"Ok so, let me get this straight," Remus said, holding a hand to this forehead as Hermione stared at him intently from beside the hospital cot,
"You're telling me that you died in 1998, but were somehow given a second chance by Death and he sent you back 23 years to 1975 - this time - as a different person. But you managed to keep the memories of your old life, and can't remember anything before waking up in the hospital last month?"
Hermione was silent for a moment before nodding once, pushing a lock of obsidian hair behind her ear as she grimaced slightly. Coming out of someone else's mouth, the truth really did sound crazy. Remus seemed thoughtful though, rubbing a cheek with a hand as he pondered about what Hermione just told him,
"So...you're technically from the future?"
"In a sense," Hermione stated, with a shrug, "but my interference has probably already led to disastrous consequences,"
"But if you really are from the future, you know everything that will happen?"
"Not if I managed to change it by being here!" Hermione huffed, leaning forward on a knee as she sighed heavily. It honestly felt good to spill everything to Remus, as he was already intrigued about her situation. But he was asking the same questions she had been asking since awakening,
"Remus, I really need your help. There is too much information to cover, and I've only gone through half the Hogwarts library, not including the restricted section. I would need James' invisibility cloak for that-"
"Wait, wait! How do you know about that?"
Hermione blinked in realization and face palmed herself. She didn't want Remus to know everything, but she just spoiled that secret,
"Hermione, how do you know about the cloak?"
"Well...I, er...James will give the cloak to his...his son, Harry,"
"James'll have a son?" Remus asked, face aglow with happiness. Hermione smiled too and nodded slowly, thinking about Harry and wincing. He was probably dead now because of her,
"Yes. James will marry Lily, and they will have Harry, who will then inherit the invisibility cloak. We used it all the time at Hogwarts, that's how I know about it,"
"Geez. What about the rest of us?"
Hermione sighed and told all the good things she knew about the Marauders. She told him about James and Lily getting married, and how Sirius would become Harry's godfather. She explained how Remus himself would become the DADA professor during her third year, and how he will meet a feisty pink haired Metamophgus named Tonks, and they would also have a son,
"-I also know about the map, Remus,"
Hermione was heaving for breath, speaking everything at such a rapid pace as to not forget anything. But as she inhaled sharply, Remus stiffened,
"The...map? Our map?"
Hermione nodded, leaning back in her chair and heaving another breath,
"The Marauders Map. It precedes your years here at Hogwart's, Remus. It saved our lives on more then one occasion,"
"Wow. I never knew...well, I had no idea we would make such an impact on Hogwarts,"
"Yes well, Wormtail, Moony, Padfoot and Prongs have quite a way with insulting Professor Snape,"
Hermione laughed lightly as Remus smiled brightly, lifting an eyebrow,
"Severus becomes a Professor?"
"Of Potions. He's quite adept at it, you know. You should give him a bit more credit,"
There was a thick silence as Hermione shifted in her chair, running two sweaty palms along her robes as Remus thought hard about something, a deep frown coming to his lips,
'He's going to ask about it,' Hermione thought, tapping her foot against the floor nervously, 'he's going to ask-'
"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,"