A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews, favorites and follows after last chapter! Huge thanks to lanamarymack for alpha/beta reading this chapter. You can find me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions.
Please let me know what you thought of chapter eight and be on the lookout for chapter nine soon!
Hermione did not even realize just how much she was settling into her new Hogwarts experience, until the first Hogsmeade weekend was already upon them. She'd been so busy with all of her classes and spending time with her new classmates that she hadn't had much time to feel sad or wallow in self-pity with the knowledge that she did not have Harry and Ron by her side. Yes, she missed them, but at the same time, she couldn't let herself miss them too much or she wouldn't be able to go on.
It was a difficult situation. On the one hand, she could not give up the dream that she might return to her correct time, despite Orion's assertions that it was not possible. Headmaster Dumbledore was not helpful in that regard either. He seemed to be taking her adoptive father's directive seriously and was doing his best to avoid her at all times.
And, if she could return to her own time, would it be better to try to leave events as untouched as possible, so it meant that she would return to a future that she could recognize? Or, did she try to fix as many things as she could, so that she could make the future a better place than she had left it? Just imagine, if Harry could grow up with both of his parents and Sirius could be spared of Azkaban (no matter how rude she found him, she did not wish him to be falsely imprisoned).
There was another part of her that wanted to face reality and just recognize that she was probably stuck in the past for good and she needed to settle in, making the best life for herself that she could. The Blacks had done her a kindness by taking her in and getting her an established identity here, but if she was going to live here for the rest of her life, she needed to do as well as she could. She needed to make a life that she wanted to live.
In that case, she probably did want to make as many changes to future events as she could. She wanted to live in a world where Lord Voldemort did not come back and school children were not relied upon to fight that battle. She wanted Harry to grow up with parents, even if that meant that the Hermione Granger of the future didn't have the same friends.
She felt completely trapped by indecisiveness, acutely aware that whatever decision she did make would have consequences with far reaching ripples that would touch more than just her life.
That was probably why it was easier to let herself be swept up by her school work and the Slytherin girls that she now lived with.
Elvira had found out that it was her birthday and procured some strong brandy that was presumably made by elves. Hermione happily drank it with the rest of the girls while they talked over everything that they would be doing the next day in Hogsmeade.
They had all decided to go together, except for Nella, who had been asked to go with one of the seventh year Ravenclaws — a handsome wizard called Garrick Dale. The other witches — Priscilla, Mallory and Elvira — did not seem too put out that they had not been asked, and they were keen to do a bit of shopping around.
Hermione found herself agreeing to tag along, wondering if she should have run it by Regulus first. He had a wealth of knowledge of all sorts of unspoken rules in Slytherin house. But, she decided that he certainly would have told her ahead of time if there was anything in particular she needed to know about going to Hogsemeade.
The next morning, the girls woke up early to get ready (out of uniform for once), wanting to look the best they could. Even if they didn't have dates, it didn't mean that they didn't want to impress. Most of the time was spent making sure that Nella looked as beautiful as she could for her date, her long, straight dark hair pulled back in a half up style.
Priscilla smirked at her, after putting a bit of peach coloured blush on her cheeks. "Dale isn't going to know what hit him," she said, guileful as ever.
Mallory Warrington — who must have been some Aunt to the Graham Warrington that Hermione knew — then turned her attention to Hermione, putting a bit of makeup on her face. Mallory, with her stunning blue eyes and dark brown hair, had all of the good looks of her future relation, but she also was the most practiced hand when it came to make up. "There," she said, triumphantly, when she finished.
Hermione looked at herself in the mirror, quite pleased with her reflection. Thanks to all of Walburga's hair tips, her curls had become more manageable and something pretty, a far cry from the frustration she'd felt as a child. Now, with her makeup done, as well, she felt like she could see some of the Black family features that everyone was always going on about.
Only once all of the Slytherin sixth year girls had been assured that they looked lovely did they make their way down to the entrance hall of the castle to leave. Hermione saw Regulus standing over with his friends and some of the other seventh year Slytherins, including Severus Snape. She had done her best to avoid her future potions professor and he seemed to disdain her, too. Or, he seemed disdainful of everyone, like he felt that everyone at Hogwarts was beneath him.
Once the supposed siblings had locked eyes, though, Regulus was waving her over. Hermione turned to face the other girls. "Regulus wants to speak with me for a moment," Hermione said. "Will you wait for me?"
"Only if you put in a good word for Priscilla," Mallory said with a giggle.
Hermione rolled her eyes. Though she would deny it, Hermione knew that Priscilla Fawley had a crush on her brother. Unfortunately for Priscilla, with her golden curls, the feelings were not returned as far as she could tell. But, it wasn't as if she and Regulus talked about that sort of thing to begin with.
Walking over to Regulus, she gave him a quick nod. Regulus gave her a friendly smile in return. "Good morning, Hermione. You look especially radiant today," he complimented her, full of charm as usual.
Just beyond them, the four Marauders walked by, Sirius sneering in particular. He must have overheard this exchange, because then he was talking loudly enough that everyone around them could hear it. "Oh, I understand now. They had to bring in a cousin, so that Regulus would have someone to marry," he said, cruelly, not caring that it hurt his brother. "That's how my parents did it after all. Seems like a family tradition at this point."
Regulus did not take this lying down. "Oh, and are you just sad that you couldn't convince Andromeda to wait for you?" he countered with a sneer. "I know that you blood traitors would be very happy with one another."
That got laughs from all the Slytherin boys and made Sirius go rather red in the face.
"Regulus," Hermione admonished. "That was not nice. You should just ignore him. If you don't let him know that he's getting to you, he will eventually get bored."
He did not seem chastised at all. "I know, but... sometimes an opportunity presents itself and you have to take it," he said, pressing a hand to her shoulder. "Is he still bothering you?"
Hermione shook her head, hoping to diffuse the situation as best she could. "No, we don't really cross paths that often," she explained. She had been making great pains to avoid Sirius if he had his three friends with him. If he was alone, she hoped that she could talk to him one on one, maybe get him to see reason.
"So, you are going to Hogsmeade with the girls?" he asked, looking over her shoulder to where Mallory was giggling still behind her hand and waving over at them.
"Yeah, we are just going to walk around a bit. Nella is the only one with a date," she explained.
"Alright, will you meet us at the Hog's Head in the afternoon?" he asked her, obviously wanting to spend a little bit of time with her. "We usually end the day there."
"Okay," she agreed. The last time she'd been to the dingy little pub, she'd been organizing a secret defense group. It would be strange to go there under a different set of circumstances. "See you later."
After speaking with Regulus, the four girls caught one of the carriages down to the village, before stepping out into the bright sunshine. It was an unseasonably nice day and Hermione was glad to get out a bit instead of being holed up in the dusty library (no matter how much she liked it). The girls did their best to show her around the wizarding village, showing her all the places and warning her to stay away from the Shrieking Shack, which was said to be haunted.
They made stops at Honeydukes and Tomes and Scrolls (oddly, it was Elvira who wanted to stop in to pick up some new stationery), but the main attraction was clearly the perfumery, one of the few shops that did not exist in her time. It was said to include some secret ingredient that would make a wizard go crazy over you. Hermione was pleased to visit, smelling various perfumes until she was convinced she'd gone nose blind. She did purchase a bottle though — a pretty floral scent, with hints of bergamot.
When it was well into the afternoon, Hermione remembered her promise to Regulus that she would stop and visit with him. She told the girls, only to be met with a squeal of delight from Priscilla and Mallory, insisting that they all go. Elvira whined about how the Hog's Head was always dirty, but eventually even she folded and they walked along the path towards the little pub.
The boys had obviously been drinking when they got there. They were met with cheers and ruddy cheeks, which made Hermione's cheeks go pink. She did not remember a group of boys ever looking so excited that she should walk into a room. They waved them over and made room for the four witches, though it was a tight fit in the booth that they'd selected.
Priscilla rushed to snag the seat that opened up next to Regulus (even though Hermione was pretty certain that it was meant for her) and Hermione ended up pressed in between Rabstan and Ansel. One of the seventh years — Ogden Perks, she thought — went to the bar to order them firewhiskeys, despite Hermione's protests to the contrary.
"Come on, Granger. Lighten up a bit," Rabastan said, shouldering her with a friendly smile on his face.
"I just... I don't think it's a good idea," Hermione said, biting her lower lip. She was technically of age, but she knew that it was still against Hogwarts rules and she didn't want to be barred from future visits to the village.
"Oh, I forgot," he answered, rolling his eyes at her. "You are very serious about your studies. You don't like to have any fun." He lifted his glass to his lips and took a very practiced sip.
"I have fun," Hermione insisted, barely able to stop herself from asking her roommates if she was fun. She was a little embarrassed that she didn't know what the answer would be.
Rabastan grabbed one of the new glasses from the end of the table and placed it in front of her. "Enjoy then," he said snidely, clearly not convinced.
Hermione took the glass and looked across the table at Regulus. He was deep in a conversation with Snape, a broad smile on his face. He didn't even notice the puppy dog looks that Priscilla was sending his way, let alone the glass in her hand. She could not count on her brother to admonish her for this certainly unladylike behavior. Elvira and Mallory were no help either — each of them teasing Bernard playfully.
She turned to Ansel to see if she could engage him in conversation — anything to keep her from being forced to speak with Rabastan, who was admittedly already talking with Jamie Bole — only to find him still too nervous to speak with her. He was looking anywhere but at her and he was sitting on his hands, as if he was afraid to accidentally graze her, too.
Sighing, Hermione decided to give in. Lifting up the glass to her lips, she took a fortifying drink, mentally preparing not to sputter or choke from the fiery liquid. She was feeling rather pleased with herself when she didn't even grimace, only to realize that Rabastan was looking at her with a smirk on his face.
"What?" she demanded.
"See, I knew you could have fun if you tried," he said, leaning in closer to her.
Hermione leaned away, overwhelmed by his sudden presence. "Excuse me, are you sniffing me?" she asked, realizing that his nose was very nearly in her hair. And she didn't think it could be explained away by how tightly they were packed in the booth.
Rabastan shrugged, not the slightest bit concerned by the accusation. "You smell lovely, Granger," he complimented. "Certainly you can't blame me for enjoying it. You obviously put a lot of care into how you are received."
She swallowed, very nearly speechless. Taking another sip of the firewhiskey to occupy herself, she was determined to finish her drink as quickly as was socially acceptable and then return to the castle. And she would just have to remember that she did not want to get along with Rabastan Lestrange.