Dumbledore's eyes twinkled that familiar twinkle once again upon hearing Hermione's words. "Actually I might just."
Hermione's heart stirred. This was it. This is how they would help.
"How rude of me. You seem to know Poppy and I but I have yet to introduce you to the bright young men that found you girls. Meet-"
"Sirius Orion Black. At your service." The black hair boy interrupted, adding a dramatic bow at the end. All to be a gentleman, of course. "This is Remus Lupin and James Potter." Remus gave a nod and a small smile whereas James had walked closer to her, taking her hand and kissing the back of it. "All at your service." He said, correcting Sirius' previous statement.
"It's a pleasure to meet all of you."
"Of course it is," Sirius commented quietly, although loud enough for the four kids to hear. Remus slapped his arm and muttered a 'shut up' under his breath. To their surprise, Hermione let out a small laugh. She turned to Ginny who had just started to stir.
"Morning sleepy head." Hermione greeted.
"I hate you Hermione Gr-" She shot up in her bed, wincing as she did so. "Are we in-?"
"Yes."
"But-"
"Doesn't matter Gin."
"Of course it matters we just- and then- what the hell is going on, Hermione Granger?!"
"Well, how am I supposed to know?"
"Don't you know everything?"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Obviously not."
Just as Ginny went to reply, with a smart ass response no doubt, a dreamy voice interrupted.
"We shouldn't fight amongst each other. Haven't you seen where that gets us?" Luna asked.
She gave Ginny the Daily Prophet then passed it to Luna who smiled slightly. "Well, we did it at least." Luna said, referring to the fact that they hadn't failed in trying to save the Wizarding World from complete darkness and despair. She then looked to the very confused audience.
"Oh hello, there I'm Luna... King."
At that moment the two other girls remembered their audience and Hermione blushed a deep shade of crimson.
Thankfully, Ginny caught on to the whole last name thing and quickly said, "Ginny Gray."
"Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and James Potter." Sirius repeated to the redhead, offering a small smile. Hermione watched painfully as Ginny eyes landed on James. He was almost an exact replica of Harry Potter, the boy Ginny had been completely infatuated with. A boy she would never see again. That's when it hit Hermione:
She would never see him again either.
Her best friend. Her brother. Gone quicker than a snap of someone's fingers. Was that selfish? To think about what she would be losing by going back in time to save thousands of people? Yes. Yes, it was.
Hermione swung her legs over the side of her bed and attempted to stand. Quickly failing and then falling into a pair of waiting arms. "Thanks." She mumbled as Sirius helped her sit back down.
Madam Pomfrey rushed over to the girl's side. Muttering things like 'Be patient' and 'what happened here?' and such. While Madam Pomfrey tended the girls, who clearly didn't want to be tended to, Dumbledore took time to address the three girls and the three boys. "Miss Granger, King, and Grey, I would greatly appreciate it if when you are released you would let these boys escort you to my office so we can get you sorted. Also, I know Poppy will probably be waiting about a week until she decides you are allowed to leave so I'm sure the boys would be happy to stay with you three so you don't get too bored." He left just after he said that, but not before he sent them all a small, almost unnoticeable, wink.
It was around forty minutes later that you would find the three girls' beds pushed closer together and shaped like a semi-circle, the three chairs completing the circle. The troublemakers brought dinner for the topic of the new Hogwarts gossip later on so they wouldn't have to suffer from the Hospital Wing food that was served to them. Of course, if Madam Pomfrey had found out the boys would definitely be kicked out of the Hospital Wing.
They were sat in the far right corner of the Hospital Wing. The three girls being closest to the wall. On Hermione's left, Ginny was still laying-or sitting now,-and to her right, Luna was doing the same. Both enjoying their first normal meal since this whole war ordeal started. Next to Ginny was Remus then Sirius, leaving him to be facing Hermione, and then James to close up the circle they were in.
"You know you boys don't have to stay here if you don't want to, right?" Hermione asked, feeling slightly guilty that they had to spend their time in the Hospital Wing with some random girls they had just met.
"Trying to get rid of us already 'Mia?" Sirius asked.
Hermione looked at the boy for a few seconds, not enjoying the emotional wave that her nickname had sent through her. She regained her words a few seconds later. "Of course not. You guys are nice company."
"Well, why wouldn't you want to hang out with us? We're awesome." James added.
Remus rolled his eyes at the antics of his brothers. That's what Hermione saw them as. Brothers.
"Ok when you girls finish your dinner take the sleeping draught and then you boys can head back up to your dormitories."
"Of course Poppy." Sirius grinned. Even Remus had to smile when said nurse walked off quickly, muttering things about 'those damn Potter boys.' All three girls took in the fact that even Madam Pomfrey had called Sirius a Potter.
"Poor Woman." Remus muttered.
Hermione smiled and reached for the Sleeping Draught Madam Pomfrey had left for her and drank it. The sour taste burned her throat on the way down. Her throat burned less and less as the seconds went by and she could taste the sweetness work its way down, cooling the burning sensation. Her thoughts of what she was going to do now that she was all the way back in 1976 slowly faded away and everything suddenly felt...okay.
"Night 'Mione." She heard her female best friends sync.
"Night." She mumbled back. And let herself finally close her eyes.
"Shouldn't you boys be heading to bed? Aren't there classes tomorrow?" Luna asked the boys a few moments after she made sure Hermione wasn't going to wake up anytime soon.
"Not until after you guys go to bed." Remus said with a small smile.
"Plus it's Friday. No classes." James added.
Ginny let out a small laugh. "Good. Maybe Hermione won't be to book obsessed yet then." Everyone laughed at that. "Ok we should head to bed and so should you guys"
Luna and Ginny clinked the potion bottles together and drank them. "Night boys." Luna said dreamily. They smiled at responded with the same, expecting to get a similar thing from Ginny, only to be greeted by her messy red hair being stuffed in her mouth and a low snoring sound. They laughed and waited until Luna had fallen asleep as well before they started talking about the girls. Nothing bad of course, they were just three curious troublemakers wondering how the hell they fell from the sky in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom when they didn't even go to Hogwarts.
"How did Hermione know who Dumbledore and Pomfrey were?" Remus wondered out loud.
"How did they even get here?"James added.
"What happened to them?" Sirius' question was one they all wanted an answer. They sat in those chairs for half our more discussing when Sirius noticed Hermione tossing and turning. He nudged Remus and nodded toward the girl.
"Should we wake her?" James asked as she let a whimper.
Sirius stood up and walked in the small space between Hermione and Ginny's beds. He gently shook her but it did nothing. "Hermione," he whispered gently "It's just a bad dream. Wake up." "Hermione please!" He pleaded louder now. He wanted to quit but he couldn't bear watching it so he shook her harder, obviously, it wasn't hard enough to hurt her of course but for some reason, he couldn't explain, he felt bad doing it. Hermione shot straight up in her bed breathing heavily and tossing so much someone could assume she was on fire.
"Hey. Hey. You're ok. You're alright." Sirius mumbled as she sobbed into his chest. He climbed on to her bed as she moved over and made room for him to lay down. He wrapped an arm around her and she moved in to lay her head against his already wet muggle t-shirt. "I'm s- sorry." She stuttered.
"Shh it's ok don't worry about it. Everything's ok." James and Remus exchanged glances and stood up quietly, leaving the crying witch and their comforting best friend squished in the bed. Sirius rested his chin on the top of her not so bushy hair and she snuggled in closer to him.
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it."
They sat like that for a few minutes. Sirius running his hand through her hair and Hermione drawing circles on Sirius' stomach. They both fell asleep like that, neither waking until the next morning.
Luna and Ginny woke the next morning before Remus and James had made their way down to the Hospital Wing the next morning. Something very very strange considering how late Ginny usually wakes. Her latest record being 3:00 pm.
"Well, I'll be damned. Not even a day here and she's already in bed with the Hogwarts Heartbreaker of this time." Ginny commented.
"I assume she had a nightmare." Luna said dazedly. "How did you sleep?"
"Not as bad as I thought it'd be."
"You sound surprised."
"I have a good night's sleep. I have to let all other emotions out of me so my sarcasm has the spotlight."
"There's the Ginny we've all missed so much." Hermione mumbled quietly as to not wake the sleeping Sirius.
"Morning lovebird." Ginny smirked.
Hermione shushed her and rolled her eyes. She noticed Sirius' arm was still around her and she hadn't stopped using him as a pillow. She looked up again. "Shut up." she mumbled snuggling further into Sirius' scent. He groaned and pulled her in closer. She yawned slightly.
"Still tired?"
"Yeah, a little bit." Hermione admitted.
"Go back to sleep. I don't think he's waking up anytime soon."
Hermione nodded and reached for her bead bag with an Undectable Extention Charm and pulled out a Dreamless Sleep Potion. "Cheers." she mumbled and chugged it down. "Merlin that's nasty."
"Go to sleep." Ginny ordered.
Hermione gave a soft smile and her eyes fluttered closed. Shortly after that Remus and James walked in. "Should we be worried about Miss Can't Keep Her Hands to Herself? James mused.
"I think they look cute." Luna said surely.
"I agree." Ginny said.
"I don't think I've ever seen him like this before." Remus said, sitting in his chair next to Ginny.
"Like what?"
"He was so gentle with her last night." James said staring at his best friend.
"I suppose he has practice." Luna quirked.
"Meaning?" Remus asked.
"With his brother. I'm sure both of them had them. Nightmares I mean."
"How did you know that?" James asked.
"It's complicated." Ginny cut in.
"Morning everyone." Madam Pomfrey said a little too loud. "Oh dear. I didn't realize anyone was still asleep."
"Hermione just took a dreamless sleep potion a few minutes ago. Has a lot of sleep to catch up on." Ginny said. Out of the corner of her eye she could make out the boys giving each other looks but ignored it. There would times for questions later.
"I don't think an army could wake Sirius up right now." James said.
The kids laughed as Madam Pomfrey ran her tests or whatever it was she was doing. No one was really paying much attention.
The week went on like that everyday. Hermione would often have Remus get her books from the library. He never minded for it was nice to have someone at his intelligence level in most of classes. Sure, James and Sirius didn't do their homework until the last minute and often fell asleep in class but, they were both very smart. Both denying it when Remus was to tell anyone. They had told the girls of their other best friend Peter. Hermione noticed that their exuses for him not being there were getting worse and worse. It was obvious the boys were even having trouble believing their own words. Love really was blinding.
The girls were released on Saturday the 14th. Hermione was thankful she could finally get to the library. The Marauders led the trio through the Hogwarts halls, trying to ignore the looks they were given, to Dumbledore's office.
"In you go ladies." Sirius instructed with a bow. "We'll lead you to your dormitories once you are sorted. Hermione and Luna gave a soft laugh as Ginny rolled her eyes at the boy, clearly unimpressed.
The trio walked passed the statue and entered Dumbledore's office, Hermione noting the password was Chocolate Frogs.
"I see Madam Pomfrey let you three out of the Hospital Wing. One at a time come sit." Dumbledore guided Hermione, Ginny, and Luna to a stool as he grabbed the Sorting Hat (who was obviously upset about being disrupted from it's slumber.)
Hermione and Ginny were both sorted into their original house, Gryffindor. Luna, however, had been placed into Gryffindor instead of Ravenclaw. At that Hermione smiled slightly.
"I'm sure Mister Potter, Black, and Lupin are waiting to escort you to your Common Room. It was a good thing we had a few extra beds in the 7th year girls dormitories." The twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes had seemed like a comforting piece of home to Hermione. Even if she didn't necessarily like Dumbledore. He had lied on multiple occasions and sent a bunch of children into a war.
"Thank you, sir." Luna finally said.
"Of course my dears."
They left the office to find the three boys standing there as promised. "So? What house?" James asked.
"All of us are in Gryffindor." Ginny said.
Hermione zoned out of the conversation. She was focused on what she could do now that she was in 1976. She knew there only five horcruxes made as of right now. Nagini wasn't even a thought yet and Harry hadn't even been born yet, let alone almost killed. That left Helga Hufflepuff's Cup, Tom Riddle's Diary, Salazar Slytherin's locket, Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem, and Marvalo Gaunt's Ring. The Diary was at Malfoy Mannor taht she knew, or hoped she knew. The Diadem should be in the Room of Requirement already but someone might have been ordered to hide it there this year. The Ring would be at The Gaunt Shack. Would the cup already be in Bellatrix's vault? Would the locket already be in The Cave? She also knew, as much as she hated to admit it, she could read up on things like that. She would have to think like Tom Riddle would. Where would she hide a part of her soul. Where would a psycho hide a part of his soul? But Tom Riddle had also hid some. Was Tom Riddle really evil when he still had his whole soul. He had a goal he wanted- no needed- to accomplish. He did whatever it took. Apparently, that was splitting apart his soul into magical artifacts.
She quickly snapped out of her thoughts when the finger snapping in front of her face came into focus. "You with us?" Ginny asked.
"Uh...yeah sorry. Just zoned out for a second."
"The guys were saying how we're sharing a Dorm with Lily Evans. Alice Day, and Marlene McKinnon." Luna said.
"There's only three of them?" Hermione askedx
"The other dorm mates didn't come back this year." Remus said sadly.
Hermione, Ginny, and Luna looked at each other. Each thinking the same thing. What if they were too late. Hermione gave a soft smile at the boys when they had made it to the open portrait.
"Thank you for being so nice to the weirdos who stopped by at such a random time in such a random way." Ginny joked.
Everyone gave a small laugh at that.
"Who else better then us?" James said.
Don't even get me started. Hermione thought.
The girls all made their way to the dormitory, pleased to find it empty. Ginny broke the awkward silence that had overcome them.
"This wasn't supposed to happen."
"Of course it was," Luna says "if it wasn't supposed to happen Dumbledore never would have prepared us for this very moment."
"This is it. Our Last Resort."
Hermione didn't want to say the words. She didn't wasn't to make it obvious that the fate of their family and their friends rested on their shoulders. But it did. Everything that would happen to everyone in the future, was on them.
They needed to put their future in the past and focus on the present. They needed to start over.
A/N thank you for reading!! I know Alice was a pureblood witch but I'm not sure what her maiden name is. If anyone knows or thinks they might have a better way for her name to seem more pureblooded please don't hesitate to let me know. thank you!!