Time Boat

{10}

{10-Hey, One Question: What the Hell?}

Hermione let out an exuberant laugh, posing in every which way as she stood before a large white canvas the room of requirement was generous enough to provide. Then again, it had known what she wanted.

"Hold still, Hermione, these things are tricky!"

She giggled again, much to Mary's very serious warning. Merlin, she hadn't had this much fun with another girl since she and Ginny had stayed up late in the common room talking about Harry and Ron all night.

"Stay still or I swear I will stick you into place, Hermione! I mean it!" Mary scorned her, but she was holding back a laugh nonetheless when Hermione pouted out her lips and blew her a kiss. "That looks so weird when you're a boy, just hold it, will ya?"

"Fine," she admonished, and stood still, attempting her best Sirius-smolder.

While it was easy to talk to Remus on various occasions, he had almost no chance when it came to flirting. The poor boy was bloody awful and could, in one of Hermione's worst judgments yet, take a little advice from Sirius in that department. Assuming that's what their friendliness so far has been, but she was pretty sure at that point that she'd nailed down the reasons the rest of the boys snickered when Florizel was around Remus.

Hermione tried to rationalize it, to say that everything was going to be fine and that a quick memory charm would leave all of these people to their lives... and their deaths. James and Lily (who Hermione had still spent almost no time with besides classes) would marry and have baby Harry, and Peter would be the rat he was, and Ron would have him as a pet, and then... well, it would all go the same, and where would she be? Doing nothing to stop it, which for the millionth time, Hermione had to remind herself that it was the curse, that she hadn't come here to mess with time... no.

Her nerves were more wracked every day. She wanted to live in the moment, but she also wanted to get out and never come back, run from the situation and pretend that the past few months were non-existent. Unfortunately, it seemed there was no other way to return but live as a recluse for twenty-something years.

Hermione cringed, feeling her jovial mood fall as the camera in front of Mary's face did.

"I just wanted you to be still, not sad. What's on your mind?" She wondered.

Hermione looked up at Mary and attempted a weak smile, "Just thinking about the future, I can't go around being a boy forever, now can I?"

"You know, I don't know why you're doing it, and I won't push you for that secret like I did your true identity, but..." Mary walked forward and took Hermione's hand squeezing it gently, "I'll always be here for you, girlie. Maybe you can move or something, start again? I know you've done it once, so it shouldn't be too hard, right?"

Hermione inhaled and let out the breath harshly.

"You're right... I shouldn't dwell on it."

"Exactly, now give me one last smile so I can take a close-up."

Hermione pulled her best school-photograph smile and wiped the tears from the flash away from her eyes when Mary was done.

She was shaking the photo as she glanced over the pile she'd created on the table.

"Come and see, Hermione, and drop the charms, for Merlin's sake."

Doing as told, Hermione practically ran over to see how everything had turned out. Excitement began to thrum through her veins again, as she'd wanted to know what she looked like as a boy for weeks on end now.