We are not youth any longer. ... Erich Maria Remarque
Do Not Go Gentle
Chapter 15
Hermione was privy to a very surprising sight the next day. She had arisen early, intending on getting work done in the library and was descending the stairs from Ravenclaw Tower when she froze at the strange sight that awaited her in the entrance hall. James Potter was standing in the entrance way to the school, a large trunk beside him. As early morning light poured in from the open doors, he gazed off into the distance. His hazel eyes were bright with tears and he was clutching at his already messy hair with one pale hand.
He was breathing deeply, and his whole body seemed more shrunken and defeated than the usually cocky, extroverted teenager's body language typically suggested. He had not noticed Hermione, had not even looked her way, but was still just gazing out at the school grounds, out at nothing in particular.
She remained where she was, unsure of what to do. She had barely interacted with James that entire year, both his personality and his uncanny resemblance to his son a deterrent to getting any closer in spite of her dating Remus Lupin. Yet she could see that he was in obvious pain and it had never been in her nature to not try and help whenever she could. Yet would he even welcome her help in the state of mind he was obviously in? They were not friends and it had to be something serious for him to be in such an emotional state.
The decision was taken from her when another voice called from across the hall. "Potter!"
They both turned at the sight. Lily Evans, it seemed, had gotten up early as well. Her green eyes were regarding James's with curiosity and what looked like sorrow as she walked towards him. Hermione remained as quiet as she could, waiting to see what would happen.
"Evans." He replied simply. He turned to reach for his trunk, obviously not wanting her to look too closely. "I was just getting ready to head out." He started to lift his trunk, then dropped it and swore loudly. He then reached for it again, obviously forgetting that he could use his wand to lift it.
"Do you want me to help?" Lily asked him softly. She stepped beside him, her eyes scanning his face.
He flushed. "I've got it under control, Evans," he told her. He had stopped crying but his face was still wet with tears as he struggled with his things. "I've got it…"
"Potter, I just wanted to…" she tried again but he was clearly having none of it.
"I don't need your help!" he snapped out, obviously embarrassed. "I said I've got it all handled. I only have to get it outside is all and…"
"James…" She tried again. He froze to listen, obviously shocked by her use of his first name. "I just wanted to help. I've been up for awhile and I've got all of my homework done and it would really give me something to do."
There was a moment of silence. "Well, all right then, Evans," he finally mumbled, turning away from her searching eyes. "If you've got nothing better to do."
"Right," she told him, smiling slightly. She then pulled out her wand. A quick flick later and the trunk was floating in midair beside them.
James looked very uncomfortable. "Yeah I kind of forgot the spell for a moment." He laughed but it was without any real humor to it.
Lily offered him the gentlest look Hermione had ever seen pass between them. "That happens to me sometimes. Now let's get your things out onto the grounds." With that she headed out, the trunk floating in front of her, the sunlight gleaming on her vibrant red hair. James followed after her, looking sadder and more serious-minded then Hermione had ever seen him look before. The doors swung shut behind them with a loud thud, leaving her alone with her thoughts.
"James's father died last night," Remus said solemnly as he joined her at the Ravenclaw table later that morning. "He just left a few hours ago."
Hermione looked down at her toast in discomfort. "It wasn't Voldemort or anything was it?" she asked him, ignoring several people around her, Pandora included, flinching as they overheard the name being used.
"No, it was his health," Remus replied. "He was quite old and his heart has been bad for some time now. It was quite a blow to James though."
"I can imagine," Hermione said sadly. She felt pity well up within her as she thought of the distraught boy she had seen that morning. Her eyes wandered the hall until they came upon Lily Evans sitting at the Gryffindor table. Lily looked unusually troubled as she played with the food in front of her.
"She got up early this morning to see him off," Remus said quietly as he turned to stare as well. "It was very nice of her. Neither Peter nor I knew what to say to him and Sirius is plenty upset himself. He thinks of the Potters as his own parents."
Hermione nodded. "Well that was definitely very nice of her," she said to him as she returned to her breakfast. She was not going to tell him that she had witnessed them together that morning. It felt too much like intruding on James and Lily's privacy, which she was sorry she had unintentionally done. "I have to get to the library," she told him. "I have to get to work on that Potions assignment for Professor Slughorn."
"With Snape?" he asked her.
"That's the one," she replied simply as she got up, swinging her bag over one shoulder.
"Well good luck then," Remus replied. "You might need it."
She did, as Severus Snape was in an especially foul mood. "You're late!" he snapped as she placed her books on the table and took a chair beside him.
"I'm sorry!" She told him.
He ignored her. "I was planning on working on some additions to an Everlasting Elixir," he told her. "Here," he slid over his notes, written in the same small, spiky scrawl she remembered from working with him earlier that year. "We have to let everything settle in advance. All you have to do is follow what I say and it should be fine."
"This shows some deviation from the book," Hermione said as she looked through his notes.
"They are improvements," he told her. "I know what I am doing Perkins."
Hermione sighed, ignoring the exceedingly dirty look he sent her way as she did so. Working with Severus Snape was like walking on eggshells most days, just as potentially messy and twice as precarious. Yet she couldn't argue with the little corrections that she saw littered throughout the notes. Severus Snape knew his potions backwards and forwards, that she had known from her own time period.
For a while she simply scanned through the notes, noticing corrections here and there where he had edited to the potion. "Why stir counterclockwise?" She asked finally.
"What?" His dark eyes scanned the text beside her as she explained, "The counterclockwise stir after three clockwise stirs and before the fourth one, why?"
"It makes the potion settle faster," he told her. "It will then take two minutes less time to simmer before you can start on the next step."
"That's useful," Hermione told him. "Very simple to do as well." He didn't answer her. Instead he took his notes back and began organizing them. He was very protective of his things, Hermione had noticed, with everything always having to be just so. The wizard who was known for his lack of personal hygiene had always been so carefully organized with his things, from his schoolwork to his potions supplies in the nineties.
Hermione felt the desire to be in control as well and could sympathize as she listened to him speak about potions and their properties. What she wouldn't give for the ability to control everything that happened to her from there on out. She could change nothing where she was but it didn't mean that she wouldn't try her hardest.
"Are you listening Perkins?" he snapped suddenly. At Hermione's nod, he continued: "good so this is what we are doing." He pointed out the rest of the alterations and Hermione couldn't find any fault with them. She simply found herself wondering if he had worked out any of these with the red-haired witch before their falling out.
The next two weeks went by fast and with less than two months left until the school term ended Hermione found herself thinking with wonder at how fast the year had gone by. It had been almost quiet lately, the disappearances and deaths grimly reported in the Daily Prophet notwithstanding. Her time was kept busier than ever with schoolwork to the point where it was seriously cutting into her sleep.
Busy though she was, she couldn't help but notice that James Potter and Lily Evans seemed different lately. The bespectacled boy was quieter and much more somber while Lily Evans seemed to be going out of her way to be kind to him. After seeing them spend most of the year seeming out of sorts with each other it was strange to say the least.
She wasn't the only one who had noticed this. Severus Snape had been more surely than ever during their project time together and though he didn't seem too hung up about it Hermione had noticed Dirk Cresswell telling one of his fellow prefects that he didn't have a date for the upcoming Hogsmeade weekend.
Hermione tried to ignore all of the drama around her in favor of doing what she did best, which was to spend her time in the library, surrounded by books and parchment. She was going to try her hardest at schoolwork and leave the Voldemort studying for the end of holidays. Not alone in this goal was Regulus Black, who could frequently be seen in the library pouring over school work for his O.W.L's. On a number of occasions Hermione found herself debating over whether to take the seat next to him and deciding against it.
Finally the Friday evening before the Hogsmeade trip she took her things and settled into his usual table. It was only a few minutes since dinner had ended and she did not have long to wait before he showed up.
"I'm sorry," she said sweetly as he placed his books down by her with a pointed look. "Did I take your spot again?"
"I don't have time to argue with you," he replied as he took the seat beside her. "I have studying to do."
"I know," Hermione replied simply. "I was going to offer you a hand."
A brief flicker of surprise crossed his face before being replaced with a look of suspicion. "Why would you do that?"
"Well I have had to learn all of this before and I thought that if I could help then I would," Hermione said. She then reached for his copy of Most Potente Potions. "Potions first then? Excellent, I just got through the most nauseating project on them. I might as well put some of it to good use."
He didn't say anything for a few moments and she thought that he was rejecting her help. Then he pulled his notes towards them and they bent down together, one dark-haired Slytherin and one chestnut-haired Ravenclaw and started their studying.
For the better part of an hour they went over potions, her holding his neat, concise notes in front of her while he tried to remember the purpose of different formulas, what ingredients went with what and the different effects of the various potions he had learned over the previous five years.
And there was for once no fighting, no arguments over who was better, over the superiority of wizards over muggles and over blood and family, classmates and bullying. She had simply offered her help and Regulus, nervous over school, had accepted it. They turned to Transfiguration next and then had just time for Defense Against the Dark Arts before calling it a night and Hermione was pleased to see how much he knew. It appeared as though Regulus Black had made excellent progress in his studying.
"We could meet here next week," she told him brightly as she swung her bag onto her shoulder. "I think you have made excellent progress."
"Naturally you think that you're the one responsible for all of that," Regulus drawled, "I hate to break it to you, but I could have done it without you."
"I never said you didn't," Hermione said just as brightly as before. "If you don't want me to help though, I understand. I'm not one to push things." She turned to walk away but had only taken two steps when he called out.
"Well you might as well make up for all the trouble you've gotten me into last term," he told her. "So if you feel like it you can help, though mind you I don't need you."
Hermione turned back to him with a smile. "As I mentioned to you before, I never said you did."
The next day was beautiful and Hermione took advantage of it by strolling the streets of Hogsmeade, Remus Lupin beside her. Everywhere students were wandering about, with not even O.W.L's and N.E.W.T's enough to deter most of the upper years from enjoying the bright sunshine and light breeze.
"I imagine James is feeling probably lonely right now," Remus remarked as they walked along. "Sirius and Peter both have detention so it's just him."
"Should I ask what exactly they both did to deserve detention?" Hermione asked him.
"Probably not," Remus had the grace to sound slightly ashamed.
From up ahead Hermione could see Trixie Carter and Andrew Ryan exiting a shop together, several bags in their hands. "Probably at work on another experiment," Hermione told Remus cheerfully as they walked.
Remus looked interested at this. "They experiment on magic a lot?"
"Oh, yes," Hermione told him. "They make their own color changing ink and everything. It's very impressive how well their projects work."
Remus grinned. "I can imagine how well the failures must have gone."
Hermione grinned back as they passed a group of giggling girls passing Madam Puddifoots. "They may have color changed a few chairs here and there. As well as Trixie's hair." They both laughed as they rounded a corner.
Their laughs were cut off by screams.
Hermione's head shot up at the sound and her heart sank at the sight of dark hooded figures amongst the students. Death Eaters.
"Star gettin back to the school!" She heard a voice roar up ahead. It was Hagrid and as the students he was talking to made their way towards the road leading out of Hogsmade he charged forward, his ruddy face furious, straight at a Death Eater who was targeting a small group of students. "Take some o' that!" he snapped as he punched the Death Eater so hard he went flying into a nearby wall and sprawled out on the ground.
But more were coming and Hermione's wand was out and a spell had left her lips before she knew it. Jets of light flew back and forth as several of the upper year students attempted to defend themselves as they ran. Hermione dodged a spell and was pleased to see one of her own stunners hit its target. From beside her Remus was dueling too and she felt her heart leap in its chest as a green light sailed right by him, only narrowly missing its target.
'Stupify,' she thought as she fought another Death Eater. "Stupify, oh how can you target children!"
But they were ruthless and Hermione found herself jumping in front of a crying girl no more than thirteen years old. A spell slammed into her but she stood her ground and kept shielding the child even as she could feel herself bleeding. She continued firing spells as students continued to run past her on their desperate dash towards the school. A young boy tripped and fell at her feet in fear and she pulled him behind her as she continued fighting, a spell grazing her face.
Andrew Ryan and Trixie Carter were fighting nearby too, spells flying back and forth between them and a pair of Death Eaters and Hermione, too busy defending not one but two children now, could only watch in horror as Ryan shoved Trixie out of the way of a killing curse only for it to hit him instead. As his body hit the ground all she could think was that she had never seen anyone die before.
Up ahead Hagrid was raging, dodging stunners and killing curses, and taking into his arms any heavy objects to hurl at the advancing Death Eaters. James Potter was dueling too and Hermione could see him fighting back a pair of Death Eaters who were trying to break into the Leaky Cauldron where a large group of students was hiding.
Hermione managed to knock out another Death Eater and reached for the crying third year. "Come on, get to the school!" she tried to pull her along but the child remained in a heap on the ground, still sobbing.
"I'll get her," Remus lifted the girl off the ground. The other child, a blond boy from Ravenclaw stood beside her, too petrified to move and Hermione, her arm still smarting from where blood had been drawn, had to grab him to pull him along. She could still hear the cries and curses as the four hurried up the road of Hogsmeade amidst a throng of panicking, injured children. When they got to the entrance she made her decision.
"Here, get going to the school!" She gave the boy a shove towards the grounds and then she turned and ran back towards Hogsmeade where she could see flames rising from the sky. Several buildings had caught fire, though thankfully the Leaky Cauldron was not amongst them. As Hermione entered the main road she began aiming whatever spells she could think of at any Death Eater within sight.
Other students still fought as well, including James Potter, who was injured but defiant as he faced the Death Eaters and Lily Evans stood beside him, her own wand out, hurling spells into the field of Death Eaters. Hermione joined the fray, her arm still bleeding as she threw stunner after stunner. From beside her she heard running as Remus came back to join her.
Trixie, tears streaming down her cheeks, was dueling too and so was Dirk Cresswell, who looked as bad as Hermione but no one fought as many as James and Lily, who had gathered the largest crowd of Death Eaters to themselves and stood their ground better than anyone, taking out more Death Eaters and taking most of the attention to themselves as they held their ground and kept the Death Eaters at bay as behind them as many of thirty students crowded in the Leaky Cauldron.
They were not alone anymore though. Professors Flitwick and McGonagall had come to duel as well and Hagrid was still there, and a Death Eater went flying past her as she joined the fray. Hermione almost felt like laughing at the ridiculousness of it all.
And then it was over and a hush fell on everyone. Albus Dumbledore had arrived and any Death Eaters still conscious enough to get away began to apparate, though not all were fast enough to manage it before they were reeled in by a very furious-looking Headmaster Dumbledore.
Hermione was breathing harshly, her arm stinging and her robes torn and bloody as she watched the remaining Death Eaters get gathered into a heap by Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall and Flitwick. James Potter was disheveled and bleeding profusely, Lily Evans's face was burnt from the flames and her robes torn as well.
Hermione could see bodies in the streets, and not all of them Death Eaters and not all of them upper-years and she fell to her knees and heaved. Remus leaned down and reached for her with shaking hands and held back her hair as she continued until she was dry-heaving in the road, her throat burning and her eyes watering. Everywhere people were still yelling, crying and panicking and buildings burning but the sun still shone brightly, mockingly down at the burning streets of Hogsmeade and the broken students gathered around.
And that is where I leave you for now. Yes I was a bit cruel to the characters this chapter but I had to move the plot along somehow, especially since we are nearing the end of the school year.
