd purchased from Gladrags the other week, and as the girls descended the stairs back to the common room after an hour or so, they smiled at the scene playing in front of them.

James and Sirius were singing their Quidditch song while embracing each other, both gripping their own Firewhiskey bottles. Hermione could see the contents of the bottles sloshing around the floor each time they moved.

"Here comes Gryffindor with the lion's bite"

"Hey, Hermione!" Sirius exclaimed abruptly, in mid singing, as he noticed her. He stumbled a bit as he walked to her, and swept her into his arms into a crushing hug. She saw James do a similar move with Lily, although their embrace seemed to end with a bruising kiss.

Sirius spun her around, and she slapped him on the shoulder. "Put me down, Sirius! You're drunk!" She screamed, although laughing at the same time. "Put me down. Now."

Laughing, he finally put her on her feet and pushed the Firewhiskey bottle in her hand. "One for the team, eh?" He said with a wink.

Hermione shook her head and took a swig from the bottle, while James yelled and the rest of the team sang near them. Lily and the girls had joined Remus and Peter who were sitting near the fireplace.

As Hermione eyed the team's chanting, her mind drifted to an occurrence earlier that week.

She was walking to Transfiguration class on Tuesday morning after breakfast, when Sirius suddenly grabbed her by the arm.

"Sirius! What are you doing?! Let me go!" Hermione hissed, punching him with her free hand.

He didn't comply, or say anything to her, but took her to the nearest classroom and released her after closing the door behind him. Hermione glared at him and was about to yell at him, but then she heard a clearing of a throat behind her.

She whirled around to look around the classroom and saw Lily sitting in a chair near the teacher's desk, eyeing her with a frown between her brows.

"Hermione…We need to talk" She said gravely.

Hermione glanced from her to Sirius in confusion. "What? What is it?" She asked, a bit taken aback by Lily's tone. And what was Sirius doing there?

Sirius sighed. "Just sit down, Hermione." He muttered, eyeing her with an unreadable expression.

Hermione looked at both of them again, finally realising what it was about. "This is because of last Friday, right?" She asked quietly.

"Yeah." He said, while Lily nodded.

Hermione heaved a sigh. "Fine." She finally said, plopping down on a chair opposite to Lily. Sirius sat next to Lily.

Great. It was like some kind of an intervention…

"Look." Hermione started before either of them managed to utter a word. "Last Friday had nothing to do with…Regulus," She said his name awkwardly, glancing at Sirius, who still stared at her with a blank look.

"Then what was it about?" Lily asked harshly. "Hermione I was so worried about you! I thought you were cursed!" She exclaimed with unshed tears glimmering in her eyes.

Hermione felt bad for not talking about it sooner. "I was." She said softly, not looking at either of them.

"W-What?" Sirius asked with a cold voice. "Did someone – "

"No." Hermione said quickly, looking at him and shaking her head. "It was…me." She said with a helpless shrug.

"What does that even mean?" Sirius asked in bewilderment.

Lily suddenly gasped. "It has something to do with…You know…The…hasn't it?" She said hastily, glancing at Sirius with uncertainty before she turned her eyes back to Hermione.

Hermione nodded, and Lily's eyes widened.

"You mean…The Order?" Sirius asked with a low voice, mouthing the last word.

Lily lifted her brows at Sirius while Hermione nodded again. "We can't really talk about it in here…And I can't really talk about it, period." She said tightly.

"You can't expect us to let it go this easily?" Sirius asked exasperatedly.

Hermione was silent for a moment. "I…Something happened." She said, her voice faltering a bit. "Something went wrong and I…The only thing I could think of was everyone I lost." She whispered, tears gathering in her eyes. She blinked them away and looked at her friends, trying to swallow the lump in her throat.

"Hermione…Kitten," Sirius muttered and leaned closer to give her hand a squeeze while Lily took her other hand.

"Hermione, you know you can talk to me…And Sirius. About anything. You can trust us, okay?" Lily said while observing her with a sad look. "Are you sure you're ready for whatever it is that is expected from you?"

Hermione frowned. "I knew it would be dangerous. Even if it hadn't gone pear shaped. But I'm fine now." She said, and both Sirius and Lily shook their heads in disbelief.

"Last Friday was far from fine," Lily said with a strained voice.

Hermione sighed. "Please understand…I have to do this. I have no other choice." She said and stared at her friends with a pleading look.

After their conversation, she had noticed that Sirius had become much friendlier towards her, and Lily was looking after her even more than ever. She knew it was her fault, having suffered something reminding a panic attack or even a psychotic episode in front of them. She knew they cared for her, and at the same time she was glad that they apparently hadn't shared the details about her incident to anyone else.

Sirius's voice broke her reminiscence. "And now, kitten. We'll have a drinking game," he said with a smirk on his lips. The singing had ended and everyone had gathered in front of the fireplace. Sirius took her wrist and made a move towards the others.

"Sirius, no…"

"Aww, that's sweet. You thought I was asking." He said and grinned.

Hermione grumbled under her breath but eventually followed him.

They were playing the Wizards truth or dare. Which was basically the usual spin the bottle game, but with Veritaserum. Oh, great. Hermione thought wryly, but decided that she'd bail out the game the minute she'd feel uncomfortable. Or if it became dangerous.

James was explaining the rules of the game to everyone while Sirius organised several glasses on the table.

"So Moony…Ready to cut your wolf loose?" Sirius asked as he poured the Veritaserum-laced Firewhiskey to the empty shot glasses on the table. Laughing as the werewolf flipped him the bird, he sat on the floor next to the couch where Remus was sitting on. Hermione pursed her lips and sat on the arm of the couch, narrowing her eyes at Sirius. He merely winked at her.

"For you, milady." He said to her and handed a shot and then another one to Remus.

Hermione eyed the liquor cautiously, knowing fully well that if was like playing with fire – if the right questions were asked. Nevertheless, she was quite confident no one would ask anything too personal, as there were so many of them – mainly fifth to seventh years – and even though they all were in the same house, they rarely spent time together. Shamefully, Hermione admitted that she didn't even know everyone by name. As she was trying to remember the name of a brunette witch from sixth year, she heard James call her name and felt Remus nudge her softly.

"Hermione, you're up. Truth or dare?" James asked with a smirk.

Hermione arched a brow. "Truth. I'm not taking the chance of you trying to make me snog Lily again, like you did in the last party," She said dryly.

Sirius snorted while others sniggered. "What! I missed that. Did it happen?" He asked enthusiastically and glanced at Lily, lifting his brows knowingly.

"No." Lily said and narrowed her eyes to him.

James merely chuckled. "Okay, Hermione. Bottoms up."

She sighed and gulped down the burning liquor.

"Who is the best-looking Marauder?" James asked with a smirk.

Hermione gritted her teeth. "Sirius." She said, the truth falling out from her mouth quickly. Her nostrils flared in annoyance as the Marauders howled in laughter.

"Cheers, kitten, but I knew that already." Sirius murmured and smiled at her. Hermione narrowed her eyes at him, but gave him a small smile all the same and spun the bottle.

It turned to point at Sirius. "Sirius. Truth or dare?" Hermione asked with a mischievous grin.

"Dare." He said confidently.

"Snog James. Good and proper." Hermione said simply.

James blanched and was about to argue before Sirius stood up, glanced at Hermione with a wicked grin, and walked to James while everyone else was chuckling and watching the scene in anticipation. Lily eyed her boyfriend and his best mate in horror.

"I swear to fucking Merlin, Pads, if I feel your tongue, I'll bite you," James snarled, and was about to say something else but his voice was muffled when Sirius crashed his mouth against James's, kissing him heatedly. Good and proper.

Everyone burst in laughter, and as Sirius broke the kiss and returned to sit on the floor next to Hermione, he gave her a triumphant grin. "You know he'll make you pay for that," He said to her knowingly, while James was bright red with embarrassment.

Hermione supressed a smile and glanced at James who shook his head at her in mild amusement. The game went on. Several ended up without their shirts on, while some had to snog others. Hermione had to perform a lap dance for Peter on some point, which she awkwardly did, while others were snickering and grinning at them. But mainly everyone stayed with the truths, since no one really wanted to snog their mates in front of everyone.

"Okay, Hermione." Marlene said. "How many blokes have you slept with?" She asked slyly, probably expecting her to answer "none", but when she didn't, her jaw dropped in surprise.

"One," She muttered, grimacing at the floor. Well…That was awkward…

The truth serum didn't really give anyone a chance to hide the truth. She tried like hell not to look at Sirius or her other friends, as she knew some of them probably thought she hadn't been with anyone. Hermione knew she would have to stop playing the game, because she couldn't take the risk that someone other than Sirius, Lily or Remus would know about her relationship with Regulus. It wasn't about teenage drama anymore. It was dangerous for both their lives.

Sighing, she spun the bottle one last time. It landed on Peter, and he chose the truth.

"Did a dog really eat your homework?" She asked with a bored look.

"No. It was Sirius." Peter quipped, clamping his hands over his mouth in horror. While nearly everyone roared in laughter, Sirius, James and Remus all stared at Hermione in distraught.

Hermione smiled at everyone. "I'll need some fresh air. I'm out." She said, left the common room and went to the balcony. It was cold this time of year, but the balcony was charmed with heating spells. She sank on the bench and let out a weary sigh. The door opened soon after, and Sirius and James walked outside, stopping in front of her.

"So…This is awkward." James muttered and ruffled his messy black hair.

Sirius heaved a sigh and sat next to Hermione. "You know? About us?" He asked curiously as he took a fag from the pack of cigarettes he had in his pocket, handing the pack to James who was now leaning his back to the railing, standing opposite to them. James took one too and offered the cigarettes to Hermione, who shook her head in mild disgust.

Sirius lit his cigarette and offered James a small light from the tip of his wand. He took it and inhaled, coughing the smoke out of his lungs.

"You shouldn't smoke." Hermione merely said, pursing her lips.

Sirius barked a laugh and nudged her. "There she is…"

"Yes, I know. About you." Hermione said with a shrug as she tried to blow the smoke away from her direction.

"How?" James asked with a frown as he took another drag, this time without coughing.

Hermione frowned. "I dunno. I've known some time now. You guys aren't really that subtle, with the nicknames, the jokes and such…" She said plainly.

"So, you know that I'm –" Sirius drawled suggestively.

"An animal." Hermione said, but regretted her wording as both boys howled in laughter, making her redden in annoyance.

"Too true, kitten," Sirius said and winked at her.

She grumbled under her breath. "I know that you're a dog," She started, but stopped, groaning as the boys burst in another set of laughter. "Okay there really is no way of saying it!" Hermione exclaimed, standing up angrily and snatching Sirius's cigarette from his lips and throwing it on the ground, stomping over it.

Sirius merely laughed and took another fag from the pack.

"Okay, kitten. We won't laugh. Much." He said, chuckling as he lit another fag. James grinned at her as he worked on his cigarette.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I know that you're Animagi. Peter too." She finally said. James and Sirius shared a silent look and then eyed her cautiously.

"You do realise you can't tell anyone?" James asked grimly.

Hermione arched a brow at him.

"We're not in the registry." Sirius quipped, taking a long draw from his cigarette and puffing rings of smoke in the cold air.

"Why is that, by the way? Why don't you just register yourselves?" Hermione asked, intrigued.

"Where's the fun in that?" James asked, smirking.

Sirius threaded his hand through his hair, puffing smoke from his lungs. "We could hardly accompany Moony every moth if everyone knew what we were…" he said, eyeing Hermione warily. "That's why we did it, you know. To make it easier for him."

Hermione smiled warmly. Of course she knew. And she knew it meant the world to Remus.

"I understand. And it makes sense." She said finally. "Don't worry. I'm not telling anyone." She said and gave the boys a reassuring smile.

The boys nodded to her, both eyeing her with contemplative looks.

They were all silent for a while, before the boys decided to head back inside.

"Sirius? Can I talk to you for a moment?" Hermione asked before the raven-haired wizard had the chance to step away from the balcony.

Sirius looked back at her. "Yeah…Sure."

He glanced at James, seeming to have a silent conversation with him, and finally James left the balcony, shaking his head with a frown.

"What is it?" Sirius asked as he sat down on the bench next to her.

"I'm just..." She said, biting her lip. "I'm sorry." She said after a moment. "I'm sorry that you finally had your brother back, and then I came between you two…" She muttered, looking into his unreadable grey eyes.

He studied her features for a while before he sighed. "Yeah, well…You and I weren't exactly together when you two…You know." He muttered awkwardly. Hermione nodded.

"I guess I knew he fancied you…" He said, rubbing his neck. "And I still left you."

"Can you forgive him?" She asked hesitantly.

He shrugged. "Perhaps…" He said quietly, looking at the dark forest over the railing.

Hermione smiled at him and stood up. "Let's go inside, okay?" She knew not to push further on the matter.

"What? Eager to snog Evans, huh?" He said with a smirk, standing up and nudging her as they walked towards the door.

March 12th 1978 (Sunday)

The next morning most of the older Gryffindor students woke up with a raging hangover. After Hermione had managed to get herself up from bed, she met Remus and Lily in the Great Hall for breakfast, and could see that many of her housemates had opted to skip the meal and sleep off their Irish flu.

"I swear I've never seen her that sozzled," Lily chuckled to Remus at the almost empty table.

Hermione smiled at her friends and sat next to Remus. "Who?" She asked as she took a piece of toast and put some marmalade on top of it.

Remus grinned and poured her coffee. "Allie. She was a bit smashed last night."

Hermione smirked. After having too many drinks, Alice had babbled with a foreign accent for the rest of the night. It had been quite hilarious, as she was the epitome of Britishness.

"Yeah, I guess she was." Hermione smiled.

"And you? Making Sirius and James snog each other. Merlin, I'll never forget that," Remus said between laughter, wiping his eyes.

Hermione shrugged innocently while Lily was torn looking amused and embarrassed.

"Although I usually don't mind bringing James's floating head down a notch, I have to say…It was quite unnerving, how they…You know…" Lily stammered, frowning.

"Enjoyed each other's company?" Sirius asked slyly behind Lily, chuckling as he sat down next to her.

Lily turned to look at him with her eyes narrowed. "I swear if you turn my boyfriend bent, I'll make you pay," She snarled to him. Remus, Hermione and Sirius burst in laughter, and Lily joined them eventually.

"Don't worry, love. I'm willing to share," He winked at her and Lily slapped him on the arm.

Remus shook his head in amusement. "Where is James? And Pete?"

Sirius shrugged. "They're not really up for a public appearance yet," he said nonchalantly.

Lily merely lifted her brows at him.

"You know, them being with the throb and all," He said with a low voice, winking slyly at Lily.

She punched him.

"Ouch," Sirius chuckled. "Will you stop harassing me, Evans?"

Eventually Peter and Marlene came to breakfast. When Lily asked Marlene where the rest of them were, she merely shrugged and said, "Well, Mary's praying to the porcelain god and Allie's just praying Merlin to make everyone forget her little acting stunt last night." She said, and everyone burst in laughter.

"And Prongs?" Remus asked from Peter.

Peter yawned and shrugged. "Snoring like a freight train."

After breakfast, Hermione decided to head to the library for some light reading, and Remus asked if he could join her. The others went back to their common room and their dorms to rest.

"I've been meaning to ask, has Belby been in contact with you?" Hermione quietly asked as she walked towards the library with Remus.

He smiled at her excitedly. "Yeah, actually. I haven't had a chance to talk to you about it earlier, but we've been owling, and he asked me to meet him during the Easter hols. He wants me to join the study, and start right after graduation…"

"Wow, that's great," Hermione smiled at him. "Let me know how it goes, okay? And if you'll want company, I'll be happy to join you on Easter." She said kindly.

He nodded. "Yeah…I might be seeing him alone though, if you don't mind…But I'll certainly keep you posted," He said with an apologizing smile.

"Of course I don't mind, Remus." Hermione said softly. "I'm only excited for you," She smiled.

He grinned. "Me too."

March 19th 1978 (Sunday)

"So…you're expected in the Malfoy Manor next Friday, but you don't have any other knowledge on where the raid would take place?" Hermione asked, frowning as she sat on the couch facing Regulus.

They were in the Room of Requirement's version of the Gryffindor common room, sitting in front of the fire and talking about the upcoming Death Eater raid during Easter holidays. Apparently, Regulus had received a message to inform him of the time and place he was supposed to show up next Friday. Their last lessons would be on Wednesday, and the Hogwarts train would take the students home on Thursday, for a two-week Easter holiday.

He merely nodded, his face blank of emotion.

"Do you have any suspicions?" She asked carefully.

"No." He said finally, after a moment of silence. "I've told you everything I know." He said silently. She could practically feel the accusation behind his words. They still hadn't really talked about her past, or the future, as Regulus was waiting for her to initiate that conversation.

Hermione sighed. "You want to do this now?" She asked tiredly.

He arched a brow at her and sighed. "Probably not the best time to delve into that since I'm meeting the greatest Legilimens there is in less than a week." He said quietly.

"Are you angry with me?" She asked hesitantly, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze.

He took his hand away from her reach, making her flinch. "I'm sorry, love. Even though there's nothing I want more, I can't indulge myself to you now…Otherwise he'll see it right away." He muttered, staring into her eyes intently.

He hadn't really answered her question…

Hermione felt a bit depressed, but she understood. He needed emotional – and physical – distance, in order to keep all the feelings and memories from him. She was also a bit frightened by the fact that Regulus now knew dangerously much about the events of the future, even though they hadn't properly talked about what he had seen. What if Voldemort read his mind and Regulus couldn't keep certain things hidden from him?

"Don't worry, love." He said, probably sensing her thoughts, trying to reassure her.

Hermione frowned, worrying her lip. His words didn't soothe her. Nothing could make her not stress about next Friday.

March 24th 1978 (Good Friday, Full moon)

Hermione had spoken with Dumbledore right after having her latest conversation with Regulus. But there was little to be done when he only knew a date, and nothing else. They suspected the raid was against the Order members, so they remained in alert. James's parents had asked the boys to stay in school for the Easter Holidays, offering some lame excuse about having some event they'd have to attend. The boys knew it was a ruse, but they didn't argue. Remus had opted to stay in school too, as the full moon was on Friday and he would otherwise be spending it alone in his parents' cellar.

Hermione had gone to stay with Aberforth for the holidays. Ab had decided to close the pub for the weekend, as he knew he might be summoned to a fight on Friday. There was also the possibility that the raid would be targeted on them too, and Ab had originally asked for her to stay in the castle. She hadn't agreed, and instead had insisted that she wouldn't be leaving him alone. In the end, they had warded the pub with strong charms, making it a fortress, and practically impossible to breach.

Hermione had been on edge the whole day, anxious for Regulus, her 'dad', and every other Order member. Ab had told her that if he would have to leave to fight, she was to stay in the pub. She knew it was dangerous for her to face the Death Eaters, or Voldemort himself because of the knowledge in her possession, and the risk of being killed or captured was too high. But that didn't mean she was okay with it.

Later that night, Hermione retreated to her bedroom after her nightly routine. It was already quite late, nearly midnight, and they hadn't heard anything from anyone. She lay in her bed, but she couldn't sleep. She was anxious, dreading something. She had a feeling that everything was not all right. Then there was a knock on the door downstairs.

She sprung up from her bed, in alert, her wand at the ready and practically ran to the hallway. Ab was already there, stopping her.

"I'll go first, and you'll stay behind. You disapparate the hell out of here if necessary. Understood?" He asked harshly.

Hermione nodded hastily and walked downstairs to their sitting room on the second floor, waiting there in suspense as Ab descended the stairs to the pub.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she listened Ab mutter some spells, probably trying to identify the people outside before dismantling their wards enough to open the door.

"Mione!" Ab suddenly shouted from downstairs, and she could hear sounds of moaning and stumbling. Shaking, she ran downstairs with her wand at the ready and a spell on her lips, but what she saw as she dashed through the door, made her heart stop and her blood run cold.

"Reg!" She finally gasped.