DISCLAIMER. None of the characters used are a creation of mine. They belong solely to JK Rowling.
The holidays hadn't been too much fun. Sirius and Reggie had flooed in once. When they had, Hermione had strictly chosen to comply by the rule of "ignorance is bliss". She had disregarded her feelings for Sirius as a simple crush that would pass away soon.
She couldn't ever feel more deeply than that for anyone. Not after Ron.
She had stayed in correspondence with Peter and Remus.
As for James, he had very unceremoniously announced his presence at home without any prior information. He claimed he had been bored and visiting Sirius was out of the question, of course. Remus had been otherwise busy since it was only a day before the full moon. Peter had been away with his family.
Papa had laughed a lot that day, greatly enthused at housing a boy of such mischief. It hadn't taken him very long to warm up to the Marauder. Rab, however had taken a while longer due to the incident that had happened at the lake. Papa was still not privy to the boys' part in Hermione's fall or he would certainly raged on for a bit.
Hermione had even taken James outside and into the forest. Other than him, Rab had been the only one to know of her escape. Perhaps it was just how James looked so much like Harry. But she couldn't deny that James had a certain pull to himself. She had always felt drawn towards him. Inside the shell of arrogance he so often wore was the softest boy she had known.
He was nothing less than a mother hen. She had seen him at it many times. She saw him make sure that Remus always had two full plates of lunch every time before the full moon. He made sure to intercept Sirius' mail from his mother. He never let Peter go marauding without finishing his homework despite how much he detested doing it himself.
James Potter was a conundrum.
He might pretend to be a bad boy. But truly, deep inside he was a puddle of a boy.
Harry would love meeting him when he eventually did.
James had made Hermione take him exploring farther than she had ever been.
They had come to a vast clearing where James proclaimed, 'This is where we build our little treehouse.'
Hermione and James had worked diligently for two hours collecting wood before James finally agreed they should call Rab to help them out. There way no way they could go about it the Muggle way.
It had taken Rab only twenty minutes to finish the job after which the three had spent the afternoon playing wizarding chess inside.
Blinky had gladly brought the trio some food and chilled juice.
Hermione felt immensely grateful towards Rab. He would always try and be a part of her life even if it meant indulging in the childishness of making a treehouse.
Rab had left them once his friend, now girlfriend actually, Melinda had arrived.
James had plopped down onto a plush couch.
Hermione commented, 'We have to thank magic. If this was a common Muggle treehouse I don't think it'd have held the weight of all the things you insisted on putting in here.'
James scoffed, 'It isn't a lot.'
Hermione tied her hair in a bun and pointed at the various things he had asked Rab to conjure up.
'We definitely don't require a kitchenette in a treehouse. We don't need a sofa or a bed. Treehouses aren't even supposed to have a bed. This place is huge. It's almost as big as our dormitories.'
James patted Hermione on her back, 'Well, its going to be very special in the coming years. You'll see. We're too close to the school year now but next summer the Maruaders, a certain Miss Lestrange and a very much in love Lily shall spend their days lounging here at Messer James' humble abode.
Hermione cried out, 'Hey, it's mine too!'
He shook his head. 'Nope. It was my idea.'
'Its my forest.'
'How possessive of you, Lestrange. It's mine.'
Hermione hit him on his head and went back to reading her book.
Rab had received his NEWTs a couple of weeks ago. Five outstandings and an exceeds expectations in Transfiguration.
He had left for Wales to attend the Institute aimed at curse breaking a day after James had come over. He would return after two years. However, he had promised to come home for Christmas and help Papa begin with Hermione's lessons in the Dark Arts.
Since Hermione had covered various spells from the hidden library already she was confident in her abilities to master them soon enough. She had nearly mastered the Fidelius Charm but was a long way from perfecting flying.
She did after all have her meditations to do for her Animagus training. She was simply doing too much and was beginning to feel the added stress.
Hermione had visited Diagon Alley with Papa alone and had met up with Severus and Lily to buy supplies for the new term.
The two had been very forthcoming about their summers. Hermione didn't have much to add in other than her time spent with Sirius, Reggie and James. She couldn't go telling them about her dabbling in the Dark Arts after all however much it would have interested Severus.
And so Hermione had entered her third year and was currently sitting among an incredibly bored group of Slytherins and an excited horde of Gryffindors as they waited for their DADA professor to enter the classroom.
When Professor Abbington finally arrived he immediately vanished the desks away and asked the students to fall into a line.
With a sense of foreboding Hermione looked at Severus who merely raised his brow at her.
She knew this seemed all too familiar. They would surely be practicing with..
'Boggarts!' The Professor clapped his hands in enthusiasm. 'Who can tell me what they are?'
Lily's hand flew up into the air and she answered, 'They are creatures who take up the form of whatever scares you the most. Nobody knows what they really look like.'
'And how do you defeat one?'
Remus replied, 'With the spell Riddikulus.'
Professor Abbington awarded five points each to the two students.
Hermione saw Professor reveal an armoire to the class from within which they could hear the sounds of something that kept smashing against its walls, struggling to break free.
They practiced the incantation and filed away.
James and Peter stood in front while Sirius and Remus looked hesitant.
Hermione knew why. Sirius would most probably be facing his mother and Remus would face the moon. Both of them would be incredibly ashamed.
The professor soon released the boggart and Hermione made it a point to stand at the end of the line. She hoped the class would be over before her change came.
James was facing an angry clown which he soon turned into a little hen. Peter had faced a terrifying snake. The Slytherins had snickered to themselves at the poor boy but when he turned the snake into a dirty rat they fell into an uncomfortable silence.
Lily had faced what Hermione would have once upon a time. Professor McGonagall telling her she had failed.
As Diana Parkinson stepped forward several things happened at once.
A Gryffindor had been pushed into the girl and the group of Slytherins immediately stepped aside, none of them trying to help her.
Parkinson fell down and Hermione ran to her and helped her up.
The boggart began assuming a shape but its attention drifted to Hermione and advanced upon her.
Her breath quickened. She wasn't sure what she would face but she knew whatever it would be was bound to be scarier than anything these kids should have to face.
Hermione saw Sirius looking curiously at her expression of complete dread and braced herself for the impact.
She shut her eyes tightly and only opened them when she heard a very distant but a very familiar drawl.
A blond head appeared into the room. The boy was dressed in immaculate black coloured robes with his face drawn into a scowl.
Draco.
Hermione stopped moving and saw as the entire class quietened, curious at why she would be so scared of someone who had turned out to be nothing but quite a stunning chap.
Draco opened his mouth and whispered. 'We had become family in those last few days, Hermione. Do you know what that means? It means sticking by them until the end.'
He sneered, 'But you left. You left my mother behind. My poor cousin. You left little Teddy. You know what happened to Bill? To Charlie or Percy? They're all gone.'
Hermione's lips quivered. No. She had made the sacrifice to save them. They couldn't be dead. He was lying.
He bent his head close to her ear and said, 'Everyone's dead, Hermione. Nobody's home.'
Hermione let out a strangled cry as Draco swiftly turned into a redhead with freckles that adorned his face like stars would, a constellation.
She cried out, 'Oh, Ron.'
Ron's mouth twisted into a grimace, 'I loved you my whole life, Mione. I died for you.'
Hermione reached out her arms, now completely unaware of the very rapt attention everyone was paying her.
'But you chose to forgot.'
She was almost about to touch him when her worst fear was realised in the form of her best friend.
Harry smiled ruefully at her.
Multiple gasps were heard throughout the room. They were seeing James. How could he be the terror that graced the life of one of his closest friends.
Harry spoke in a fervoured voice, 'I'm not coming for you, Mione.'
Hermione shook her head. 'No. You're here. I can feel you.'
'You're wrong. You keep calling onto the afterlife, Mione. I'm gone. Nobody's coming to get you. You're alone. All alone.'
Hermione fell onto her knees as her best friend's beautiful eyes flashed red. He was possessed by that wretched monster.
'Don't you dare think for a second you've got me fooled, you little girl.' He raised his finger to inch her chin closer to his mouth. 'I will end you. Just like your pathetic little blood traitor. Just like the Boy Who Lived.'
He aimed his wand at her, 'You filthy little mu..'
'Riddikulus!' Hermione whispered with a flick of her wrist and saw as the boggart's body exploded into a million feathers that fell down on the floor.
She raised her red eyes to face those of her classmates and dared them to ask questions.
Nobody did.
Especially not James who fled the room as fast as he could.