"The further back you can look, the further forward you can see."

Winston Churchill

Hermione smoked alone, leaning against a tree, lost in thought. James and Lily's wedding was three weeks away, and Harry's birth was less than two months away. Two events she never thought she'd see. She knew it was going to be hard. Seeing them all happy, carefree almost, wasn't going to help, and seeing her best friend back to being an infant in a few short weeks wasn't going to be fun, like everything else she did in her life.

It was a patronus that brought her out of her thoughts, and for a split second she wondered how Harry could possibly be sending her a message. Then the deer spoke, and it was James' voice that came out, not Harry's.

"Helena, you have to come to the house, we need to talk to you."

She was surprised at the marauder's serious tone and then moved on without much thought. Before ringing the bell, she masked the smell of cigarettes on her clothes. James had ordered everyone to stop smoking as soon as he'd found out Lily was pregnant, so he thought he'd succeeded, there was no need to get his hopes up.

Lily greeted her with a warm smile, as always, and led her to the lounge where James was waiting for them.

"Would you like something to drink? We've got butterbeer, firewhisky"

"She doesn't drink alcohol, James."

"That's right, I forgot, um…"

"A glass of water will be fine."

He nodded and went to get it, while Lily sat down opposite her. They were both tense, Hermione could see that, but wondered what it had to do with her. James returned and took her drink and sat down next to Lily. It was a bit strange to be like this, in front of the couple, as if she had done something stupid.

"We wanted to ask you something. Two things to be precise."

"But we don't want you to be offended or anything, if you refuse, we'll understand perfectly, and we won't hold it against you at all, it would even be normal. Anyway..."

James was getting confused, and Hermione still couldn't see what he was getting at. Lily came to his rescue, though she was just as anxious as he was.

"I mean, I've always really liked that name, ever since I was a little boy, I used to think that if I had a child, a boy, I'd want to call him that."

"We'd like to call our son Harry."

Hermione was stunned by their request. She was surprised, and at the same time touched that Lily and James would ask her.

"Helena. Helena! Fuck, I think she's stuck. She was like this the last time I saw her have a seizure. Helena, we've got some other ideas for names, please, we didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"It's all right, James. I'm just surprised, that's all. Of course you can call your son whatever you want. It'll be a nice tribute to him."

"Are you sure you'll be alright?"

James looked mixed as he heard Hermione's higher voice and saw her eyes fill with tears.

"Harry Potter. It sounds wonderful, doesn't it?" was the only answer he got.

"Well" Lily clapped her hands together and snapped the other two out of their slumber, "now the second question, have you chosen your dress?"

"My dress? For the wedding? That's in three weeks Lily, of course I haven't picked it out yet. And I plan on wearing trousers."

"What? No way! As a witness, you have to-"

"As my what? I'm not your witness!"

Lily realised what a blunder she had just made. How could she have forgotten to ask him? She knew she sometimes forgot things, but not something this important.

Hermione could feel it coming, she shook her head at Lily's discomfited eyes.

"There's no way Lily, I can't be your witness."

"But why? It makes perfect sense!"

I'm your son's best friend, the one you have in your belly.

No, on balance, it was better for Hermione to keep quiet if she didn't want to accidentally reveal her story.

"Ask someone else. Alice!"

"But Alice already is! I need two witnesses! James has Sirius and Remus. Normally it would be Mary or Dorcas, I'll give you that, but it can't be! I don't get on with my sister anymore, and as sad as it makes me, that's just the way it is. It's just you!"

"But you had other friends, right? Other people who are much more legitimate than me..."

"You'll be my witness, full stop. You can even come in your trousers if you want!"

Hermione sighed and finally agreed, wondering what was wrong with her. She was going to be the witness at her best friend's parents' wedding. Maybe it wasn't Harry who was getting them into trouble after all…

Hermione had then gone home and told Remus about Lily's proposal —the order— and he, like her, had been surprised by the couple's request to name their son, but at the same time, given Hermione's reactions when she thought of her friend, he could understand. But he wasn't that surprised about the wedding. The first time, Dorcas was still alive, not for much longer as she had passed away three weeks later, but she was still there. So yes, in this reality, Hermione was the second closest woman to Lily.

Hermione looked around HQ for Sirius. The wedding was the next day, but she wanted to see him first. She also wanted to avoid running into him in a compromising position, the New Year's lesson a few months ago had traumatized her enough. She checked that there was no more than one person before entering the room, which was impractical as the HQ was empty. Most of the members were working, others were on a mission, but she knew that Sirius was doing neither, and that he must be there.

Eventually she found him with Remus and a punching bag in the fight room. He seemed to want to strike with all his might, as if to vent a long-standing anger. Remus noticed her first, and told her to be quiet and not to interrupt Sirius at such times.

She waited, although she was not happy to have to do so, but it was important, and urgent. Well mostly for her since it concerned Harry and he wasn't born yet, but she wanted to do it as soon as possible, she had dragged it out enough as it was.

Sirius finally stopped and let himself down, exhausted from the anger he had just vented. He spotted Hermione after a few seconds, after a discreet glance from Remus.

"What are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you, it's very important."

He nodded and invited her to continue. Hermione hesitated to speak, she didn't want it to get out, but she would need a third person if Sirius agreed, as long as it was Remus, at least he wouldn't be shouting it from the rooftops, and it would save Sirius from lying to his boyfriend.

"Lily and James are going to be parents, and I have a bad feeling about it. Like their son's life is in danger. I know you're going to be the godfather, Sirius, they told me, and you, Remus, even though I wasn't going to tell you, will probably be considered the child's uncle."

"What are you getting at?"

"I want you to promise me that if the Potters were to go into hiding under Fidelitas, for safety's sake, you would be their secret keeper. And if by some misfortune, Lily and James were to die, you'd worry about your godson first, before you'd be unconscious and go after the person responsible for their death."

"Of course I would! I would never abandon my godson! You have my word."

"I want an unbreakable vow."

Hermione's last words fell heavily and were replaced by silence. The two wizards looked at her with round eyes, her request was so inconceivable. To ask for an unbreakable vow was something very rare, something that usually required a lot of thought. Everyone knew the consequences if it was broken. But that wasn't all, if the wizard under vow started to say too much or do the wrong thing, he would be reminded of his vow by an electric, and magical, shock. That's why Hermione preferred the unbreakable vow to the wizarding vow. Sirius could swear on his magic to do it, but in the heat of the moment, forget and go after the killers of his friends, and lose her without a second thought. The vow would remind him that Harry was the top priority.

"Have you gone mad? You don't ask for an unbreakable vow like that, so easily!"

"I know that, believe me, but my instinct is to do it. And it's only in the worst case that I'd do anything to keep James and Lily alive."

"Agreed."

"Sirius!"

"Rem', please be our enchanter."

Hermione and Sirius linked hands and Remus began to speak.

"Sirius Black, do you pledge to become their secret keeper if the lives of Lily and James Potter, or their child, are threatened?"

"I will."

A trickle of magic came from Remus' wand and bound the two wizards together.

"Do you pledge to ensure the well-being and safety of your godson before hunting down their attackers should Lily or James die?"

"I will."

A second net of magic came out and clamped Sirius and Hermione's wrists. For the last will, it was Hermione who spoke, Remus not knowing exactly what she wanted.

"If James and Lily were to die, would you promise not to let anyone else decide for you what is right for your godson, not even if the person who wants to decide is the Minister of Magic or Albus Dumbledore?"

Sirius seemed surprised at the last request, but like the other two, he solemnly accepted it. They parted, but the wizard could not miss the look of relief that Hermione gave him. She put on a neutral expression and greeted him, wishing him and Remus a good day, then left as quickly as she had come, not caring about their stunned expressions.

Hermione made her way through the wedding tables to a quiet place. The wedding was at Potter Manor, where James' parents lived. Despite the war and the tense atmosphere, it was very well attended. One of the heirs to one of the oldest wizarding families was getting married, which didn't happen every day.

Many people were present, friends of James and Lily, friends of James' parents, important people from the ministry, there were even two or three journalists. Lily hadn't looked too happy when the guest list had been made, but it was a pureblood custom, and even though he fought the Death Eaters, James was still attached to the traditions he had always known, and Lily loved him, she wanted this wedding to be right for both of them, so she had agreed.

All this world reminded Hermione of what she hated. The crowds, the noise, the unknown. She had put on a brave face during the ceremony, not wanting the bride and groom to worry, but now that the drinks had started, nobody cared about her anymore. Besides, she didn't know how she was going to be able to swallow anything, she seemed ready to vomit anything that got too close to her. Luckily it was an all-you-can-eat buffet and not a plateful of food, hopefully no one would see her.

Remus was chatting to people he had known and Hermione had never heard of. He seemed happy to see them again, the witch had not wanted to disturb them and had slipped away discreetly. A reporter had tried to accost her, but she had threatened to put a spell on him if he got too close. She had enough to worry about as it was, there was no need for her name or her picture to appear in the Daily Prophets on top of that.

She was lost in thought when she ran into someone. She looked up and saw that she had just collided with James' father.

"Excuse me Lord Potter, I wasn't looking where I was going," then she turned to James' mother and greeted her.

"There's no harm done, we haven't been introduced I believe. We are James' parents, but please call us Fleamont and Euphemia. We have not been called by our titles for a long time."

"I am Helena, Lily's witness, I have heard a lot about you. But isn't it mandatory to call you by your titles? I read that the Wizengamot..."

This was followed by a fascinating discussion on British politics between Hermione and James' parents. To her delight, she learned a lot about magical politics and the power of the older wizarding families within the Ministry. Euphemia was surprised, it wasn't every day that such a young woman, who was a foreigner according to James, was so interested in politics. She asked a lot of questions, but they were all relevant and seemed genuinely happy to talk about it. She was almost writing down the information Fleamont was giving her on the first paper napkin she could find.

Euphemia had been surprised when she had received the first owl from James, informing her that there was a new student in her year, in Gryffindor. With the war coming, the UK was one of the least safe places to be, but she had moved there without question. Later she had learned that the professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts was her uncle, but she had not known much more about it. She had picked up a few bits of information about these two wizards, but had never had the opportunity to meet them. She had been even more surprised when James had told her that the witch would be the witness at his wedding, she saw her son less than before, it's true, but she was not aware that he had become friends with her.

Now she understood, she was a very intelligent young woman, not afraid to speak her mind. But there was something else, and she also knew why at first James had not liked her. Euphemia had always had this ability, this gift, to read people. And Helena was a warrior, she could see that. It wasn't just her sore eyes that gave her away, but her defensive stance, her wand at hand in case of need, her senses heightened. As soon as a suspicious noise reached her, she turned her head and carefully observed her surroundings. She was formidable, that was for sure. She had lost loved ones, it was written in her. Euphemia had watched her when she thought she was alone, and she had seen the melancholy look on her face as she watched Lily and James kiss.

They took their leave of her when it was time for the speeches, and Hermione walked away from the wedding, to the front of the garden pond a hundred yards away. The estate was huge, and the Potter family was showing that they were rich. Hermione didn't even know that there was a family manor owned by the Potters until she landed in the past. She suspected that they must have half a dozen identical properties scattered all over Europe.

She heard footsteps approaching and recognised Remus' walk. As always when they were like this, he sat down next to her and waited a while before starting to speak.

"I saw you talking to James' parents. You may have been subtle to them, but I saw you. What did you put in their drinks?"

Hermione sighed, it would have been too good to believe that Remus wasn't watching her every move. She knew he meant well, he didn't want to take his eyes off her because if she disappeared from his sight, Merlin knew what could happen to her. She understood him, admittedly she did the same three quarters of the time, but it could be a drag.

"The vaccine against the dragon pox."

"Does it exist?" he answered in surprise.

He had never heard of such a thing, and he sincerely doubted he had missed the information. Dragon pox was the most deadly disease among wizards, but no cure had yet been found.

"Not at that time anyway."

"Hermione..."

"It's alright, don't be so impatient. We had to intervene at St. Mungo's once. The Death Eaters were attacking the hospital, and there were about fifty patients to evacuate. Of course, there were very few of us, too few to really hold them back, but I ended up fighting in the research labs. I managed after a long duel to take out the three Death Eaters who were holding me back, but you know me, it fascinated me. But being there also reminded me that I could never be like those wizards, locked up in a lab studying diseases, and more than anything, finding a cure. I took as much of my work as I could, stuffed it into my bag, and left. A few minutes later, the building exploded. That was really the last battle where we weren't just fighting for ourselves, for our beliefs. We were fighting for others. For the patients, for the mediwizard who were still supporting us, as best they could. Well, it all went up in fire. I spent many nights reading, trying to understand their research, it gave me something else to think about. And I studied the vaccine against the dragon pox. It's not really a vaccine as the muggles understand it, it's a simple potion, but unlike the others, it stays in the body. The main thing was done, I just managed to finish it, and make it work."

"How did you do it? You didn't really have any subjects to test."

"I only found out in Australia. I went there under false look, I assure you, and spoke to one of the people in charge."

Hermione felt compelled to justify herself a little more at Remus' pallor, but it didn't help. The more she spoke, the whiter he became.

"He took an unbreakable vow, I was not at risk, no one ever really knew it was me."

"How could you?" he whispered. "Be so oblivious? Anything could have happened, and I wouldn't have even known about it."

"That was years ago now. There's no need to dredge up the past, Rem'. I'm here, alive, with you. But there's one question I have. Do the Potters have a gene that makes them attracted to redheads? I mean, Harry likes Ginny, she's a redhead. James likes Lily, she's a redhead. Fleamont likes Euphemia, she's a redhead. Do you know if James' grandmother was a redhead too?"