The Time-Turner Chronicles

Chapter 5

Padfoot Sirius And Head Girl Hermione

"Sirius. Sirius! You have to get to classes," Hermione said laughing and tried to pull away from Sirius's tight embrace. "Come on, get up now. What's your next class? Quickly, it will be starting in less than five minutes," she insisted and managed to untangle herself.

She got up and started combing her hair with her fingers, because it looked a right mess. Sirius simply sat on the sofa, looking back up at her as if she could save him the trouble of going to lessons.

"No, don't look at me like that. It won't work," Hermione said and reached for his hands to pull him off the couch.

However Sirius didn't get up but pulled Hermione back down towards him. She struggled for a bit, giving up in the end as she felt his lips on her cheek.

"No, I don't want to go to classes... I want to stay here, nobody will know, Hermione," Sirius pleaded and kissed her.

Hermione smiled and joined the kiss, until she suddenly remembered about Sirius's classes. She pulled away hastily and jumped up from the sofa. "Come on, Sirius. You can't go skipping classes like that."

"For you?"

"Not even for me. I don't want it to be my fault if you fail your NEWTs," Hermione said sternly, back to her old self.

Yes, talking about NEWTs and grades was more her element. It felt like telling Ron and Harry off for not doing their homework on time or copying it from each other. Hermione sighed. She still couldn't understand how it had happened. One minute, she had seen Sirius coming down the corridor with James, Lupin and Pettigrew, stopping to look at her... next she was walking down the corridors with him alone, hand in hand... he was holding her in his arms, kissing her...

She did not deny that this was what she had been looking for. This was what she had hoped to find, and Krum had not been able to give it. She had liked Krum, but in a different way. It was not really friendship either... friendship was how she liked Harry, Harry and Ron as well, she supposed. Krum just was not important enough for her. He might have liked her a lot, but she had not really felt that attraction towards him. It did not make her heart race when she saw Krum, she did not think of him all the time, actually she never really thought about him except when she got one of his letters. And that just was not enough. It was not strong enough. Not half as strong as the friendship she shared with Harry. It was a strange kind of relationship with him, a very deep friendship. And although it was so deep, she had never really considered him as a boyfriend. If she had ever done that, it would have ruined the friendship. Simply because it could change everything they were used to. And Ron? Hermione considered it for a second. It was true, her friendship with Ron was different than the one with Harry... but actually only in the sense that it was not as deep, that she did not know him as thoroughly as she knew Harry. But she could not go out with Ron either. It was like going out with her own brother. Hermione was sure, if she had the time to get to know Sirius better, if she was able to be with him longer, she could combine this strong mutual attraction with a deep friendship, the kind of friendship she shared with Harry. And that was what she wanted. Not only the sloppy-eyes I-love-you talk. Maybe if she had had more female friends, she would not need it. But she did not know many girls she was close with, they were too fussy for her - except perhaps Ginny. Yes, Ginny was perhaps her closest female friend, but she still spent more time with Harry and Ron. Although, in the past few years she had gotten to know Ginny a lot more and a lot better, especially since her fourth year... and then the fifth year with all the DA meetings and Harry and Ron being focused on themselves a lot. All the same, it seemed as if she had to find someone who had to compensate for her lack of having a normal girls' friendship, even if it sounded funny. Hermione turned the words over in her head.

What exactly was she looking for? How could she name it?

Sirius had gotten up without her noticing as she was so lost in thought and she suddenly felt his hands around her waist. She looked up at him as he hugged her tightly and wrapped her arms around his neck. She did not know how to name it. But this was what she wanted it to be.

Slowly, Hermione let go of him and turned around. "Come, let's go."

"Nobody knows this place here, there's really no need to..."

Sirius was trying to convince her to stay, but Hermione did her best to not listen to his pleas. She walked over to the sofa and slipped back into her shoes.

"I've got History of Magic, Binns won't notice I'm not there."

"You'd be surprised... he notices more than he says," Hermione said and started walking towards the trick wall.

"Hermione, wait," Sirius said and caught up with her, slipping his hand into hers. "How do you know about Professor Binns?" he asked, looking at her suspiciously.

"Uhm...."

Damn!, Hermione thought. I told him I haven't had classes yet. He doesn't know that I've been awake during more of Professor Binns's classes than perhaps any other student, awake during so many classes I might even have broken a record about paying attention in History of Magic. He still doesn't know about anything. And how am I going to tell him? How?... But I can work that out with Harry and Ron later, when I get back. We have enough time; theoretically, we have 23 years to sort this out...

"How I know about Professor Binns?" Hermione asked slowly, trying to gain some time to think about her answer. "I've... I've heard. That's all."

She had them impression that Sirius did not really believe her, but he did not ask any further questions. They were standing in front of the - now again - solid stone wall. Hermione touched it, but the wall did not change.

"How do we get through?" she asked to change the subject.

"Ava," Sirius said and waved his wand at the wall.

A small hole appeared, growing quickly until they could step through. Hermione pulled him through after her in case he decided to change his mind about leaving. She turned to the left. The History of Magic classroom was just down a few staircases.

The corridors were nearly deserted. She could hear a few students still running up and down them but most of them were already in their classrooms.

"Hermione?"

"Hmm?"

"How do you know where the History of Magic classroom is?" Sirius asked.

Hermione could have slapped herself. Not only enough that she had let slip that she knew Professor Binns, now she was also guiding him through the castle, although she had acted as if she did not know her way around at all.

Concentrate, Hermione! Concentrate!, she warned herself.

"Oh, I don't know where it is," she lied quickly. "I just thought it was located more on one of the first two levels opposed to being up here."

Sirius did not answer. Hermione cast a sideways glance at him and noticed that his mind was obviously working furiously behind his calm expression. She had to be more careful from now on. At least until she could tell him. Deciding to play the game better than she had before, she stopped at the next fork.

"Left or right?" she asked.

"Don't you know?" Sirius asked, hiding back a grin.

Hermione sighed. "Nope," she said heavily.

"I don't either," Sirius said, took her face into his hands and kissed her on the lips lightly. "Coming to think about it... Left, I think."

Hermione laughed. She knew it was down the right, he knew it was down the right. But she could not really tell him now, could she?

"Left then," she said and started walking down the corridor with him.

She slipped her hand back into his as they walked down the wrong hallway, both knowing exactly that the other knew it was the wrong one. Sirius was still holding back a smile. Hermione could see his mouth twitching. She started to laugh, first silently but then louder, so that Sirius noticed and stopped, looking at her. Hermione leant back against the wall, wiping away tears that were leaking out between her fingers, tears because the whole situation seemed so funny and ridiculous and Sirius started laughing as well.

"It's down the right," Hermione said and pointed down the way they had just walked from, still wiping away tears.

"I know," Sirius grinned.

"I know you know," Hermione answered, laughing.

"And I knew that you knew it was down the right. So why didn't you say it before?" he asked and took her hands. "You seem to be far too familiar with Hogwarts to be a new student. But I know that I have never met you before in my life. What is all of this mystery about?"

Hermione had stopped laughing and bit her lip.

"Tell me," Sirius said with insistence, looking deeply into her eyes as if he could find the answer there.

Hermione avoided his gaze and stared at the ground. It was hard to formulate it... What was she going to say? I'm from the future? I travelled back to the past to stop you being killed? And anyway, it could change their whole newly-found relationship if he found out about the age difference... the consequences.... She sighed inwardly. It was a really, really stupid thing to do; to fall in love with a twenty-three year younger Sirius had not been part of their plan. She had come here with Harry to save Sirius from dying, not to start going out with him.

"You wouldn't believe me," Hermione finally said flatly.

Sirius didn't answer, but continued to stare at her intensely. Hermione took a deep breath. This was the moment to say it. This was the only time.

"Sirius, I..."

But she stopped abruptly. Sirius's head spun around. She could hear footsteps approaching, perhaps two people or more, and voices. Hermione pushed herself away from the wall and listened as Sirius took her hand into his again. They were coming in their direction.

~

"What?" Ron said and stared at Malfoy. "Screw loose or something? What are you talking about Malfoy?"

"Quiet, Ron. I'm under the impression that we'll soon know why he was spying on us. What are you on about, Malfoy?" Harry asked.

"It's time to go now. We've only got approximately five minutes to get down to the Entrance Hall," Malfoy said and got up, brushing some dust from his robes.

"We're not going anywhere until you've explained yourself Malfoy," Harry said, whipped out his wand and directed it at Malfoy's throat. Again, Malfoy seemed to become anxious; his eyes widened for a fraction of a second and he tried to hide it - but Harry had noticed. "Explain. The faster you talk, the quicker we can go," Harry snarled.

"I can't, Potter. I tell you what this is about and everything will fail."

"Malfoy! You better speak if you know what's good for you," Ron said furiously.

"Shut it, Weasel," Malfoy said.

His usual sneer was back, his usual cocky manner. Harry sighed inwardly. At least he knew this Malfoy. His heart was hammering against his chest. Whatever this was about, it was not going to be good. He clenched his fist around his wand and told himself to be calm, even though he was boiling under the surface.

"Explain yourself, Malfoy."

"Only so much, Potter. If you don't move now, your mudblood mother will die before you're even born," Malfoy said with a mysterious glint in his eye.

"What are you talking about?" Harry yelled in frustration.

"This is bullshit. Harry, this is total..." Ron said.

But it was too late. Harry had dropped his wand and grabbed Malfoy by the collar, slamming him against the wall with all his might. "What do you know?" he yelled. "Spit it out! Spit it out! NOW!"

"There is a connection, Potter," Malfoy whispered as he was having difficulties to breathe.

"Let him down, Harry," Ron said urgently, made a step towards them and pulled Harry's fingers from Malfoy's throat.

Malfoy fell on the floor in a crumpled heap, rubbing his throat and glaring up to Harry, who was fuming and trembling with rage, just about to pounce on him again.

"There is a connection. You know how important those can be, don't you? And how fatal? I'm saying it again: your mother will die if we're not down in the Entrance Hall soon."

"And what's in for you, Malfoy?" Harry yelled.

"There's nothing in for me, Potter. But there is a connection. And if it is cut, neither one of us will live in the future."

"Stop talking nonsense, Malfoy," Ron said wearily and sat back down on the floor. "You're tiring me out. Harry, he's trying to lure you out, don't you see? He just wants to escape, that's all it's about."

Harry did not answer but continued staring at Malfoy. A connection... this was not nonsense... he had sensed it before, sensed it in the way Malfoy started to panic when they said they were not going to leave this room, the look in his eyes, Harry had seen it, Malfoy had not managed to hide it behind his sneer. Harry bent down and picked up his wand again. He had made up his mind. Even though it was against all odds, he believed Malfoy. It was the only explanation for Malfoy to have been spying on them.

"Get up. Get up, I say!"

Slowly, Malfoy got up from the floor, still clutching his throat.

"Go," Harry said and pointed his wand at the mirror. But Malfoy did not move. "Go! I'm right behind you."

"Harry!" Ron burst out angrily. "You can't listen to this bit of scum! It's a trap, I'm telling you!"

"Stay here if you like. I happen to know that he is telling the truth," Harry said. He was still looking at Malfoy. "Come on! Get out - now."

Malfoy turned, went over to the mirror and jumped out, Harry right behind him. Luckily, the corridor was deserted. Ron landed next to them a second later. "What if Hermione gets back and we're-"

"She'll wait," Harry interrupted him, still looking only at Malfoy. "Let's go."

Malfoy turned on his heel and they made their way back to the Entrance Hall, back to where they had been about an hour earlier. They passed by the staircase that led to the Astronomy Tower, crossed the second floor landing and went down some more steps. They were nearly in the History of Magic department now that was located on the first floor, just above the Entrance Hall.

They turned around the corner and Harry stopped abruptly. There was somebody down the corridor. They did not want to be seen, as little people as possible were supposed to know about their presence. Ron walked right into Malfoy, nearly knocking him over.

"Pay attention, will you? Don't act more like a Muggle than you already are, Weasel," Malfoy snarled at Ron who was too surprised to answer.

"Hermione?" Harry asked.

Two shadowy figures stepped out of the darkness of the corridor that was illuminated by only one single low-burning candle.

"James?" a young but familiar voice asked back. "What are you doing here?"

~

"Green eyes!"

Lily was suddenly sitting up in bed, staring straight in front of her, her whole body shaking as she yelled those words out into the silence of the hospital wing. James had been taken by surprise so much that he had let her hand fall back onto the bed. "Lily? Lily... are you okay? Lily, say something, please..." he whispered and took her hand again.

She did not reject him this time. But it seemed to James that her eyes were strangely out of focus as she sunk back into her pillows, breathing heavily. "The green eyes, the green eyes, they're here, I have to go, I can't wait, I have to go to see them, quickly, I have to go and meet the green eyes... Who do they belong to? Who do they belong to? They look like me, they look like you... the green eyes are waiting... the green... the green...." she muttered, totally ignoring James's pleas.

James got up quickly to alert Madam Pomfrey in her office. She followed him out at once to find Lily sitting up straight in her bed again, murmuring words and rocking forward and backward slightly. Madam Pomfrey frowned and got a potion for Lily. It was hard to make her drink it as she kept whispering to herself, eyes wide with shock, but in the end, Madam Pomfrey had managed to make her swallow the whole lot while James stood next to her, terrified. What had happened to Lily? What had happened? How had she got into this state? I would use italics here Lily stopped mumbling and fell back into her pillows again. Her breathing relaxed as she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

"Madam... Madam Pomfrey, what... I... how did...?"

"It's okay Mr Potter. I have given her a weak sleeping potion mixed with a calming solution. She won't sleep too long and when she wakes up, she'll be back to normal again."

"Yes, but... what exactly...?"

"I cannot say what has happened to her, although I do have a suspicion. I wonder, can you tell me if she took Divination at NEWT-level?"

"Yes, I believe that she does."

"Ah, that might explain a few things," Madam Pomfrey said, surprisingly cheery. "Don't you worry now. She'll be just fine."

Madam Pomfrey scribbled a few more things onto her clipboard and then left James sitting alone next to Lily. He took her freezing cold hand up again and tried to warm it in his. He at least could not see the connection between taking Divination at NEWT-level and being ill... this was even not only ill as in a cold, this looked more like a mental illness. Well, some classes can do that to you, he thought weakly. Nonsense, just because she took Divination at a high level did not mean that she would fall ill this way. She had been in a delirious state, like when people had were sick with a high temperature. But her hand was still cold as ice. Madam Pomfrey had told him not to worry. Hopefully everything would become clear once she was awake and back to normal. Madam Pomfrey said that she would not sleep for too long. She had told him Lily would be fine, Lily would be alright, there was nothing to worry about. Nothing at all. She would be fine. But the thought did not manage to penetrate James's mind as he sat next to her bed with horrid pictures about Lily having to be strapped up in a special vest in St. Mungo's, crying out about green eyes every once in a while.

~

"Harry! He doesn't know! He doesn't know yet! Go!" Hermione's voice echoed down the corridor.

However, Harry stood rooted on the spot, completely unable to hide himself from Sirius. Sirius... Sirius, his godfather Sirius, Padfoot Sirius... Snuffles... Ron was tugging at his sleeve.

"Come on, Harry! We're not ready yet! I knew it would end up in a catastrophe to listen to Malfoy. Now move, come on!"

Ron managed to pull Harry backwards a bit, but Harry tore away from his grip. His chest suddenly felt too small for the deep breaths of air he wanted to take. His heart was drumming against his ribs, it was sore, he thought it might just burst from the ache...

"James?"

Sirius stepped out of the obscurity, Hermione hanging on to his hand, trying to pull him back. Ron was also trying to pull Harry away from where he was standing and proving himself to be just as unsuccessful as Hermione. Malfoy, whom Harry thought might take this chance and escape, stood next to them calmly. However he kept glancing at Ron's watch, as if he was trying to work out how much more time they had left.

"Sirius..." Harry finally managed to say in a croaky voice.

He thought he was about to explode with all the emotions inside him fighting to come out. Firstly there was his immense happiness of seeing Sirius again, seeing him again after nearly two whole years, seeing Sirius, the representant of his parents, his godfather and only person he considered as his real family... secondly, right after this happy thought, Harry's memory of Sirius's death came to his mind... the cold high pitched laugh of Voldemort... luring him to the Department of Mysteries... bringing everybody into danger... Sirius bursting in with the members of the Order to save him... Bellatrix Lestrange... the triumphant smile she had worn as she had knocked Sirius into the veil with a Stunning Spell. Sirius's death was all his fault... it was all his fault... if he didn't have to act like a hero all the time... if he had thought, only for a moment... and now Sirius was standing here, in front of him, calling to him, calling him James... as Hermione had said ages ago....

He's living through us, sometimes I don't know if he realizes you're not James, Harry...

And now he was calling him James, now he was alive, he didn't know about the way his life would go, he didn't know that not Lupin but Pettigrew would betray him, he didn't know he would spend twelve years in Azkaban, he didn't know that he would end up going back to his parents' house and end up dying because of the dirty house-elf and because of his own godson... he didn't know... he didn't know...

"Sirius. Sirius! Wait, let me explain, please, please, you can't... you won't understand, please listen to me Sirius..." Hermione was pleading, but Sirius tried to shake her off.

"What is going on here?" he asked and stared at Harry, Ron and Malfoy.

"Sirius, listen to me, it's hard to believe, I know, but you have to believe me, otherwise you will think you're mad, Sirius, we've come from the..."

"Shut up, Granger!" Malfoy's cold voice suddenly rang through the corridor. "You haven't got the right approach to this subject! There's no time to explain. Potter, move. Your mother is standing only a few inches from death. And I thought you came here to save her from it."

Malfoy's cold drawl managed to waken Harry from his trance. He made a step forward towards Sirius but Ron immediately went to stand between them, making it unable for Harry to get through, trying to hide Harry from Sirius, while Harry tried to break loose.

"Hermione!" Ron yelled, having problems to keep Harry in check so that in the end Malfoy actually grabbed Harry's arm to stop him from getting to Sirius. "Hermione! We're going down to the Entrance Hall. Harry says he's found out why Malfoy's here. There's some funny connection between something... I didn't understand it. Wait for us, will you? Don't come down. We'll find you again somehow. We'll find you," Ron yelled, completely out of breath.

Finally with Malfoy's help, he managed to drag Harry away from Sirius who was standing still on the spot, oblivious to the fact that Hermione was trying to make him move.

"Let... me... get... to... Sirius! Leave me alone!" Harry cried, kicking wildly around but found himself being dragged around the corner, out of Sirius's view, slammed against the wall and slapped into the face.

"Potter! Get a hold on yourself!"

Harry fell quiet at once. Ron was standing just behind Malfoy who had obviously slapped him hard in the face. Too surprised to retaliate, Harry stared at Malfoy who was surprisingly calm.

"Come on. We're going down this way." Malfoy grabbed Harry's arm and started pulling him in the other direction. Ron even managed to take a hold of Harry's hand and help Malfoy. They had just started walking down a flight of steps as they heard somebody yelling.

"Ron! Harry! Sirius is coming! He still doesn't know! He doesn't know, I'm trying to stop him, but he's going down to the Entrance Hall, do you hear?"

It was Hermione's voice. Harry wanted to say something but her voice died away. She was probably running down to the Entrance Hall the way they had planned to go, running after Sirius, hoping to be able to make him leave or hoping to be able to explain before anything major happened.

"Well, luckily enough, it doesn't matter if we have spectators," Malfoy said, still very calm. "Tell me the time, Weasel."

"Five past one," Ron said to Harry's astonishment, with a hint of exhaustion but not starting a fight.