A/N: I've been gone for longer than I wanted due to some personal stuff but I'm back now with a chapter for all of you! Next chapter is already written and won't have nearly as long as a break. I'm trying to move things along quicker.
Chapter 35 – Cast in Shadows
Quickly learning and perfecting new forms of magic had always been one of the things Hermione prided herself with. In the past, the only magic she had every struggled with was a Patronus charm. That was, until now. Trying to get used to her animagus form was driving Hermione mad. Transforming into an otter was one thing, but controlling her new body as well as transforming back was another completely. Everything just seemed so foreign to her.
It helped that James and Sirius were waking up earlier to help her practice. The three of them were taking advantage of the quiet mornings when Fleamont and Euphemia went on their daily walks. It was better that way, to practice in the empty house rather than having to continuously disappear into the forest. James's parents had begun to start asking questions about what they were up to each day, which none of them had good enough explanations. So, they had abandoned the forest and practiced in James's bedroom whenever the three of them were left alone. Much more preferable.
James and Sirius were always happily by her side, encouraging her and giving her advice, which Hermione greatly appreciated. Occasionally they would have to do the reversal spell whenever she got stuck as an otter. They claimed that it wasn't out of the ordinary to get a stuck when first learning how to transform and it happened to all of them too. It had made her feel a bit better, but didn't fully eliminate her annoyance.
"Nope," said James, twirling his wand between his fingers as he laid back casually in his bed. "Again."
Hermione grimaced at him as Sirius laughed on the floor, leaning against James's bedframe. Sirius tucked his wand back into his robes, having just forced Hermione back into her human form again.
The three of them were up even earlier normal that day. James had insisted they get in one more practice before Hermione went away to Lily's. The plan was to get in some last-minute practice that morning, but Hermione suspected that James wanted to make sure he was around when Lily showed up to get her.
"Well, at least I can transform without the wand now. That's something, right?" huffed Hermione, crossing her arms.
The sensation of transforming had been becoming more natural every time she did it. There was no longer that odd, slow tingling through her body. Now she could shift quickly into an otter without her body feeling entirely consumed, not to mention not having to use her wand at all anymore. The very first time she was able to transform without her wand felt euphoric. It really was becoming easier each time.
"Exactly. You're making a lot of progress."
"When are you going to tell Moony that you're an otter?" asked Sirius.
"I'm waiting until I can see him in person so I can show him. It's a surprise," said Hermione, not meeting his eye.
It seemed like the best course of action. If she could show Remus how well she can transform and that she'd be safe in the shack, then there was a better chance of Remus allowing her to join. Telling him in a letter left him too much time to think of reasons to turn her away before actually seeing it for himself. It felt almost sneaky telling him like this, but it was for the best.
"Well, I'm sure he'll be thrilled. Go on, try again," urged James, rolling his hand at her encouragingly.
Hermione concentrated until she felt herself slip down into her animagus form. Sirius clapped with a whoop! but Hermione was more eager to see what James would think. She arched her neck to look up and watched as James leaned over the edge of his mattress to see her on the floor.
"That was the fastest you've done it," said James with an approving smile and nod. "Really you just need to work on transforming back on command. Once you master that then you'll be ready for the shack."
"Maybe she needs some encouragement," said Sirius with a sly smile that Hermione was not very fond of.
In the blink of an eye, Sirius had transformed into his large black dog form, and Hermione felt her otter's body tighten with surprise. A breathy squeak came from her mouth and she immediately dashed to the other side of the room.
As a dog, Sirius may have had an advantage with speed, but Hermione certainly had the advantage when it came to size. In this case, her small size. Without even having to worry about it, Hermione darted to the small space under James's desk, trying not to slip on the dust bunnies that littered the wooden floor beneath it.
Sirius didn't seem to care about the limited space available for a dog his size and he tried to follow after her.
"Oi! Careful!" shouted James as Sirius the dog knocked over his desk chair. In response, Sirius let out an amused bark but didn't try to get any closer.
Hermione stayed hidden under the desk as Sirius transformed back into himself with a cheeky grin. She wanted to tell Sirius off, but all that came out were more squeaks as Sirius just continued to laugh.
"James? What was that sound? Are you all up there?"
James's parents must have returned from their walk because Euphemia Potter's voice was followed by the sound of approaching footsteps. James, Sirius, and otter Hermione all exchanged panicked looks. There was only just enough time for Hermione to get herself out from under the desk and to transform back. Just as she was dusting off her clothes and trying to flatten her hair, James's mum appeared in the doorway.
Euphemia looked around James's room curiously, obviously noticing Hermione's disheveled appearance and the guilty looks on both James and Sirius's faces. Whatever she must have been thinking in that moment, she kept to herself.
"Hermione, dear, your friend is here," she said with a smile.
"Oh, Lily's here?" said Hermione, looking over at the clock on the wall. "She's early."
James's head immediately snapped up and he jumped to his feet.
"Yes, she's waiting downstairs," answered Euphemia.
The words had barely left her mouth before James was the first one out the door. He seemed to come to his senses because he quickly stopped in the corridor and gestured for Hermione to go in front of him. She raised an eyebrow at him but suppressed her smile as she walked down the stairs.
Sure enough, Lily was standing in the entryway, chatting happily with Fleamont who seemed charmed by her radiating charisma. There was a bemused smile on the older wizard's face as Lily spoke to him with her usual infectious smile. The smile only brightened when she saw Hermione enter the entryway.
"Hermione!"
She rushed over and threw her arms about Hermione in a bone-shattering hug.
"Hey, Evans," said James's voice from behind her.
Hermione turned to see James as he walked down the few remaining steps with Sirius behind him. She could tell that he was trying his hardest to appear casual, but there was a slight nervousness in his smile as he looked at Lily.
Lily pulled away from Hermione and watched James with amusement.
"Potter," Lily responded with a smirk. Her eyes slipped past him to Sirius who had just walked in as well. "Hi Sirius. I hope you've both been treating Hermione well this summer."
"Of course we have! What kind of hosts do you take us for?" said James. His hand went to his chest as he feigned offense.
"Well, good," grinned Lily.
"Are you sticking around for a bit or headed out immediately?" asked James.
"We should probably get going," said Lily, and James looked as though he were deflating. "My mum was making a welcome breakfast so I don't want to be too long."
"Well, see you in two weeks, Hermione!" said Sirius before turning to Euphemia. "Speaking of, what's for breakfast? I'm starved!"
Lily chuckled as Sirius followed Euphemia and Fleamont into the kitchen, leaving Lily, James, and Hermione standing in the corridor.
"That's it?" said Hermione, rolling her eyes. "We spent the last month together and he's more preoccupied with breakfast?"
James shrugged. "Are you surprised?"
"Not at all," Hermione sighed.
"He really will miss you, you know," said James.
"I know, I know…" murmured Hermione. "I'll go grab my things."
She started heading towards the stairs, but James stopped her.
"I'll get it for you!" said James, and he rushed away up the stairs.
"Well, that was nice of him," grinned Lily with obviously surprise.
"It's like night and day from the beginning of last school year," said Hermione.
"You can say that again."
It only took James a moment before he returned with Hermione's bag.
"I'll bring you to the study and get you both some floo powder," said James, continuing to carry Hermione's bag for her.
"Lead the way," say Lily, gesturing down the hall.
"So, what's it like being able to finally have magic outside of school out in the muggle world?" asked James as they walked.
"It's unbelievable!" said Lily, her eyes lighting up immediately at the question. "I can get so much more stuff done now. I just have to be careful none of the neighbors see, of course… And obviously it's handy being connected to the Floo Network now. It'll make it so much easier when I have to go to Diagon Alley once we get our supply lists."
"Yeah I can imagine," grinned James. "It's like a whole new world is open to you now."
"Exactly," grinned Lily.
When they arrived in the study, James set down Hermione's bag by the fireplace and handed Lily the container of Floo Powder.
"It was good to see you, even for a bit," said James to Lily as she took the container from him.
Although looking slightly surprised, Lily's face brightened at his comment. "Thanks, James. You too."
James reached forward to give Hermione a quick hug goodbye.
"By the way, that was the best transformation back by far," he whispered in her ear before pulling away.
Hermione beamed at him.
"Ready?" asked Lily, who grabbed hold on Hermione's bag and a handful of floo powder.
"Ready."
.:~*~*~*~*~:.
Cokeworth was a quiet town in the midlands of England, not too far from Birmingham. It wasn't the prettiest of places, at least not anymore. Something about it felt very old and gave off the impression that the town had a lot of history. There was an old disused mill on the far side of town by a river with large, ugly chimneys. They seemed to cast an ominous shadow over houses that were beginning to appear dilapidated. The river itself looked as though it were starting to be uncared for as it ran behind rows of old factories. While the water didn't look horrible, there was a small amount of litter beginning to build up on the darkened riverbank.
Lily's house was fortunately on the sunnier side of town that seemed to have more upkeep. Her house blended in with the other identical brick homes on her street that did not have nearly the same signs of aging as the industrial side of town did. It was grassier, and the homeowners there had seemed to do their best to add a bit of color. These houses had much more in terms of front gardens, which seemed freshly groomed with many of the houses having flowers planted. It felt much homier in her area, where neighbors chatted with each other as they tended their gardens and kids were out and playing in the road or at the nearby park.
"It hasn't always looked like this," Lily had said the first time she had given Hermione a walking tour of the neighborhood. "It's nicer on this side of the park. Once you get near the river it starts to go a bit downhill. It's very old."
Lily had seemed worried at first at what Hermione may think, but Hermione didn't mind. There was something so… normal seeing all the brick houses lining the streets, even in the shabbier areas. There was almost magic in all the mundaneness of muggle life. All of those people going about their daily lives not aware of the magical war that was brewing right beneath their noses. Instead, they continued to live their simple, humble lives.
It truly was a nice escape with Lily. Her parents were unbelievably kind and obviously so proud of Lily and all of her accomplishments in the magical world. Their enthusiasm for Lily's magic reminded Hermione of her own parents.
They seemed thrilled to have a friend of their daughter come to stay with them. It must not have been often that Lily brought back any friends from school, and Hermione had a sneaking suspicion it probably had to do with Petunia. But now Petunia was off taking typing courses in London, leaving Hermione to stay in her clinically clean and plain looking bedroom.
That arrangement had only lasted the first two nights before the neatness of the room began driving Hermione mad. As much as Hermione loved to be organized, nothing about Petunia's room felt like somewhere someone would live. It was like stepping into a showroom or looking at a furniture catalogue. It felt sterile, and not in a good way. Instead, all it did was remind Hermione of how horrible Petunia had been to Harry; no warmth or comfort at all. Luckily, Lily was more than happy to let Hermione stay with her in her room, which was much more comfortable.
Their days were spent mostly just spending time together, but they also ventured into the town center often to look around, shop, or visit some of the small cafés. They even went to the cinema one day, with Lily eagerly waiting to see the latest Bond film that was out. It was one Hermione hadn't seen before, so it was nice to be able to enjoy that with Lily for the first time, doing something completely muggle.
On one of the final days of her visit, Hermione and Lily both laid back on Lily's bed, staring up at the ceiling. On her dresser, Lily had set up her cassette radio and had a tape playing. The two of them just laid there enjoying the music. It sounded vaguely familiar, but Hermione didn't have a wide variety of music knowledge, especially from the 70s. Still, it was nice.
"So, what exactly are we listening to?" asked Hermione as another song began to play.
"It's the new Pink Floyd album that came out earlier this year," said Lily with a smile. "It's called Animals."
Hermione felt like she should have known that. At least the band. Afterall, Pink Floyd was still popular and releasing music in her own time. Not that they were a band she typically listened to.
"Was Pink Floyd not popular in France?" asked Lily, turning her head to look at her.
"I'm not sure. Not many people at school talked about muggle music," said Hermione with a shrug. It was an easy enough excuse to make.
"Yes, that makes sense. Do you like it?"
"I do, it's very relaxing," said Hermione, who was now concentrating very hard on the music. "Well… the music is. The lyrics are a bit—"
"Disturbing?" finished Lily with a short chuckle.
"Yes, but introspective."
"It's a very well thought out concept." Lily nodded with a smile. "I really like it. Although I think I still prefer some of their other albums more."
Lily smiled faintly to herself and raised up her wand, waving it lazily. Hermione saw the knob on the radio begin to turn and the music grew gradually louder.
"I love magic," said Lily, her face breaking into a huge smile. "And I love being seventeen."
Hermione smiled and let her eyes shut and just listened to the music, tapping her foot into the mattress to the beat.
"Lily!" yelled a voice from farther in the house, causing both Hermione and Lily to lift their heads up in surprise. The voice was shortly followed by loud and frantic banging on the bedroom door.
"Lily! Turn that racket down! I'm trying to talk to mum and dad!" yelled the voice from the other side.
Lily sighed and closed her eyes again, leaning back against the bed. "It seems like Petunia decided to pay us a visit…"
"Lily, I am not kidding!"
With a groan, Lily pulled herself up into a sitting position and Hermione quickly followed her lead.
Raising her wand again, Lily waved it at the door which then swung open. There was only just enough time for Hermione to see Petunia Dursley – well, Petunia Evans at the moment – jump backwards with shock. Then, Hermione was able to get a good look at her.
Hermione had seen Harry's Aunt very briefly on Platform 9 ¾ a few times, but it was odd to see her as such a young woman. While she was a few years older than Lily, she was about the same height, but much skinnier and slightly paler with her neck seeming much too long for her body. She was dressed very modestly with her blonde hair pulled into a neat ponytail and she wore a very stern expression on her long face. Unlike her green-eyed sister, Petunia had pale blue eyes that were locked directly onto Hermione.
"You have a guest," stated Petunia, looking at Hermione suspiciously.
"Yes, this is Hermione Dawson," said Lily, and Hermione waved politely. "She's a friend from school."
Petunia's face paled at this information and her eyes narrowed. She then looked at the radio angrily.
"Will you turn that down!"
"Fine," said Lily casually. She waved her wand again and the power button switched off. Petunia looked back at Lily with a horrified expression.
"You- you can't do that!"
"Well, actually, Tuney, I'm of age now so I can do magic—"
"Shh!" shushed Petunia frantically with her palms held out towards them. "Don't use the 'M' word!" she hissed, looking down the corridor fearfully. "Mum and Dad are out in the back garden with Vernon. We stopped by for afternoon tea and your music is ruining our conversation! I didn't realize you had… company."
Her sneer deepened as she regarded Hermione.
"Vernon's here?" asked Lily, sounding as if she were fighting annoyance. It was hard to tell if Petunia caught the edge in Lily's tone, because the look of disdain on her face did not shift.
"Yes, and I wouldn't have brought him here if I knew you'd be here," she said sharply.
"I live here…"
"Yes, but I thought you'd be back at that horrid school by now. Don't you always go back on the first of August?"
"You're early. The Hogwarts Express always leaves on the first of September—"
"SHHH!" Petunia shushed even louder. Her eyes looked as if they were going to bug out of her head as she looked back down the corridor.
It all seemed rather dramatic to Hermione, who fought against raising her eyebrow at Petunia. If what she said was true, and Vernon was out in the back garden, there was absolutely no way any of them would be able to hear Lily, who was speaking in such a calm manner. Besides, Lily's bedroom was also on the complete opposite side of the house, facing the main road. But Petunia seemed to be incredibly on edge regardless.
"Well, if you have to be here—" Lily rolled her eyes at Petunia's statement. "Just keep her and yourself away from us. That lot can never behave normally," finished Petunia, scrunching up her face as her gaze shifted nervously between Lily and Hermione.
"Actually, Hermione is muggle-born as well, Petunia. Like me," said Lily matter-of-factly. "She certainly can blend in."
Petunia did not seem assured at all by this statement and just stuck up her nose.
"As if that makes a difference," hissed Petunia. "Just because someone was born into a normal family does not make them any less of a freak."
Lily flinched at the statement and just blinked at her sister.
"Anyway… mum and dad want you to come and join us to meet Vernon," said Petunia through gritted teeth. "I personally would rather you did not as I don't need you scaring him off. But if you do… change first."
She looked at Lily's short denims and her yellow striped tank top with displeasure before turning on her heels and closing the door behind her.
"She seems nice," said Hermione faintly.
Lily snorted out a laugh. "The sweetest."
"I'm suddenly very glad I wasn't in her room when she showed up…"
"You should be," said Lily very seriously but then her expression softened as she stood up. "Come, let's go for a walk. Hopefully by the time we get back they'll have gone back to London."
"We aren't going to sit with them?" asked Hermione as she followed Lily to her feet.
"Absolutely not," said Lily, shaking her head. "That might be pushing it too far. I've yet to officially meet Vernon, and Petunia prefers it to be like that. And I'd prefer to keep the peace as long as I can. I'd like to hold out hope that one day Petunia will come around…"
Hermione followed Lily out of the house and the two of them set down the road. It was a warm and pleasant August early evening. The sun was low in the sky as twilight neared, and Lily's neighborhood appeared to slowly be readying for bed. The walk was nice with only a handful of people still out now that the streetlamps were beginning to come to life. When they reached the park, Hermione and Lily set down the quiet footpath.
"Petunia and I used to always come to this park together when we were little," said Lily with a faint smile on her face as they walked. "Back when we used to be close."
"What changed?" asked Hermione curiously.
"I found out I was a witch," said Lily sadly.
It was such a simple explanation, but it spoke volumes and Hermione nodded to herself.
"It must have been hard for her not to be one as well," she said with a small frown.
"It was," nodded Lily. "After I got my letter, I could see her envy growing. It reached a breaking point after Dumbledore wrote her to tell her she couldn't attend as well."
Lily kicked a small pebble that was on the path as Hermione looked at her with confusion.
"It was right after I received my letter," explained Lily when she caught Hermione's expression. "I hadn't even realized she tried to write to Dumbledore asking him if she could also come to Hogwarts. One day when Severus was over, he saw the letter after she had left it out. I had been wondering why she was even colder than usual… It was the morning I first left for Hogwarts that she found out we had read it. She was devasted and lashed out harsher than ever. It's been like this ever since."
"Wow," said Hermione, looking down at her shoes as they walked. "I'm sorry, Lily."
There was a small amount of pity Hermione felt for Petunia, but not enough to think she was still anything other than cruel. Not just to Lily, but to Harry as well. But it was still sad. If she had been in Petunia's shoes and had a sibling go to Hogwarts while she was left before she couldn't imagine how badly that would hurt.
"Knowing Severus saw the letter too seemed to make it worse. She never liked him to begin with," said Lily with a sigh. "And now I wonder if it was just her hatred and fear of magic, her distaste for his class and appearance, or if she really could sense something dangerous about Severus. Maybe a bit of all three."
Lily made her way to an empty bench near a deserted playground. She looked out towards a dark road that already covered in evening shadows as Hermione took a seat beside her.
"Spinner's End," said Lily, sounding sad as she pointed towards the road. "That's where Severus lives."
It was one of the more neglected streets, covered in darkness from the factories by the river. There was something sad about how those once beautiful old homes now sat in almost eerie darkness. It was pitiful, but something about it seemed very fitting for Severus.
"It looks like it's falling apart," thought Hermione out loud.
"It is. It's as though many of the people there have just given up. His homelife is not great either," said Lily with a frown. "He used to escape to this park; it's where Petunia and I first met him. I was playing on those swings when he first told me I was a witch."
Hermione didn't know what to say, so she just looked sadly down the decaying road.
Lily let out a sad sigh.
"There are times when I miss him, but I think it's really just me missing how things used to be. If anything, I just keep remembering things from our childhood and wondering why it took me so long to see who he was, or who he was becoming. I used to spend so much time trying to convince him to abandon those horrible ideologies, but he's made it clear who he wants to keep company with and who he supports. He's chosen his path and I've chosen mine," said Lily with a firm nod.
"You made the right decision, you know," said Hermione, placing a hand gently on Lily's shoulder.
Lily smiled at her wearily. "I know."
A moment went by where the two girls just sat on the park bench in silence. It was quite peaceful with the warm summer breeze that lightly twisted through her hair, or the occasional bird that would land by their feet and hop around.
"I'm frightened, Hermione," said Lily, finally breaking the silence. There was a haunted look on her face as she stared back down Spinner's End. "I can't pretend any longer that we won't be on different sides of this war. A part of me is scared for him. But I'm mostly frightened for all of us. You, Mary, James, Sirius, Remus, Peter… all of our friends and classmates. It doesn't seem avoidable anymore."
Hermione desperately wanted to assure Lily she would alright and that she wouldn't leave her side, but it would be a promise she wasn't sure she'd be able to keep. Instead, she settled on saying, "we'll all fight for the same thing. For what's right."
A grateful smile pulled the corners of Lily's lips up and she turned her body to better face Hermione.
"I knew I liked you for a reason," but then the smile fell as quickly as it had formed, and she looked almost nervous.
"What is it, Lily?"
"If I tell you something, will you promise not to mention it to Mary or the others? At least not yet?" she asked in a small voice. Her green eyes shifted around where they sat in the now empty park, as if making sure they were truly alone now.
"Sure," agreed Hermione, her curiosity beginning to rise.
"Not even Remus. I know you two are close…"
There didn't seem to be any deeper meaning in what Lily said, but the thought of Remus still sent what felt like a jolt through her body. Hermione forced herself not to let it show on her face.
"Not even Remus," Hermione assured.
"Alright…" Lily took a deep breath. "You know my friends Alice and Marlene who graduated already?"
"Yes, you've mentioned them a few times."
"Well… Alice and her boyfriend are both training to become Aurors. At the beginning of the summer, she wrote to me and told me that the two of them were recruited into a secret organization by their mentor."
Lily looked at Hermione curiously out of the corner of her eye, waiting for a reaction.
"Secret organization?" asked Hermione, feigning ignorance.
Lily nodded. "Alice couldn't tell me much, but she said her and Frank both joined and they're training an army to take down You-Know-Who and his followers. Marlene joined as well. Alice said it's run by Dumbledore, so I suspect that's why he's been missing from the castle so often."
So, she had been right, and Dumbledore was off doing thing for the Order of the Phoenix. Finally she had some form of confirmation on where he was disappearing to.
"Wow," was all Hermione could say, because her mind was now focused solely on Dumbledore and the lingering feeling of abandonment. There had been a small part of her that had wondered if his disappearances were due to finding a way for her to return home.
"I know," sighed Lily. "When we graduate, I'm going to join as well."
Lily gave a short nod to herself and set her jaw. A wave of respect for the girl ran through Hermione. Yet there was also a part of her that wanted to scream "no!" and somehow convince her not to do it. Not to join the Order but to run and find a way to protect herself instead. To live a long and happy life with James and Harry. But even if it were somehow possible for Hermione to change things in the future, looking at how confidently Lily spoke about wanting to fight, Hermione knew there would be no talking Lily out of it. Her mind was already made up.
"To fight?" Hermione asked weakly.
Lily looked at her with her green eyes going wide. "Of course to fight! If we have the power to do something, even the smallest thing, then we have a responsibility to do something to make a difference. If they'll have me, I won't hesitate to join."
It was remarkable how much in that moment Lily sounded like Harry. His desire to risk himself for the greater good had always been something Hermione had admired so much about him, and here was his mother, ready to jeopardize herself for the same cause. To give her life for it. Harry may have looked like James, but he was more like his mother than he must have realized. And Hermione knew in that moment she'd follow either of them in this fight if she were able to.
"You're right," said Hermione slowly. "We can't just sit by and let things happen when there's something we can do."
Admiration flashed through Lily's eyes as she regarded her. With a grin, she took hold on Hermione's hand and squeezed it once before releasing.
"I just hope we have a good Defense Against the Dark Arts professor this year," said Lily. "We're going to need as much practice as we can get."
"I hope so too," said Hermione.
"You won't tell anyone about what I just told you, right? I'm not supposed to know anything about it… but I just know I can trust you."
"I won't tell a soul," said Hermione with a nod, and Lily smiled at her with clear relief.
It was starting to get even darker throughout the park and Lily looked around them with a distant look in her eyes before pushing herself off the bench.
"We should head back," she said, offering her hand to Hermione to pull her to her feet. "Hopefully by the time we walk back they'll be gone."
With a grin, she linked her arm with Hermione as they headed back towards the brightly lit direction of Lily's house, leaving Spinner's End and thoughts of the looming war in the shadows.
.:~*~*~*~*~:.
Emerald green flames blew around Hermione as she stepped out of the fireplace and into the Potters' study.
The room around her was empty, but only for a moment. The sound of her arrival must not have gone unnoticed because she had only managed to lower her bag to the floor before the door to the study swung open. Euphemia Potter peaked in, and at the sight of Hermione she hurried across the room.
"Ah, Hermione, I thought I heard someone come in! We've missed you," said Euphemia with a quick hug and warm smile. "I hope you had a nice time."
"I did, thank you. But it's nice to be back," said Hermione truthfully. She had loved spending time with Lily, but she had missed the comfort and familiarity she had gained at James's house with his family. "Where is everyone?"
"Fleamont is out in his workshop. The boys are eating lunch in the kitchen," said Euphemia. She then took the bag out of Hermione's hand. "I'll bring this upstairs for you."
Euphemia disappeared with her bag and Hermione made her way across the corridor to the kitchen. James and Sirius sat at the circular kitchen table beneath an open window letting in a warm breeze. A plate of freshly made sandwiches sat between the pair of them.
"Hermione! You're back!" said Sirius with a huge grin and a face full of sandwich when he spotted her enter the room.
"Welcome back!" said James. "Told you Sirius would miss you."
Hermione grinned at the two boys as she walked in.
"I've missed you both too."
"Is Lily with you?" asked James, his eyes drifting towards the door.
Hermione sat down with them at the kitchen table and took an apple out of the fruit bowl in the center, leaving the sandwiches for them.
"Not this time," said Hermione with an apologetic smile, but James only shrugged.
"Well, it's still good to have you back."
"How was your visit?" asked Sirius.
"Really nice!"
She went into her story about her time at Lily's. James and Sirius seemed eager to hear about all the muggle things they had done during her visit. Especially after Hermione had described the movie they had seen. Something about spies, submarines, and torpedoes seemed to catch their fancy.
"You two would probably like all the Bond films if you thought that one sounded interesting," said Hermione as she finished up her story. She kept her word to Lily and didn't mention a word about Severus or the Order of the Phoenix.
"One day you should take us to this cimenar," said Sirius.
"Cinema," corrected Hermione with a smirk.
Then, two owls flew through the open window and landed in front of James on the kitchen table, barely missing the plate of sandwiches. Immediately Hermione recognized the Lupin family owl, and excitement pooled through her. It went directly to her, and Hermione eagerly took the envelopes it was carrying. The other owl was one she didn't recognize until James took hold of the three envelopes it was carrying.
"Hogwarts," grinned James, fanning the letters out in front of him for them to see. He placed them down on the table as both owls flew back out the window.
At first, Hermione's stomach dropped, until she got a good look at the envelopes. They were identically marked, one for each of them. The tightness in her chest deflated. Of course it was just the Hogwarts letters. The entire summer she had been waiting for any news from Dumbledore after his promise to keep her informed, and yet nothing.
While she knew now that he was likely preoccupied with the Order, Hermione was still annoyed that he had led her to believe that this summer was meant to be one where he found her answers. It made her feel silly that she had allowed herself, even for a moment, to think she'd finally hear from him. Receiving her school supplies list before any correspondence from Dumbledore only added insult to injury.
Miserably, Hermione passed James and Sirius their letters from Remus before opening her own, hoping that its contents would at least cheer her up.
Dear Hermione,
By the time you get this, you'll probably be back at James's, so I'll start by saying I hope you enjoyed your time with Lily. It must have been a nice break for you to be back in the muggle world, even if it was just for a fortnight.
You're still holding out on me? The secrecy is killing me! All I get is that you can transform into something that won't be crushed in the shack? I take it you must not be a snail then. Shame, the idea was growing on me. But you really won't tell me what you transformed into? Don't take this the wrong way, but you are such a tease! But in all honesty, I'm thrilled you were able to do it and how far you've come with it. I've also been getting updates from James on how the training is going and he thinks you're a natural and picking it up very quickly. What did I say? I always knew you could. I'm sure with more practice you'll soon master it.
I've also written to James about when I can come to visit you all and then you can finally show me. I'm sorry you missed the full moon the other night, but even if you weren't at Lily's, you know how unsafe it would have been without you being able to perfect your transformation. It's best to wait until the shack anyway. Hopefully we can see each other soon.
Yours,
Remus
P.S: Can you believe that Sirius actually wrote to me? Incredible, I know! He told me you transformed into a pufferfish (one that resembled Mulciber and Avery on the last day of term no less!) and were just flopping around on the grass until he tossed you into the lake behind James's house. I take it that this was definitely not the case and I will have to answer his prank with one of my own. If I were you, I would stay away from him when he opens my letter.
Hermione had just enough time to look up and over at Sirius right as he gasped. The chair beneath him scraped against the floor as Sirius launched himself to his feet. He shook his hands with a look of disgust on his face as greenish goo made its way down the front of him and onto the kitchen table.
"Bloody git set me frog spawn!" Sirius barked with wide, angry eyes.
Hermione snickered as she tucked Remus's letter away and took hold of her Hogwarts letter. She had been right; Remus's letter definitely did cheer her up.
"No way…" said James softly, and Hermione saw a speechless looking James.
His mouth was hanging slightly open as he held a shiny badge in his hand that read "Head Boy" across the front of it. His open Hogwarts letter lay on the table in front of him.
"Oh, James, well done!" said Hermione. She set her own letter back onto the table lap and clasped her hands together, beaming at him.
"Head Boy?" said Sirius sounding in disbelief as he brushed frog spawn off himself. Clumps of it hit the floor with a sickening glop and he slowly sank back into his chair, pulling it closer to where James sat. "You?"
"Looks like it," said James, still sounding stunned himself as he turned the badge over in his hand. "I can't believe it… why would they give it to me? I wasn't even prefect."
"Because you deserve it," said Hermione firmly, her face beginning to hurt from smiling. "You get good marks and you're the best leader in our year. Not to mention you always stand up for your classmates. I'm sure Professor McGonagall saw that on the last day of term as well."
"Wow, thanks, Hermione," said James, looking slightly embarrassed but who smiled nonetheless.
"This is excellent!" said Sirius. "Think of all the detentions you can give Snivellus now!"
"Or… just a thought… he can take it seriously," said Hermione, eyeing Sirius with a pointed look.
"Yeah, yeah…" said Sirius, rolling his eyes but still grinning wickedly in James's direction.
"I just still can't believe it," said James. "It never even crossed my mind! I was just wondering why my Hogwarts letter was so much heavier this year…"
As James said this, a cool, clamminess seemed to trickle down Hermione's body as she looked down at the letter in front of her in horror. She hadn't thought anything of the letter she received until that moment; it hadn't felt any different than her last Hogwarts' letter. But if anything, her letter this year should have been considerably lighter than her previous one. Slowly, she began opening her own.
"I wonder who your Head Girl will be," wondered Sirius out loud as he snatched the badge out of James's hand to examine it.
"Lily," whispered Hermione, not even fearing giving away information from the future.
"Really?" said James with wide, excited eyes. "Did she get her letter this morning before you left?"
Hermione only shook her head and James frowned.
"Then how do you know?"
Tipping the envelope over, a shiny badge fell into Hermione's hand. The cold metal felt like it was burning into her skin.
"Because it looks like they made me the new seventh year Gryffindor Prefect," she said with a hollow voice, holding the prefect badge up for them to see.
If James and Sirius had said anything after that, it was completely lost because everything had suddenly become distant and her mind had gone blank.
Hermione stared down at the scarlet and gold badge with the large "P" imprinted on top of the Gryffindor lion and everything felt surreal. It must have been some kind of joke or mistake. It wasn't supposed to happen… It should have gone to Mary when Lily became Head Girl!
The only other contents of envelope were her school supplies list and the letter explaining her Prefect duties. Not a single extra piece of parchment from Dumbledore with any ounce of explanation. All he had sent her was the badge.
But it was enough to send a message. Dumbledore had purposely changed something. He had given her a role that she was never supposed to have. He had altered the timeline. And it was more than enough of a sign to tell Hermione one thing:
Dumbledore had failed.
A/N: In regard to prefects, I like to believe that when a prefect became Head Student that someone else then had to cover their initial role as prefect. There's nothing in the books that I could find that says this is canon, but I personally feel like it would make sense due to the fact that they both have slightly different responsibilities. Not to mention that it's implied that prefects work in pairs, so it also would keep a balance for prefect patrols/duties if only one of the pair was promoted while the other wasn't. For example, since Lily has been promoted and will being doing patrols and other duties with James who was never a prefect, that now leaves Remus without a fellow seventh year prefect to do his prefect duties with, which doesn't seem right. The Harry Potter wiki states that the original prefect would just perform both roles simultaneously, but for the sake of fairness to prefects (and for the sake of this story) I've decided to just even up the prefects regardless.