A light tapping on Hermione's forehead forcibly pulled her from a fantastic dream that she was back in the common room, surrounded by her boys and laughing over teaspoons, and alerted her that she was no longer alone in the room. She could smell eggs and bacon somewhere nearby so she guessed it was Leesy bringing her breakfast. She pushed the warm and wrinkled finger away from her forehead and grumbled incoherently as she rolled away from the eager elf. She pulled her pillow over her head and allowed the memories of the day before to swim through her mind; a reminder of her new task. Save the world. 'Well that should be easy enough,' she thought bitterly.
"Mistress must get up! Leesy has things to do today, Mistress," the elf pouted from the other side of Hermione's pillow-covered face.
Instead of answering the elf, she rolled onto her stomach and put both hands on the pillow, hiding away from the morning light as she hid her head beneath it. She knew that it was ridiculous, but if she didn't get up then maybe none of this would be real. Hermione internally rolled her eyes at herself and grumbled silent profanities, ones her mother would shudder to hear her say. She silently thanked Ron and Sirius for the knowledge she had of proper curse words, a silent pang of regret taking hold as she remembered the late graying wizard covered in tattoos. She could hear Lessy stomp her tiny foot beside her and she bit her lip in an attempt to keep from smiling.
"Mistress Mione, you be getting up now whether you like it or not! I gives you to the count of three, then Lessy be taking matters into her own hands!" the elf said with an irritated huff.
Hermione knew she shouldn't be pushing the little house-elf, but she was feeling particularly reckless and vengeful today. The stress of everything was finally getting to her and her mood was unstable. She lifted her hand into the air and ushered the little elf away from her with a wave of her hand. She had no plans to get out of bed yet; she had no classes today and wanted to hide away for a bit.
"Ok, Mistress asked for it," the elf said.
Hermione pulled the cover over her shoulders with a huff.
"One," the elf started.
When Hermione ignored her she felt the cover jerk away from her body and land on the floor. Before she could uncover her head she heard the elf snap her fingers and a splash of ice-cold water drenched her. She bolted up with a loud screech. The bottom of her hair stuck to her neck but the rest had been protected by the pillow. Hermione jumped from the bed and slid across the hardwood floor before landing on her bottom with a huff of breath. From the other side of the room, she could hear Lessy laughing hysterically.
"You cheated! That was the count of one, not three!" Hermione protested.
She fumbled across the room for her wand. She pushed her hair back and ignored the hysterical elf as she flicked her wand. Her clothes and hair dried instantly. She loved magic. She narrowed her eyes at Leesy and sent a tickling jinx in her direction. The elf screeched and fell to the floor, her laughter bringing a smile to Hermione's face.
"Leesy warned Mistress," the elf said in between giggles.
Hermione dried her bed and sat down at the table on the other side of her room where Lessy had laid out breakfast.
"I'm sorry for my poor attitude, Leesy. I'm not myself today," Hermione apologized.
The elf, who was dressed in a bright yellow dress, nodded her head with a smile.
"It be ok, Mistress. Leesy understands," she said.
Hermione finished what little food she could bring herself to eat and decided to find something to wear. She dug through her beaded bag and found a simple blue cable knit sweater and a passable pair of light blue jeans. She transfigured the jeans into a pair of bell-bottoms. She had once seen something similar in her mother's closet. Once she was finished she looked herself over in the full-length mirror by her bathroom door.
"Mistress be looking very pretty today," Lessy said.
Hermione thanked her and shrugged her shoulders. "It'll have to do," she told her.
Hermione turned around and headed into her bathroom where she pulled her brown hair into a high ponytail. She was silently thanking her mother for her obsession with 70s and 80s fashion. It would definitely come in handy.
"Leesy, will you ask the Headmaster if I could use his floo for my trip to Diagon Alley?" Hermione asked.
The little elf nodded and with a pop was gone. Hermione cast the Tempus charm and checked the time. Surprised to find that it was already 10. She hadn't realized that she had slept the morning away. Just as Hermione was unloading some of the things from her bag, Lessy popped back into the room.
"Headmaster has someone waiting for you in his office, Mistress," Lessy said, holding out her hand.
Hermione pulled her bag over her shoulder and took Lessy's hand in hers. She closed her eyes remembering the feeling of traveling with Dobby, it was much different than the gut-wrenching feeling of Apparition, but it still left her feeling queasy and she didn't want to lose the small breakfast she had eaten. Once the tightness of the transportation left her she opened her eyes and was once again in Dumbledore's office. She thanked Lessy and smiled brightly at her as she popped away. She was glad that she already had a friend who could make her smile. She was grateful for the little elf. Hermione turned to look for Dumbledore and found him seated behind his desk. She followed his eyes to see someone was sitting in one of the chairs in front of him. Dumbledore smiled at her and gave her a discreet wink, causing Hermione to narrow her eyes. She knew he had something up his sleeve and that, as always, made her extremely uneasy.
Her jaw dropped when his guest stood to greet her. He held out his hand and smiled, his soft green eyes met hers and she felt her knees weaken for a moment. She knew those eyes, even if the sandy blonde hair and scarred face had not tipped her off, his eyes would have. She would always be able to place those eyes. A young Remus Lupin was standing in front of her. She hadn't realized how much she had missed him until now. The green eyes of the young Remus stared at her in confusion before clouding with doubt and hurt. He stiffened and inclined his nose to the air; his eyes widened just a fraction before she watched the emotion shut down on his face. He started to pull his outstretched hand away and Hermione finally realized how her reaction must look to the self-hating werewolf. She immediately closed her mouth and took his hand before he could pull it away completely. His eyebrow shot up but he forced a smile.
"I'm so sorry. My manners are atrocious today. You just remind me of someone I once knew and it sorta shocked me," Hermione mumbled.
She bit her tongue and hated herself for the way her voice had squeaked and shaken. She took in a deep breath and immediately regretted it, his scent permeated the air and she was surprised she hadn't noticed it as soon as she entered the room. The smell of sandalwood, old books, and that earthy smell that always seemed to accompany him almost made her eyes roll back in her head. She was uncomfortable with her reaction to him and took a step back. He watched her warily as he also took a step back. Her eyes took in his much younger appearance and tried to hide her shock. His skin was pale and sickly he still had a few of the scars she had come to know in the future but most of them were noticeably absent. She could still find a few strands of gray in his hair and she knew that it was caused by the stress of his transformation.
She wanted to pull him into a bone-crushing hug and just cry until she had nothing left. She wanted to ask him how she should go about saving the people she needed to. She wanted to feel his arms around her, enveloping her in safety and warmth. She wished she could hear his comforting voice tell her how much he believed in her, but she could do none of that. She needed to remember that this wasn't her Remus. This was a young man who had probably been forced here to help a complete stranger, one who was now ogling him like a first-year witnessing magic for the first time.
"That's ok, Professor Dumbledore mentioned that you've had a long journey," Remus said as she noticed he tried to plaster an easy smile on his face.
Hermione forced down a hysterical giggle and nodded. "Yes...it was fairly long," she said with a small hint of humor in her voice.
Dumbledore smiled at her, his eyes twinkling madly.
"So, am I to assume you're here to help me?" Hermione said, shaking her head. She had no idea what devices had taken over her mind, wanting to be closer to him; honestly, she needed to get a grip over her senses.
Remus turned towards Dumbledore who had risen from his seat and headed towards the fireplace.
"Yes, I thought Mr. Lupin would be a perfect choice. I think you'll find he's the perfect Gryffindor for the job," Dumbledore said.
Hermione frowned at him, confused by his motives. She had already revealed too much to Severus, there was no way she would tell anyone else. So if that was what he had hoped for he would be terribly disappointed.
"Well I'm sure I'll enjoy his company then," she said smiling at Remus who was standing nervously beside her, trying to avoid looking her in the eye.
The headmaster tapped the fireplace with his wand and motioned for Remus to step inside. "Straight to The Leaky Cauldron," he said, tilting his head towards the fireplace and smiling.
Remus nodded and took a handful of Floo powder. "The Leaky Cauldron," he stated clearly, tossing the powder at his feet.
With a flash of green, he was gone and Hermione spun around to face Dumbledore.
"Why? Why would you choose him to accompany me? I told you of my relationship with the Marauders," she said pointing her finger at him in anger.
Dumbledore smiled at her redding face and twirled his beard around in his hands.
"I figured it would give you the opening you would need to get to know them better, as you spoke very highly of Mr. Lupin," he murmured, his eyes sparkling with mischief. Hermione huffed and stepped into the fire.
"You need to remember this is my mission and my life. Do try and keep yourself from interfering," she huffed, taking a handful of powder.
She dropped it to her feet and shouted out her destination. She exited the fireplace at the Leaky Cauldron and coughed deeply. The worst part of Floo travel was breathing in the ash. She found Remus at the bar, two butterbeers in hand, looking in her direction nervously. She smiled at him and took the proffered beverage.
"Thank you," she said.
She took her wand from her back pocket and with a flick of her wrist, she removed the soot from her hair and clothing. She took a seat at the bar and started to scratch on the label of the drink, a nervous habit she had developed some time during the war. Remus sat in front of her and was staring at anything but her, his back uncomfortably stiff and straight. It made her feel slightly better knowing that she wasn't the only one nervous and feeling out of place.
"So, Professor Dumbledore said you were taught by a Governess?" Remus asked politely.
Hermione choked on her drink and tried to think quickly. Damn that meddlesome old fool, he could have at least given her a heads up. Remus hesitated, watching her before he patted her on the back lightly as she cleared her throat.
"I'm ok. Just went down the wrong pipe," she laughed nervously. "Yeah, I'm from Germany, actually. I was homeschooled and taught magic by my Governess before my family died," Hermione said, her eyes seeming to cloud in sadness.
It was easy to think of her family as dead and gone because to her they really were. Her parents and the Weasleys may still be alive, but her version of them will never exist. If she has anything to say about it, the war would never touch the Weasley family and her parents had already 'decided' to move out of Britain, so she will never again see them. Something she was immensely saddened by, but she knew it was for the best and was grateful to Dumbledore for agreeing to handle the situation for her.
"Do you mind if I ask about your accent?" Remus asked her hesitantly. She glanced over at him in confusion. He coughed out his nervousness as he inquired about her heritage. "It's just that you said you're from Germany. Why do you sound as if you're from Britain?" She gave him a small smile, her mind spinning for an answer.
"Oh I was born there, but my parents are from here." she shrugged nonchalantly, "I guess because they never lost their accent, I gained it from them." She picked at a loose thread of her jumper, lost in thought. "They always wanted to bring me back here, ya know. Show me where they came from. It's disconcerting that I'm getting to experience it without them," she whispered softly.
"I'm so sorry," Remus said, placing his hand on top of hers.
Hermione gave his hand a squeeze and quickly removed hers. She tried to ignore the thrilling jolt the skin contact had given her and looked down at the bottle in her other hand.
"It's ok. They wouldn't want me to lose myself to grief. So, I'm here now and have a lofty inheritance from them. I have already started looking into getting a flat after I graduate," Hermione said.
Her eyes widened as she realized that was exactly what she needed to do. Remus nodded at her, she could tell he was trying to hide his shock. She hoped she had not seemed too callous, but she really didn't want to lie to him any more than she had to. She prayed that what little she had revealed of her past would be enough for him and the others. She knew that the entirety of Gryffindor House would be grilling him for information as soon as they returned. She placed her empty drink back down on the table surface and rose from her seat.
"How about we head to Gringotts and then go from there," she said, offering her hand.
"Sounds good," he said, slightly hesitating before accepting her hand. She pulled him from his seat with a small smile and headed out and into the streets of Diagon Alley.