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Chapter 26 - To the Potters'
The weeks leading up until Easter holiday seemed to go on forever. Hermione was eagerly waiting to be able to rid herself of the mandrake leaf once the month was up and move onto the next step at James's house. There had been a bit of quick thinking on her part in the Hospital Wing to stop her speech impediment and Remus's suspicions, and at least now she was able to speak freely without fear of dislodging the leaf. James, Sirius, and Peter had seemed particularly annoyed when she explained to them that she had discovered she could use a sticking charm on it. Luckily for everyone, they seemed to get over it quickly.
The boys threw a huge party in the Common Room for Remus's birthday, which again, was interrupted by a very livid Professor McGonagall in the dead of night. It was repeated again two weeks later when James's birthday occurred, and Professor McGonagall was even less amused. This landed all four of them in detention for disturbing Gryffindor House in the middle of the night. James and Sirius claimed it was worth it.
Classes had given more assignments than ever with exams getting nearer and nearer. Between revising for classes, Apparition lessons (which Dumbledore had given Hermione permission to attend), Slug Club, going over animagus steps, going to James's Quidditch match, as well as keeping an eye out for Snape and Filch, Hermione barely had a moment of peace. It seemed like the first time in the last few weeks she was able to sit and relax was on the Hogwarts Express.
The Scottish countryside flew by in green and brown blurs as Hermione stared out the window. There was a mix of nerves and excitement building in her stomach at the thought of going to James's house. It would be nice to be in a home and not have to spend another break alone in Hogwarts. Not to mention how excited she was to continue on with animagus preparations.
There was a loud squawk came from the other side of the compartment and Hermione looked up at the storage rack. James's owl seemed to be getting restless as the Hogwarts Express jostled back and forth and he was kicking up a fuss in his cage above the seat where Lily, James, and Peter sat.
James had been particularly thrilled that Lily had chosen to join them in their compartment, even more so when the rest of them had chosen seats that would have left Lily no choice but to sit beside James. Unfortunately, this meant Peter was sitting across from Hermione by the window, but sacrifices sometimes had to be made.
"Archimedes, calm down," James muttered and he stood up. He looked at his short-eared owl with pursed lips, resting his arm against the bars where Archimedes' cage sat along with their trunks. "We'll be back in a few hours and you can fly around then."
"What if you opened his cage and he could just hang out in the compartment?" suggested Lily, looking up at James.
"What, so we can get pooped on by an owl?" scoffed Sirius with a laugh.
"Archimedes isn't going to poop on you," said James, rolling his eyes as he sat back down.
"You don't know that."
"Shouldn't you be sitting with Doris?" Lily asked wearily. She was eyeing Sirius from directly across the carriage with a grimace as she watched him pull his shoes off and stretch out. "And Hermione, could you open that window before I'm sick?"
"I second that," said Remus who was sitting in between Hermione and Sirius. He was staring at Sirius tiredly.
Hermione, who had just been hit by the smell of Sirius's feet, happily obliged and opened the window, letting in the crisp fresh country air.
"We don't need to be with each other every second of the day, unlike Macdonald and Donner. Doris and I are very casual," said Sirius, resting his hands behind his head with a sly smirk. "Very, casual."
Lily blinked.
"I don't even want to ask what you mean by that. Pretend I didn't say anything," she said quickly.
Sirius grinned brilliantly and barked out a laugh.
Lily gave a faint smile and then looked down at her watch.
"Ah, Remus we have to do patrols again," she said, looking across the compartment at him.
Remus sighed and stood up.
"Duty calls," he murmured reluctantly.
Hermione watched sadly as Lily opened the door and the two of them disappeared from the compartment.
It had been like that the entire ride so far. Every now and then Remus and Lily would have to leave to do their duties of patrolling the train as prefects. There was a feeling of loneliness once the two of them were gone.
A small part of Hermione felt jealous. When she had been made prefect, it had felt like such an honor. It was almost a sense of validation that her, a muggle-born, would be given that status; proof that she belonged there in Hogwarts, and by extension, the magical world. Having to sit back while two of her friends now had at responsibility instead of her was disheartening.
"What's with the long face, 'Mione?" asked Sirius, scooting along the seat so he was closer to her.
She looked up with a bit of surprise. She hadn't realized she had even been making a face.
"I was a Prefect before I came here," admitted Hermione. "I guess a part of me misses it."
"Did you have to patrol a train too?" asked Peter.
"No, there isn't a train to Beauxbatons."
"How did you get there?" asked James.
"Flying carriage pulled by Abraxon," Hermione said with a shrug, hoping that if it sounded like it was no big deal then they'd stop asking questions.
"Wicked," breathed Peter.
"And all we get is a ruddy train," groaned Sirius. "Wish we had flying horses."
"I actually rather like the train," said Hermione. "It's relaxing. Plus it smells far better than horses. Well, it did before you took your shoes off…"
Sirius laughed and wiggled his sock covered toes at her.
"Don't you miss flying, though?" asked James. "I'd miss flying."
"I hate flying," said Hermione, crinkling her nose as the thought. "I prefer to be on solid ground, thank you."
Archimedes began thrashing about in his cage again and was hooting in annoyance.
"But it does seem like he misses flying," said Hermione with a smirk, pointing up at the restless owl.
With a sigh, James was on his feet again. He opened his cage and the grey owl immediately hopped into the compartment. He gave a few more hops on the seat and then flew straight out the window.
"Bloody owl…" murmured James as he sat back down in his seat. "He better catch back up with the train or he'll have a long flight down to West Country…"
"You know what would be fun?" asked Sirius with a grin. His usual twinkly-eyed expression that he'd get whenever he was about to suggest doing something stupid formed on his face.
"Whatever you're about to say will most certainly not be fun," said Hermione, bracing herself for stupidity.
Sirius ignored that.
"If we flew the rest of the way back to the Potters'."
"What?" gasped Hermione. "You cannot be serious!"
James and Peter both immediately groaned at her mistake. Sirius's eyes seemed to twinkle even brighter as he looked at her, beaming.
"I can assure you, Hermione. I am very Sirius."
Hermione nearly smacked herself in the forehead, but she fought the urge.
"That's incredibly dangerous! Not to mention foolish and against the rules," said Hermione, ignoring his attempt at a pun. She crossed her arms and looked sideways at him angrily.
"Oh, you're no fun," moped Sirius. "When you become an animagus then we'll see how fun you can be. Think of all the things you'd be able to do. You can sneak out to Hogsmeade!"
"Absolutely not!" gasped Hermione, sitting up straighter in her seat. "I'm only learning this to be able to help Remus. Besides, we could get in enough trouble doing what we're already doing. I will not risk getting caught sneaking off to Hogsmeade."
"She'd be more likely to sneak into the Restricted Section," muttered James under his breath, but Sirius still had his attention on Hermione.
"You'll risk the wrath of the Ministry by trying to become an illegal, unregistered animagus… but refusing to leave school grounds because it's against the rules is the hill you choose to die on?" asked Sirius disbelievingly.
"Sirius, have you ever heard of 'don't break the law while you're breaking the law'?"
"What? No?"
"It's like if you're smuggling illegal contraband in the boot of your car; don't get pulled over for running a light…"
Sirius blinked.
"The only thing I understood about that sentence was 'illegal contraband'. And even that is redundant since contraband implies it's illegal anyway."
Hermione sighed and put her face in her hands.
"You are impossible," she groaned, looking back up at him. "It means that if you don't want to get found out doing something illegal, then don't draw attention to yourself or get caught doing something else that's even more stupid."
"Okay, enough," said James, looking between them with a look of bewilderment and bemusement while Peter just looked uncomfortable. "No one is flying back to my house. Hermione doesn't ever have to sneak to Hogsmeade."
"Thank you," said Hermione with a small huff.
"You two better behave for my parents on the days I'm not there," said James, shaking his head slowly.
"I'm sorry, what?" said Hermione, turning her focus back to James. "Days you aren't there?"
"Did I not tell you? There's a few days where I have to go to Gwen's house," said James with a shrug.
Hermione gave a start. "Gwen? Who's Gwen?"
"Gwendolyn Robins," said Peter. "She's a year below us."
"Yes, she's one of my fellow chasers on our Quidditch team," said James with a nod. "She has this big open field behind her house with a makeshift Quidditch pitch. Since the whole team is going home for the holiday, she agreed to let us practice at her house so we don't fall behind."
"You have to go play Quidditch?" gaped Hermione.
"We have to prepare for our match against Ravenclaw! We barely scrapped by against Hufflepuff last week and if we want to be in the cup match we need to be on our best game," said James. "And it's not like I can cancel Quidditch practice."
Hermione was momentarily reminded of Oliver Wood and immediately became annoyed.
"You can't miss one practice?"
"I'm Captain!"
Hermione crossed her arms. "So you're just going to leave me with Sirius?'
"Oi!"
"'Fraid so," grinned James.
"I know I'm no Remus, but we'll still have a good time," said Sirius with a grin.
"What's that supposed to mean?" said Hermione, eyeing him suspiciously. For some reason his remark embarrassed her and she felt her stomach tighten. A part of her also did feel slightly bad. Sirius wasn't horrible company.
"It means we all know how much you love sneaking off with him, but you'll just have to settle with me."
"You're my friend too," said Hermione, feeling her cheeks grow slightly warm. "It's not like I'm settling, I'm sure we'll find something to do… Besides, it's not like you're leaving me all alone."
"Well except the night of the full moon. We have to floo to Remus's, so we'll be gone that night," said Sirius.
This wasn't new knowledge, but it still made her frown at the thought.
Hermione turned to look at Peter. "Are you meeting up with them as well?"
"I can't," grumbled Peter. "I'm visiting family for Easter and we won't get back home until a few days before holiday ends. It's not as though I can tell my mum 'hey, I have to go be with my werewolf friend' now can I?"
Peter looked rather glum as he said this, and Hermione almost felt a wave of pity for him.
Almost.
"Well, you'll be at the next one at least," Hermione said, trying to be friendly like Sirius had told her to be, but she was finding it rather difficult. "Hopefully you'll have a good holiday with your family."
"Yeah… Thanks…" Peter muttered, still looking put out.
The door of their compartment opened and Remus slipped in. Hermione beamed at the sight of him.
"How'd rounds go?" Hermione asked him as he sat down between her and Sirius, pushing Sirius back over to his side. "Where's Lily?"
"They were fine as usual. Lily went to join Mary, Claudia, and Doris. I still think you should sit with Doris, Sirius," said Remus, looking at him pointedly.
"For the last time," said Sirius. "Doris and I aren't even dating, we're just… snogging occasionally…"
Everyone groaned at that, causing Sirius to grin wickedly.
"So, Lily's not coming back?" asked James, looking disappointed.
Remus smiled at him sadly and shook his head reluctantly.
"I think Sirius's feet was a bit of a turn off."
James looked at Sirius with annoyance. In one fell swoop, James snatched one of Sirius's shoes from the floor and quickly tossed it out the open window. His aim was perfect and Hermione's mouth fell open as the black shoe quickly soared out of sight.
"Hey!" shouted Sirius, getting to his feet with wide eyes.
Remus also jumped to his feet and rushed to the window. Peter let out an audible gasp as Remus stuck his arm out of the train and Hermione quickly pulled her legs up into her body on the seat to give him more room, not knowing what else she could do.
"Accio shoe!"
After a moment, Sirius's shoe suddenly came soaring back towards their train compartment. Wind was blowing wildly through Remus's hair as he leaned further out the window and caught hold of the shoe with his free hand.
Looking pleased with himself, he ducked back into the train and tossed the shoe lamely at Sirius. Strands of his sandy hair still stuck up in every direction and he tried his best to flatten it as he sat back down beside Hermione, Sirius sitting back down on the other side of him.
"That was a pretty good catch, Moony," said James with an impressed nod. "You ever think to try out for seeker? Ours is graduating this year and we'll need a new one."
The awe Hermione had just been feeling at Remus's impressive reaction immediately turned to dread at the prospect of losing him to Quidditch. She quickly turned to try to read his expression, hoping he'd turn the offer down.
"I think I prefer observing from the stands," grinned Remus.
He smiled faintly at Hermione and she felt a sense of relief at his refusal. The idea of having Remus gone all the time for Quidditch practice and having to be in the stands with just Sirius and Peter was terrifying.
"That's because you have some sense," approved Hermione with a smile. "Brooms are wooden death traps."
"You never did like flying," said Remus with a nod. Hermione smiled, touched that he knew that even though he had just missed their last conversation.
"That's what we were talking about when you were gone," said Peter.
"Yeah, Hermione is a party pooper and said we can't hop off the train on our brooms and fly back to James's house," said Sirius.
The corner of Remus's mouth twitched.
"I mean, that does sound like a bit of fun…"
"Remus!" gasped Hermione, feeling betrayed.
He chuckled at her stern expression and looked back at the boys with a twinkle in his eyes. "I mean, of course you can't do that… Er- I'd certainly have to write you up…"
"That's more like it," said Hermione with a nod and Remus laughed again.
"More important than Quidditch… where's the food trolley? I'm absolutely starved!" said Sirius, quickly pulling his shoes back on before they were thrown out the window again.
It was dark by the time the Hogwarts Express reached London King's Cross. As they pulled up to the station, Hermione could hear the students throughout the train begin to file out into the corridor with their trunks, chatting excitedly.
"I'll see you all in two weeks," said Peter once he got onto the platform. He gave them a short wave and lugged his trunk through the crowd as they waved after him.
Sirius and James were right behind him.
"Race you to the end of the platform?" said Sirius as soon as his feet hit the platform.
"You're on," grinned James.
The two of them took off, dodging between students and reunited families. Their trunks seemed to weigh them down and they looked utterly ridiculous flailing about as they tried their best to run until they disappeared in the crowd.
"They're mad," said Hermione simply.
Remus laughed as he pulled his trunk down the stairs as he exited the train.
"Here, I got that," said Remus, looking up at Hermione and her trunk.
He reached up the steps and grabbed the trunk handle and easily lifted it down the stairs and placed it on the platform.
"Thanks," she smiled as she followed it down. "I always forget how strong you are."
He let out a short laugh and quickly mimed a playful flexing motion. "What can I say, I need to be able to pull people out of trick steps."
Hermione's hand went to her face and she shook her head. "Oh don't remind me. That hurt way more than I expected."
"You do know you're of age now though and could have levitated your trunk off the train, right?" he said with an amused smirk.
Hermione gasped. "You're right! Why didn't I think of that? I'm seventeen, I can do magic outside of school now!"
With an excited grin, she immediately pulled out her wand and used the levitating charm on her trunk, which began hovering a few centimeters off the ground. Hermione beamed up at Remus, feeling slightly giddy.
"You can too, you know," Hermione said.
There was amusement in Remus's eyes as he laughed, then levitated his own trunk.
They started walking down the platform until they spotted James and Sirius. They seemed to be talking to someone that Hermione couldn't see through the crowd, but she knew the closer she got to them, the sooner she'd be leaving for James's house. Suddenly, she struck with how much she was going to miss Remus, causing her to stop short.
Remus looked over his shoulder with confusion.
"Is something wrong?" he asked, making his way back towards her.
"I just can't believe I won't see you for two whole weeks," groaned Hermione. A weight was building in her chest and she looked up at him sadly. "Maybe we can all plan some kind of visit before we have to go back."
"I'd like that," smiled Remus. "But it might be hard since I've picked up shifts at Flourish and Blotts. We'll have to work out a time that works for everyone."
Hermione sighed gloomily. She had nearly forgotten about Remus having his job at the bookstore.
"I know you'll be working a lot, but you'll still write, right?" she asked hopefully. Her stomach was already in knots just anticipating missing him, even though he still stood right in front of her.
"Hmm… I mean, I guess if you really want me to, I could write…" Remus teased with a crooked smile.
"Oh, stop it," laughed Hermione, batting him lightly in the arm.
As her arm began to fall back to her side, Remus quickly took hold of her hand and gave it a small squeeze, causing a warmth to spread through her body.
"But truthfully, I'll write every single day," he said with a smile.
"Every day?" asked Hermione, raising an eyebrow.
"Of course."
It seemed like there was something he wanted to say, but James started calling Hermione over to where he and Sirius stood down the platform. Remus's gently released her hand and gave her a sad smile.
Hermione reached out and pulled him into a quick and tight hug, which he quickly reciprocated.
"Hermione, come on!" yelled James.
With a sigh, Hermione pulled away and smiled regrettably at him. "I guess that's my cue."
"Enjoy it at the Potters', they're very lovely people," smiled Remus.
"I'll write you in the morning and tell you all about how tonight goes," she replied.
"I look forward to it," he said. "Goodbye, Hermione."
"Goodbye, Remus."
Reluctantly, Hermione started towards James and Sirius. When she turned back around, she watched Remus walking down the platform and she already felt a pang of sadness.
She gave her head a small shake and continued walking. Nerves flooded Hermione's stomach as she approached James and Sirius who were standing with two adults Hermione had never seen before, but she had a good idea of who they must be.
"Hermione, these are my parents, Fleamont and Euphemia Potter," said James proudly and gesturing towards them.
Fleamont and Euphemia Potter weren't what Hermione had expected at all. Well, to be fair, Hermione had no idea what to expect to begin with, but it certainly was not the two people who stood before her.
Both of them were much older than she had anticipated. James's mother had short wavy ashy brown hair, that looked as though it was once a dark brown but was now streaked with grey. She had brown eyes and a kind smile that caused little wrinkles to crease around her bespectacled eyes. James's father was balding on top but the hair he had left was completely grey. He was a tad on the shorter side with knobby knees, which gave James a bit of a height advantgae on both his parents. But similarly to his wife, he also had smile lines around his hazel eyes. Both of them smiled warmly as they greeted her.
"It's so wonderful to meet you, Hermione," smiled Mrs. Potter, stretching her arm out and eagerly shaking Hermione's hand. "James has told us so many wonderful things about you."
"Has he?" Hermione asked with surprise as she turned and shook Mr. Potter's hand.
"He has," grinned Mr. Potter.
"He seems so fond of you so it's nice to finally put a face to the name," said Mrs. Potter.
"Okay mum…" murmured James, seeming slightly embarrassed as he rolled his eyes.
"Thank you so much for allowing me to stay at your home, Mr. and Mrs. Potter," said Hermione graciously, trying hard not to laugh at James. "And thank you for the Sleekeazy's Hair Potion around last Christmas."
Mr. Potter smiled and waved this off. "It's nothing, dear girl. We are more than happy to have any of James and Sirius's friends over anytime. And please, call us Fleamont and Euphemia."
"Thank you," she smiled
"So! Are we all set, lads?" said Fleamont, looking at James and Sirius.
"Ready when you are, dad," said James, taking hold of his trunk.
"How are we getting there?" asked Hermione, looking around at the four of them.
"Apparition of course," said Sirius.
"What?" said Hermione with a start. "But we haven't passed our tests yet!"
"Side-along apparition," corrected James with a grin.
Fleamont Potter made his way in between where Sirius and James stood and put his hands on each of their shoulders. He looked very tiny between the pair of them.
"Hold on tight, dear," said Euphemia gently, grasping Hermione's hand.
Hermione had just enough time to make sure she was clutching her trunk before she felt it. With a crack, it felt like Hermione was hurdling through the air. It felt like she was being sucked down a dark tube that got smaller and smaller the more she slid, squeezing every bit of her. It was pitch black, but Hermione shut her eyes tightly anyway as pressure built in her ears, and then her entire head. In a moment of panic, Hermione felt like her head just might explode.
And then it was over.
Carefully, Hermione peaked through her eyelids and saw they were all standing in what appeared to be an entryway, but Hermione couldn't be positive because the room was still spinning slightly.
It was the first time she had fully apparated, not counting just moving forward a few paces into a hoop in the Great Hall. There were still a few weeks left of lessons before they tried longer distances, and Hermione was now not looking as forward to it. She swayed slightly and felt wobbly on her feet, blinking rapidly.
"Wish we had flown, Hermione?" laughed Sirius as he took in her startled expression.
"I thought the sensation was rather similar to be honest," she answered in a small voice, which earned her chuckles all around.
"Who wants supper?" beamed Euphemia, clapping her hands together close to her chest.
Hermione followed the Potters and Sirius through the house until they reached the dining room. During the short journey Hermione tried to observe the rest of the house as much as she could. Everything looked very homey, and the aesthetic seemed almost timeless, with vibes from the 40s and 50s, which made sense knowing that James's parents were older.
From what she could tell, the house was quite spacious, while still being modest. She knew James's family had money, but there was a humbleness to their home. Everything seemed comfortable and there were countless moving family photos lining the walls. What really excited Hermione was when they passed a room that appeared to be a small study or library. James seemed to notice her staring as they passed it and he promised her that anything in there was open for her use. Hermione had to make a mental note to look through their books while she was there.
Dinner was an interesting but pleasant affair. Euphemia had cooked all of James and Sirius's favorite foods for their homecoming and Hermione had to admit, her cooking was on par with Molly Weasley's. Everything was delicious. But it was impossible to not wish Harry could also be there with her, getting to experience a dinner with his family.
Just as Remus had said, the Potters were a lovely bunch; Euphemia and Fleamont were incredibly kind and doting. It was all jokes around the table and Sirius seemed to fit in with them so perfectly it was hard to believe he wasn't born into the family. It was clear how fond James's parents were of Sirius as well, and he was treated just like another son. The level of respect and love Sirius had for them was also quite noticeable. If Hermione thought she had seen both James and Sirius in their element before, it was nothing compared to the level of comfort they had there in their own house. The two of them seemed to positively radiate comfort and happiness, and Hermione found it infection.
When dinner was over, James and Sirius lead Hermione upstairs to the first floor.
"Mum and dad's room is down on the ground floor. That's my room," said James pointing at the first door on the landing. "Sirius's is right across the hall. There's a guest room next to him that obviously no one is using right now, and then there's the loo…
"Here we are," said James proudly as they reached the end of the first floor corridor. "My mum set it up just for you. Sounds like she had a bit of fun with it from what she's owled me, I feel like she's always wanted a girl."
He pushed the door open and the three of them stepped inside.
The room was beautiful. It wasn't too big, similarly to what Hermione had seen with the rest of the house; it was modest without being cramped. It had wooden floorboards like the rest of the house and off-white walls. A small double mattress sat on a tan wooden four-poster frame that had sheer white curtains tied together in the corners. A light blue floral duvet with matching pillows made up the bed that looks exceptionally comfortable. The wardrobe and desk on the other side of the room matched the wooden tones of the bedframe, but the part of the room that interested Hermione the most was the large bay window with a cushioned bench built into it. She absolutely loved the room.
Walking further into the room, Hermione peered out the bay window that looked over the large back garden of James's home. It was hard to tell in the dark, but it also seemed like there might have been a lake out in the distance, and Hermione was looking forward to seeing it better in the morning.
"You'll have a nice view of the sunset from here," said James. "Shame it's so dark now and we missed it."
"Sometimes I wish I had one of those window bench things with that view," complained Sirius, pointing towards the window. "My room faces the front of the house so mine is just a regular square."
"Why didn't you choose this room then?" asked Hermione.
"Because if James and I keep our doors open, we can play catch across the hall."
"Yeah, my mum absolutely loves that," grinned James.
"I can see why…" said Hermione, feeling a sense of pity for poor Euphemia Potter for having to deal with their shenanigans.
Hermione then felt a yawn coming and quickly covered her mouth.
"Tired?" asked James, and Hermione nodded.
The long train ride and the shock and excitement of being at James's house and meeting Harry's grandparents seemed to be catching up to her. She wanted nothing more than to put on her night clothes, wash up, and get into bed.
James grinned at her. "We'll let you get some rest. See you in the morning."
"And by morning, he means afternoon. I wasn't kidding when I said I sleep all day," said Sirius with a wink.
She bid the two boys goodnight and quickly got ready for bed. The bed was probably the most comfortable bed she had ever been in, and after closing the valve of the gas lamp on her nightstand, Hermione had no trouble falling asleep.
Her body must have been more tired that she had originally thought, because Hermione slept until late morning the next day. With the sun now shining, Hermione was able to fully appreciate how beautiful it was where James lived. No longer was the back garden covered in shadows, so she now had a clear view from the bay window. Hermione could see the vast outline of the English countryside spanning for kilometres. It didn't seem like there was another house in sight. Her initial thought had also been right; there was indeed a lake in the distance far behind James's house, which seemed to go on forever. It was surrounded by trees and other foliage, giving off a secluded vibe. It was silly, but she couldn't help but think that everything just looked like magic.
She kept her promise to Remus and sat down at the desk to begin writing a letter to him about the night before and how dinner had gone with the Potters'. It had only been about half a day since she had seen him, but she already missed him and wished he were there. If only he could have stayed in the extra room across the hall.
When James and Sirius had finally woken up, they immediately brought her outside. The two of them promised it would have to do with the next animagus step, but Hermione would have wanted to see the exterior regardless.
It was the first time she got a good look at the house. It was a gorgeous, old country farmhouse made of greyish brown stone with green ivy was making its way up the sides. There were trees surrounding the house and shrubbery and flowers spread out across the property. It was like something out of a fairytale.
Out in the back garden there was a small sitting area with benches surrounded by flowerbeds with a wonderful view of the lake. It was even more beautiful seeing it in person rather than just from out a window. There was an old swing set beneath a willow tree, as well as a storage shed on the outskirts of the property.
The thing that intrigued Hermione the most was a building that looked like a miniature stone house out back. It was the same stone material as the main farmhouse, but on a much smaller scale and with no windows. It did, however, have a few small chimneys sticking out from the roof with small spirals of smoke coming from them.
James and Sirius both looked at Hermione excitedly as they approached it, making Hermione ever more eager to see inside.
"This is my dad's potions laboratory," said James they neared the building. "But he just likes to just call it his workshop."
There was a padlock on the wooden door and James gave it a quick tap with his wand and the door clicked open.
Inside were more potion ingredients than Hermione had ever seen. The dark, damp, and windowless room itself probably would have been on the large side, but there were shelves lining the stone walls filled with magical ingredients that would have put both Slughorn's and Snape's private storage to shame. Workbenches took up most of the space in the middle of the room, some with cauldrons burning steadily on top of burners with scattered phials and tubes across the tables. It was a potioneer's dream lab and Hermione didn't know what to look at first.
"Are potions brewing?" she asked curiously, peering over one of the tables and into a cauldron with bubbling purple liquid. It was nothing like she had ever seen before, and her curiosity was beginning to take over.
"He's usually making something, yeah," said James absentmindedly as he examined shelves. "He's retired now but he does still brew often."
"Will we get in trouble for being in here?" asked Hermione nervously as she too began examining the shelves around her.
Some of the ingredients she noticed were incredibly rare and expensive. She had to force herself not to touch anything even though she was dying to examine every label on every bottle.
"Nah," said Sirius, waving his hand casually. "He won't mind."
"Aha!" said James, plucking something off a shelf. "This is what we need."
He walked across the room to where Sirius and Hermione stood and held up what looked like a curled up brownish green leaf in a small glass phial.
"Chrysalis of a death's-head hawk moth," said James with a large grin. "We'll just need to add this with your leaf, a strand of your hair, and dew and then we have everything until the lightning storm."
"So now we wait until after the full moon when the leaf is done," said Hermione, taking the bottle from James and examining it in her hand.
James and Sirius both nodded.
"And now we wait."
.:~*~*~*~*~:.
"Will you be fine here while we're out, dear?" asked Euphemia as she stood at the door leading to the entryway, putting on her coat.
"Yes, I'm sure Sirius will be up shortly," said Hermione.
Euphemia chuckled and shook her head with a fond smile. "That boy sure knows how to sleep… Okay, well, we'll be back in a few hours."
She gave her a small wave and left the room, letting the door swing shut behind her.
Hermione looked back down at the journal sitting on her lap and dipped her quill in ink. She was sitting in the Potter's sitting room listening to some magical jazz records that she and Euphemia had just been listening to. The fireplace burned softly in front of her and Hermione hummed along to some of the tunes she recognized as scribbled away into the journal. James had gone to Quidditch practice at Gwen's house, and Sirius was still fast asleep, so Hermione was trying to keep herself occupied.
The journal she was writing in was one of the ones Sirius and James had gifted her for Christmas. They had been far too nice to use for just notes, so Hermione had begun using them to document her time in the past. One she used as a personal diary, and another would one day be meant for Harry. She had thought it would be a nice idea to write about his parents, grandparents, and Sirius for him to have. If she ever did manage to get home, she thought Harry might want something like it, and if not, she'd have a book of memories to look back on for herself. That along with the box of letters she had stored under her bed from Lily, James, and Sirius. She thought maybe Harry would like to have a piece of his family.
The letters from Remus and Mary she would keep for herself. It wasn't as if Harry would have a need for those anyway.
As she listened to some tracks from Celestina Warbeck, Hermione continued writing in the beautiful leatherbound journal on her lap. She wasn't sure if anyone had ever spoken to Harry about his grandparents, so she was taking special care to be as detailed as possible about just how lovely Euphemia and Fleamont were.
The door to the sitting room swung open and Hermione looked up to see a pajama clad Sirius walking into room with a yawn. It was well past noon now and Hermione couldn't help but smirk at the sight of him.
"Mornin'. What're you up to?" said Sirius, plopping down into a nearby armchair. He had a plate of small sandwiches in his hands, and Hermione wondered if Euphemia had left them out for him, because he certainly hadn't made them himself.
"Good afternoon. I'm just writing in a journal," said Hermione, lifting the journal up slightly.
Sirius eyes lit up as he recognized it. "The ones we gave you!" he beamed through a mouthful of sandwich. "Aw, that's great Mione. I'm glad you got some use to them."
"They really are lovely," she said, smiling back at him. "Thank you again for them."
Sirius smiled warmly at her and then bit into a sandwich. "So where is everyone?"
"James is still at Quidditch practice, and Euphemia and Fleamont left a little while ago to go to the shops."
Sirius nodded and then turned to face the magical record player with a frown, pausing to listen to the music. "Is this Celestina Warbeck?"
"It is," said Hermione, returning her attention to the journal, but turning it ever so slightly out of Sirius's line of sight. "Euphemia was sitting with me earlier and was listening to it and I've just kept it on."
"I really need to get a move on with proving that Professor Warbeck is related to her," grumbled Sirius. "I bet Jared Muller two galleons that I'd prove it before we lost her."
Hermione looked at him curiously. "Lost her?"
Sirius shrugged. "Well, the position is cursed, right? We'll have a new defense teach next year so that only gives me a little over two months to prove it before term ends. I need to step up my game!"
Hermione smiled to herself as she thought back to all his failed attempts throughout the school year to try to prove it. "You're going to wind up in detention again."
Sirius grinned. "Detention is worth it if I get to see the look on Muller's face when he hands over my galleons."
"If you're right, that is," teased Hermione with a short laugh.
"Oh I am."
"Don't do anything stupid," she warned.
"I make no promises."
This time they laughed together.
Over the last few days, whenever James was gone, Sirius did he best to find some way to get some entertainment from Hermione whenever she didn't force him to work on homework with her. To her surprise, Hermione had found she quite enjoyed spending time with him, even if he did still try to find ways to distract her from said homework.
The two of them occasionally would play Gobstones and Exploding Snap, which Sirius seemed rather fond of. One afternoon, they had even decided to use the Exploding Snaps cards to try to build a large castle of cards in the Potters' study. Hermione had found it rather frustrating when the tower they had just finished building randomly exploded. Apparently Sirius had thought it was the funniest thing in the world.
"I'm just shocked you aren't writing to Remus," said Sirius, finishing his last sandwich. He put the empty plate down on the coffee table and threw his leg over the arm of the chair.
"Well, an owl did show up from Remus this morning with letters for all of us. I already sent Archimedes back with a response, he should be back shortly. Yours and James's are on the table by the front door," she said, gesturing to the door leading into the entryway.
"Brilliant!" said Sirius, jumping up from the armchair.
Hermione assumed he was going to retrieve his letter, but instead he walked over to the couch and flopped down next to Hermione. She eyed him suspiciously and carefully closed her journal.
"What are you doing?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
Sighing dramatically, Sirius leaned heavily into the back of the couch. He pulled one of his legs up and cross it over his other knee before sinking farther into the couch.
"I miss James," he said, adding in another sigh for theatrical effect.
Hermione smirked and shook her head.
"I'm sure he'll be back in a few hours. Then the two of you can go off and do whatever you do."
"Well, I'm glad you're here. If not, this holiday would be proper boring," he mumbled.
The comment moved her, and she smiled warmly at him.
"Thank you, Sirius, that's very kind of you to say. I'm glad you both let me come stay with you, I've been enjoying it."
Still laying against the back of the couch, Sirius turned his head towards her and let it rest on his own shoulder as he looked up at Hermione.
"Are you going to be alright tomorrow when James and I go to Remus's?"
Her heart sank at the thought of being left behind, but she put on a brave face.
"Yes, I'll be fine. But are you sure I can't go? Obviously I won't be there during the actual transformation… but I could be around for the before and after?"
Sirius sat up straight and looked at her. "You know it wouldn't be safe. He'd have our heads if you were anywhere near."
"Yeah…" Hermione said with a sigh, turning to look straight ahead at the fire. She had already known the answer, but it still stung regardless.
Out of the corner of her eyes, she could tell that Sirius was now staring at her rather intently. He seemed conflicted and almost hesitant, as if he was torn on whether or not to say something else.
"You care about him a great deal, don't you," he said slowly.
It didn't sound like a question and she turned back to look at him curiously. His brows were furrowed and there was a sad smile on his face.
"Of course I do," she said, waiting for some sort of catch.
Sirius leaned back into the couch and looked up at the ceiling.
"You know, sometimes I just can't figure out why you're doing all this for him," he said casually. "The sneaking around, the stealing, trying to learn illegal magic… All for some guy you only met seven months ago."
"He's not 'some guy', he's my friend," Hermione said simply. She could hear the edge in her own voice and she forced herself not to sound defensive. "And sometimes rules need to be broken to help the people you care about or to do the right thing."
"That's all?" Sirius asked skeptically.
It felt like something was sinking in her stomach and Hermione bent forward to place the journal on the coffee table before shifting slightly on the couch to look at him better.
"What do you mean 'that's all'?" Hermione asked.
"You know… that maybe you have other reasons?"
Hermione regarded him carefully, wondering where he was going with this. After everything they've been through, she hoped there wasn't still any doubt or suspicions about why she 'transferred' to Hogwarts. But if that were the case, why invite her to come stay with them and help her with animagus preparations?
"And what would those reasons be?" she asked delicately, bracing herself for whatever was to come.
"That you like him," Sirius said simply. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye quickly before looking back up at the ceiling. "You know… like, more than a friend."
It felt like Hermione's heart stopped.
"What?" she managed to breathe out.
"I just mean that it's an awful big risk to take for someone who is just a friend," Sirius said as Hermione sat frozen. "And you're always sneaking off with him…"
"To study," interrupted Hermione. "Something you and James don't seem to be a fan of doing."
"But it just seems odd," shrugged Sirius.
"It's not odd for a girl to be good friends with boys," defended Hermione, hearing her voice go up an octave as she spook very quickly. "I'd consider myself good friends with both you and James, do you think I have feelings for either of you?"
"Well, no…"
"There you have it then," she huffed. "Besides, you already knew that my two best friends before I came here were also guys."
"Yeah, and you liked one of them, didn't you?"
The statement caught her off guard. Sirius had her there. Who would have thought Sirius Black would be as attentive and as good of a listener as he was? If this was any other conversation, she'd have been impressed that he knew her so well at that point. Instead, Hermione just felt embarrassed.
Either way, Sirius was still wrong. Ron had at least been an option. There were no options for her while she was stuck in the past. It was not something she could even allow herself to consider.
"That… was different…" she said quietly. Her hands went to the hair resting on her shoulder and she pulled wild strands around her face, trying to conceal the blush she could feel starting to form.
"If you did, your secret would be safe with me," said Sirius indifferently, almost too casually as he continued to avoid eye contact.
Hermione glowered at him. Maybe getting to spend so much time with him the past week had been a bad idea. Now he seemed to think he was entitled to her private life for some reason.
"We're friends," Hermione emphasized. "Just like you, James, and Peter wanting to become animagi too. How is it any different? Unless you, James, and Peter have something to confess…"
His gaze returned to her and he stared at her momentarily before he burst out laughing. Hermione looked at him with confusion. It hadn't been that funny. It hadn't even been meant to be funny at all.
"What? What's so funny?"
"It's nothing," laughed Sirius, wiping at his eyes as he grinned ear to ear. "You just sounded just like— it's nothing."
He continued to laugh and Hermione pursed her lips at him, resenting being left out of the joke.
"Look, I just want to be there in the same way you all do," she said with a tone of finality, causing Sirius to calm down. "He's the best friend I've ever had."
Just saying it out loud made her miss Remus even more. As much as she loved both Harry and Ron terribly, there was just something that felt so much deeper with Remus. He seemed to understand her in ways neither Harry nor Ron ever had. Or at least he was better at showing how much he got her. Perhaps it had been easier to really get to know Remus since they didn't have to spend all school year trying to solve mysteries or stop dark wizards, like she always seemed to have to do in her own time. She, Harry, and Ron had become bound by adventure. Instead, there had been time for her to build a strong kinship with Remus.
She thought of all the nights she had spent studying with Remus, either in that classroom or in their room. All the nights they just talked together. She didn't think anyone other than Remus would have thought to remember her favorite scents for the candles, or even think up new ones like the scent of her favorite tea. Nobody had ever truly paid attention to all the little things she said and took them into consideration like that before. And nobody else had ever shared her passion for books and learning about magic and never teased her for it. Even after such a short amount of time knowing him, Hermione believed her probably understood her more than even her friends in her own time. Aside from her obvious hidden secrets… He truly was her best friend.
Sirius was now looking at her rather intently, as if he were trying to read her mind. She stared back at him, doing her best to keep her emotions in check.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
Hermione's head and heart were both still racing and all she could manage was a firm nod. They were in fact, just friends. The smile slowly fell from Sirius's face and Hermione's heart leapt, hoping he would finally believe her and leave it alone.
"If you say so," Sirius said with a sigh, and Hermione internally sighed herself.
He put his leg back on the ground and pushed himself off the couch. "I guess I'll go get my letter. Moony's probably mad because I haven't written him yet this whole break."
His comment brought some sense back to her and Hermione gaped at him.
"Sirius! It's been a week, you should write him back!"
"Yeah, yeah," Sirius said with a laugh. "I'll go write Moony back now, don't worry. I should probably write to Doris too… she's written a few times…"
He grumbled a bit and started across the room. He stopped at the door and turned back towards her. "When I'm done do you want to go play Gobstones outside?"
"Sure, that sounds nice," she said with a small smile. "And then afterwards we can work on McGonagall's essay."
Sirius groaned. "Okay, but we wait for Prongs to get back for that. If I have to suffer then so does he."
"Deal," she agreed.
As he left, Hermione reached forward and picked up the journal again from the coffee table. She sat there, gripping the book she one day hoped to give to Harry with a million complicated thoughts now swimming through her mind.
Instead of continuing what she had been writing, she got up and left the sitting room, making her way back upstairs. Her own journal was buried in her trunk, and she began to dig through to find it, suddenly having thoughts of her own that she needed to write about.
.:~*~*~*~*~:.
The afternoon following the full moon, Hermione was sitting at the desk in her room. A warm spring breeze was coming in through the open window and Hermione was quickly scribbling a letter to Remus, already asking how he was feeling post-transformation. She could only hope he was recovering well from the comfort of his own home. The day before had been the only day since break started that she hadn't received a letter from him and she couldn't help but worry, even though she knew he had been prepping for his transformation and that James and Sirius had been with him.
James and Sirius had still not yet returned from Remus's house and Hermione had to will herself not to feel jealous that they got to see him while she was there all alone. What did make her feel better though, was knowing she was about to be finished with the mandrake leaf and moving onto the next step to become an animagus. One step closer to never being left behind on a full moon again.
It wasn't until late afternoon that there was a soft knock on her door. When Hermione crossed the room and opened the door, she was greeted with a grinning James and Sirius.
"How's Remus?" Hermione asked immediately, her heart pounding in her chest.
"He's fine," said Sirius waving his hand dismissively. "When we left he was already writing you a bloody letter."
"Was he?" asked Hermione, feeling her stomach tighten and her face go warm as she beamed. "I just sent him one not long ago!"
He was okay, he was already writing her…
"He was," nodded James with a small grin. "But that's not all…"
"It's time!" sang Sirius as he finished James's sentence and Hermione's grin grew even wider.
They had to wait until closer to nightfall, when there would be a better formation of dew outside for them to collect for the potion. When dinner ended, Fleamont and Euphemia retired to the sitting room for tea, and Hermione, James, and Sirius quietly made their way to their rooms.
Her trunk laid at the foot of the bed and Hermione quickly rummaged through it until she found a ball of rolled up socks. She unrolled them and pulled out the small bottle with the chrysalis of the death's-head hawk moth in it that she had stored for safekeeping. There was now also a curly brown strand of her hair that she added as well. Gripping it in her hand, she made her way into the corridor and hurried towards James's room just as James and Sirius were exiting it.
There was something clear and shiny in James's hand and he grinned and held it up when he noticed her.
It was most beautiful phial Hermione had ever laid eyes on. It was small, but it had to be made from the clearest crystal she had ever seen. As James held it up, it began reflecting light from the gas lamps on the walls and cast rainbow lights across the corridor.
"This is what the potion has to be made in. Don't worry," said James as Hermione opened her mouth to ask if it was the right kind. "It's the same crystal phial we all used, so it should work."
Hermione nodded and pulled the stopper off of the small bottle in her hands and tipped the chrysalis and her strand of hair into the crystal phial in James's hand.
"Time for the leaf," said Sirius.
This was the moment Hermione had been waiting for, to rid herself of the dreadful mandrake leaf. With a tap of her wand, Hermione reversed the sticking charm and immediately felt the leaf shift under her tongue. Its movement brought back the disgusting taste and Hermione's face wrinkled up as she grimaced. Quickly, she spat the disgusting shriveled leaf out into her hand, trying not to gag.
"Gross," said Sirius, and Hermione sent him a stern look, even if she did happen to agree with him.
Gently, she picked up the soggy leaf and dropped it in into the phial, right on top of the death's-head hawk moth chrysalis and her hair.
"Okay… so chrysalis… your hair… mandrake leaf… now all we need is the teaspoon of dew," said James, holding the phial up to his eyes and looking into it.
"And we know just where to get it," grinned Sirius. "And you aren't going to like it."
"Why's that?" Hermione asked nervously.
Sirius and James exchanged a grin.
The three of them silently made their way back down the stairs. There was the soft sound of the record player coming from down the corridor and James quickly ushered them out the back door and into the garden.
The cool evening air felt nice, and Hermione stared out at the lake as the sun began to set. It was very picturesque as the low sun reflected in the ripples on the water's surface. The sky in the front of them was still a light blue with streaks of yellow and purple, but behind them it was a deeper indigo, with the trees beginning to look silhouetted against the darkening sky. They'd have to hurry if they wanted to finish before dark.
"Head down to the lake, I'll meet you there," said James, and he began making his way towards the shed.
"Why does James want us to go down by the lake?" Hermione asked Sirius as the two of them began walking down the slope towards the lake bank.
Sirius squinted ahead and pointed out towards the water. "There's a bit of land out in the lake. The dew can't have been touched by sunlight or human feet, and there's no way anyone has set foot there in seven days, so it's perfect."
Hermione would have been impressed if she hadn't been simultaneously hit with a feeling of dread as she looked out at the still water.
"Please tell me James is finding us a rowboat," Hermione moaned.
"Not quite," said James's voice, and Hermione turned to watch him coming down the hill holding three broomsticks. "Sorry, we didn't have any boats lying around."
"Oh no, no no no no," stammered Hermione as James tried to hand her a broomstick. "You know I hate flying!"
"Hermione, there's no way to get to where we need by walking, this is the only way," said James, still trying to hand her the broomstick as she shook her head frantically at him.
"Can't we swim it?" she asked desperately.
"You'd rather swim the length of this bloody lake than get on the back of a broom?" asked Sirius. "It's April! The water is going to be freezing…"
"I think you seriously underestimate how much I hate flying," said Hermione, locking her eyes on the still water in front of her. "Brooms don't agree with me, I'll end up in the water either way."
"Would you feel better if you flew with one of us rather than on your own?" asked James.
Hermione took a moment to deliberate. A part of her still would have rather swam, or found a boat, but having someone else in control of the broom definitely was safer than her trying to fly it herself.
"Alright fine," conceded Hermione. "But I'm going with James." She turned and pointed at Sirius. "If I go with you, I know you'll pull some tricks and I'll probably end up in the lake anyway."
Sirius grinned widely at her. "You know me so well."
"After this week, maybe too well," she said with a small sigh.
"Oh you know you love me," Sirius said with glee.
Hermione grumbled.
"Alright let's go," said James. He tossed one of the broomsticks to Sirius who caught it effortlessly and discarded the extra broomstick into the grass. Swinging his leg around his broom, James cocked his head towards Hermione. "Hop on."
There was nothing else she could find to say to protest, so Hermione copied James and hesitantly swung her leg over the broom.
"You might want to hold on," said James, bending his knees.
As the broom lowered, Hermione wrapped her arms around James's middle and held on with all her might as she tightly shut her eyes. She could feel James silently laughing against her. Without warning, James kicked off the ground and suddenly Hermione's legs were dangling below her. A small shriek escaped her lips and she held onto James for dear life, pressing her cheek into his back to better balance herself.
James really was a good flyer. Unlike what she had expected Sirius to do, it seemed like James was taking great care to keep the broom at an even level rather than show off what he could do. She still didn't open her eyes.
As they flew, Hermione focused on the feeling of the wind rushing through her hair as she heard Sirius whooping from somewhere near them. It felt like an eternity, and Hermione found herself wishing to be back on solid ground. It wasn't until the broom came to a slow and steady stop that Hermione peeked through her eyelids.
There was a small island in front of them. Where the land met the water was covered in dirt and mud, but the island itself was covered in lush green grass with bushes and small trees taking up most of the space.
Then she looked down. They were hovering slightly over the still water, and at the sight of it, Hermione's stomach tightened. So did her arms and James let out a groan.
"Too tight, Hermione," he breathed out.
"Sorry!"
She immediately loosened her grip on him but refused to unlock her hands that were around his front.
"Hermione, you're going to have to hold onto the broom handle," said James, doing his best to look at her over his shoulder. "I need to get the dew before we can touch the ground. It can't have been touched by humans."
"I-I don't t-think I can let g-go," stammered Hermione, looking down with wide eyes.
She could feel James sigh.
"Sirius, can you do it?"
"Yeah, sure thing, mate, I got it."
James shifted slightly and pulled a silver teaspoon out of his pocket. In the process, the broom shook and Hermione whimpered. James tossed it over and Sirius caught it swiftly and flew in the direction James was pointing.
"Don't let your feet touch the land," called out James. "You know where our spot is!"
"I know, I know!"
Sirius flew above the trees and bushes before lowering to the ground until he disappeared behind the foliage.
"Your spot?" inquired Hermione to James.
"Yeah. Even before Sirius moved in, when he would visit with Peter and Remus we used to fly out to the island all the time. It was like our little getaway. Some summers we would ever try race by swimming," explained James and Hermione could hear the smile in his voice at the memory. "Soon you'll see what I mean by our spot."
Moments later, Sirius flew back up above the trees so they could see him. With a brilliant grin, he triumphantly held up the spoon.
"Safe to land!" he called out, before lowering back down and out of sight again.
Once James touched down of the ground, he helped a trembling Hermione off the broom and onto the island.
The island was very small, and it didn't take them long to find Sirius leaning against a tree with a thick trunk, holding the teaspoon in one hand and the handle of the broomstick in the other.
"Glad to be out of the clouds, Hermione?" he grinned as they approached.
"Oh you have no idea…"
James walked up to Sirius holding the crystal phial and Hermione watched as Sirius tipped over the spoon and a small amount of clear liquid trickled down the sides. James looked at it approvingly and then he squatted down beside the tree.
"The Whomping Willow isn't the only tree with secrets," said James with a smirk.
He pushed away some leaves and branches from the base of the trunk and Hermione noticed that there was a hole in the tree, as if someone had hollowed out a part of it.
"You cut a hole in a tree?" gasped Hermione, looking at James and Sirius disapprovingly.
"Save the house-elves, save the trees…" said Sirius in a high-pitched voice, seemingly trying to mimic her tone. "Hermione Dawson, everyone!"
Hermione pursed her lips at Sirius who was shaking his head in disbelief.
"I may have told him about your house elf rant from the Christmas party," said James slowly, looking between the two of them, seeming somewhat apologetic.
"You act as though those are bad values to have," said Hermione, crossing her arms.
"I never said that," defended Sirius quickly. "But if it makes you feel better, the tree was already dying. There was already a hole and we just… made it bigger."
Somehow that did make her feel a bit better, but she did still feel bad for the tree.
"We would always hide things in here," explained James, leaning over and putting his arm that held the phial into the hole of the tree.
He shifted his arm around, most likely finding a place for it to sit comfortably. When he finished, he moved the leaves and branches back before straightening back up, rubbing his hands together to clear them of dirt.
"I understand why we came out here for the dew, but if we hide it out here then we'll have to come back out here," said Hermione with an annoyed tone. "Why can't we keep it in the house?"
"You saw what that book said, Hermione," said James. "It has to be in a quiet, dark, place. Quiet."
"Doesn't 'quiet place' just refer to a place where the potion won't be disturbed?" questioned Hermione. "Not literally 'quiet' as in silent."
"Magic is weird, it might actually need silence. But if you want to risk keeping it in the house…" said Sirius, his lip twitching upwards. "And it's not like anyone is going to disturb it out here anyway."
"Okay, okay, I see your point…" said Hermione, biting her lip. "But will it be safe when storms come through?"
"It should be safe. And if anything, it's like a rite of passage now," grinned James. "This is where me, Sirius, and Peter stored our potions too."
"Then I suppose it's okay…" muttered Hermione.
"Then we're all set!" said James. "We should head back, the sun is almost set."
The flight back wasn't nearly as bad as flying the island now that Hermione knew what to expect. Still, she kept her grip on James tight and her eyes firmly shut, waiting for it to be over.
James landed softly just on the edge of the water and pried Hermione's hands from his middle. Flushing slightly, Hermione let her feet hit solid ground and it relished in the contact.
"Okay you need to start the spell now," said James, helping Hermione off of the broom. He was eyeing the darkening sky over the water nervously. "Every sunrise and sunset you have to press the tip of your wand to your heart and say the incantation 'Amato Animo Animato Animagus'. It's the only thing left to do before the lightning storm."
"Got it," said Hermione.
"Eventually you'll sense a second heartbeat," added Sirius. "But not right away."
With a nod, Hermione pulled out her wand and held the tip to her chest, right above her heart, which was beating very rapidly.
Taking a deep breath, she murmured the incantation, "Amato Animo Animato Animagus…"
A moment passed as she waited, but nothing happened.
But Hermione knew that there was plenty of time for a second heartbeat to appear. They would just have to wait for lightning to strike.
A/N: The instructions on how to make the animagus potion are sliiiightly different on the Wizardingworld website than the Harry Potter Fandom wiki so I went based on the Wizardingworld info in case anyone was curious!