Through Her Eyes

Chapter 10: Trouble

"Hermione?"

"Hmm?"

Remus looked slightly conflicted, features shadowed and downtrodden as his frown turned into a grimace,

"If you really are from the future. That means you know that I'm a-"

"Werewolf?" Hermione finished, swallowing thickly as she nodded, "yeah, I know,"

"So," Remus looked pained now, sinking lower in his bed as his eyes darkened considerably, "you probably don't want to...you know, be with me anymore? I'm dangerous? A monster,"

"Remus, you are far from a monster," Hermione stated, heart aching for the boy as he covered his face with his hands in shame, "you were the best DADA I ever had. You were a good man and a loyal friend and husband. You may be something else under the full moon, but you are still part human,"

"Do you know what the others are too, then? What they did?"

Hermione rolled her lip and nodded, not looking Remus directly in the face as she patted her knees with her hands,

"I know they spent the night with you, Remus," she finally mumbled, "as Anamagi,"

"You aren't going to tell, are you?" Remus questioned, slightly alarmed, "you won't go to Dumbledore? It's illegal to be an unregistered Anamagi-"

Reaching out quickly, Hermione caught Remus's hand in her own and squeezed it tight, finally summoning her Gryffindor courage and looking into the Werewolves face. He was handsome as a young man - Hermione decided with a small smile - even more so then when he had been older,

"I won't tell a soul," Hermione assured him, she herself frowning a bit as she remembered Aberforth's warning, "just as long as you don't tell anyone else about me. Deal?"

Remus didn't even think for a moment before nodding, placing his free hand over Hermione's and patting it affectionately,

"Not a word,"

Laughing together, the conversation was much less tense, Hermione only leaving the Hospital Wing when Madame Pomfrey finally came to shoo her out. It was long past time for her Divination class - the first class she'd ever willingly skip in her life, and Hermione made her way towards History of Magic. As it wasn't time for class yet, Hermione took the time to sit outside the door, reviewing the textbook until other students began to arrive,

"Hermione Black, how dare you!"

Hermione looked up from her text, feeling a hand grapple the back of her collar as she stared into the fiery green eyes of Lily Evans. She was absolutely furious, lips pulled into a twisted frown as she practically hauled Hermione to her feet,
"I honestly can't believe you!" She cried, "not showing up at lunch again; or coming to Divination! I swear Black, I need a leash on you or something,"

"She'd just bite right through it, wouldn't you, Black?"

Hermione growled slightly, seeing Lucius Malfoy leaning against a nearby column, "look at you, betraying your own family and then letting a filthy mudblood trod all over you. Pathetic,"

"Shove off, Malfoy," Hermione hissed, feeling Lily tense up at the name she had been called, "I didn't betray anyone,"

"Sure you didn't, Black. Being transferred into a house of hypocrites, before willingly turning your back on everything we believe in. Sounds like a traitor to me,"

"Sounds like your entire family, Malfoy," Hermione growled, stomping over to the boy and raising her chin up in defiance, "selling your souls to Volde-"

Hermione was silenced by a sudden prickle of pain, which zipped through her face and eyes like a lightning strike. The 'crack' of the slap silenced the entire hallway as Hermione stumbled backwards, blood rolling down from where Lucius's many rings had broken her skin,

"How dare you even think of speaking his name," the boy spat, marble eyes aflame as he opened his cloak to reveal a long black walking stick, "I'll show you what happens if you disrespect me-"

"Stupefy!"

There was a bright flash of light as Lucius was thrown off his feet and down the hallway, skidding on the stones as Hermione turned. Sirius stood there, wand raised, a murderous look on his normally happy go lucky face. James and Peter flanked both sides, wands also raised for a battle. Lucius scrambled to his feet, sneering at the three wands pointed directly at his face,

"Never talk to my cousin again, Malfoy. Or you'll regret it," Sirius seethed, "get out of my sight,"

Lucius sneered again before smoothing his ropes, whipping around on a heel and disappeared around a corner as the thickness in the air vanished,

"Hermione, you ok?"

Holding her face, Hermione herself frowned and nodded, rubbing the blood on her fingers,
'I think I just made myself a rather bad enemy,' she thought, glancing up as Sirius approached her,

"Here, let me fix that. Episkey,"

Hermione's face felt hot, then cold as the scratches slowly scabbed over before disappearing,

"I guess I owe you a debt, Sirius Black," Hermione stated, "thank you,"

"Lucius is a bigot," Sirius mumbled, "I hate him,"

"I think I have to agree with you," Hermione stated, walking to where James was currently comforting Lily, who was crying softly. Hermione was immediately reminded of when Draco called her a mudblood for the first time, as she had a very similar reaction to Lily. Reaching out and rubbing her shoulder, Hermione leaned down to whisper in her friends ear, 

"They're just words, Lily. Don't listen to him. They can't hurt you any more then an angry glare, they don't mean anything,"

Lily sniffled a bit and nodded, wiping her tears away as she patted James' chest with a hand,

"T-Thank you, James," she said, "I think I'm ok now,"

"N-no problem, L-Lily," James stuttered, his face growing a bright red under his glasses as the door to the History of Magic opened,
'Just after the nick of time,' Hermione thought, taking her seat next to Lily as everyone else filed in. Leaning over, Hermione whispered once again in Lily's ear,

"I want to show you someplace after class,"

"We aren't gunna do something dirty, are we Black?" Lily snickered, sadness forgotten as Hermione elbowed her in the ribs with a snort,

"You're not even my type, Evans,"

"Ahem? Do I have permission to start class, Ladies?" Professor Flitwick asked. Giggling, both girls ducked their heads quickly and flushed deeply,

"Sorry professor,"