It's About Time

Chapter Eleven.

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“So, finally, Alice came in and performed the counter-spell,” James explained to an attentive Remus. “But by that time, my parchment was ruined and a chunk of Hermione’s hair had been ripped out!”

Remus surveyed James for a short time… biting his bottom lip to keep from laughing. James noticed this and flared up again.

“Why are you laughing, Moony?! Sirius just left us there… to go meet a girl! He’s in breach of the Marauder’s Code.”

Now Remus was laughing full out.

“James,” He laughed. “First off, there is no such thing as the Marauder’s Code.”

“Well, there should be,” James grumbled under his breath.

“And second, what exactly would you propose I do about the situation anyways?” Remus asked.

James gaped at his friend in disbelief.

“So, you think it’s alright that he left me stranded after being hexed by Evans?”

Remus smiled placidly.

“No, I don’t think it was alright… but I do think it’s bloody hilarious.”

Seeing James open his mouth to argue, Remus hastened to continue.

“But, Hermione is a bright girl. I’m sure Sirius assumed you two would be able to reverse the spell in time… on your own.”

“In time, is right. We were stuck like that for nearly an hour!”

“There is no sense in being angry at Sirius. If it were he who had been stuck to Hermione, you probably would have left them too,” Remus pointed out in his classic logical manner.

“Well, I’m not so sure he would have minded being stuck to Hermione,” James said deliberately.

Looking over at James sharply, Remus asked, “What do you mean?”

“It’s just that I get the impression that… if he didn’t have Callie then he might-”

Remus, though, attentively as he was listening, did not get to hear the rest of James prediction, for at that moment, the portrait swung open and Sirius Black sauntered into the nearly empty common room.

“Prongs, my friend!” Sirius greeted him pleasantly. “How lovely to see you without your entourage. Hermione and that chair were most distracting!”

James looked at Sirius reproachfully.

“You arse, Padfoot! I can’t believe you left me like that!”

Sirius smirked at James, ignoring the glare he was receiving.

“This is the thanks I get for leaving you alone with a beautiful girl in a compromising position?”

James furrowed his brow in confusion.

Sirius raised an eyebrow in question and went on, “Don’t tell me that you were, more or less, trapped with Hermione… all alone… and it never occurred to you to… well, if I have to explain all this to you-”

“Padfoot…” Remus warned, giving Sirius a cautionary look.

“Alright,” said Sirius, abandoning his taunting of James. “I apologize, Prongs. But I did have to rush off… unlike me, Callie is not best friends with the Head Boy, and has to be back to her common room by curfew, which meant that we had to make the most of the time we had.”

He gave his friend a hopeful smile, which James finally returned.

“Don’t think I won’t get you back for this one,” James informed him with a grin. “And don’t think I’m going to be nice and spare your girlfriend either.”

“Girlfriend?” Sirius objected at once. “Let’s not start spreading vicious rumors, eh? That’s just cruel.”

The friends started laughing and soon enough, all was forgotten.

Remus joined in their laughter with great relief. He was not interested in playing referee between his friends, especially, when he had an inclination that there was more to Sirius’ behavior earlier than he was willing to admit.

Deciding to spend the rest of the evening conspiring with his best friends rather than studying, he began packing up his things when he noticed something gold stuck in one of the pockets of his book bag.

He reached down and pulled the item out, turning it over in his hands he realized it was a Honeydukes chocolate bar… his favorite. But he’d finished off his stash weeks ago he knew, and with his heightened senses, there was no way he could have missed this bar, stuck inside his bag.

Still looking at the gold-foil wrapped chocolate in his hands, he spoke up to James and Sirius, “Did one of you put this in my bag?”

The two boys looked at him incredulously.

“Honestly, Moony,” James started. “If we were going to slip something into your bag without your knowledge, what are the odds it would be an unassuming bar of chocolate?”

“Good point,” Sirius added in agreement.

Remus did not answer but took a closer look at the wrapper of the candy bar. There was something written on the label in an unfamiliar script:

“I owe you one.”

Remus repeated the message aloud. James and Sirius stopped mid-conversation; they’d been plotting how to charm the mirrors in the girls’ bathroom to insult anyone who looked into them.

“Who owes you one?” James asked with great interest.

“No idea,” Remus answered plainly, handing the chocolate bar to James, who read the cryptic message aloud before handing it to Sirius.

He, too, read the note out loud, a wide smile and realization crossing his face.

“Well, well, well,” he mused. “It seems Moony has a secret admirer.”

Remus, genuinely taken aback, could only repeat his friend’s words. “Admirer?”

“Why would someone ‘owe you one’, Moons?” James asked again.

Ever the knowledgeable ladies man, Sirius answered for him.

“Does the name Nadine Westmere mean anything to you?” Sirius said, goading his friend.

Remus flushed and his stomach did a somersault.

“I… I let her by the Tickling Charm…” he gulped.

“That Ravenclaw girl?” James asked. “Nice work, Moony! She’s one of the best looking birds in the sixth year.”

“Yeah, she’s pretty… umm… pretty,” murmured Remus, still looking intently at the chocolate bar as though it would disappear at any moment proving to be a cruel joke played by his friends.

Sirius and James grinned proudly at Remus. It wasn’t uncommon for girls to notice Remus, he was certainly one of the most popular boys in school, this was different though. Most girls would admire him from a distance, giggling as he passed them in the corridors… a wasted effort; for Remus was far too shy to approach any of them, even if he wanted to.

But Nadine Westmere had bypassed the customary route and taken the necessary initiative.

After a few more moments of quiet contemplation and incredulity, Remus stood and said he was going to bed.

He gathered his things and headed to the boys stairs, his mind already racing to guess when he would see Nadine again and find out if it was, in fact, she who had left him the chocolate.

As his foot reached the top step of the staircase, his friends below in the common room called out to him.

In unison, James and Sirius spoke loudly in a hyperbolic mock feminine tone.

“We owe you one, Moony!”

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“I’m counting to five then I’m coming in so you both had better be fully clothed and on opposite sides of the room,” Shouted Ron from outside the door of Ginny’s rooms.

His bellowing did not seem to garner any sort of response from within so he continued.

“Alright, I’m counting! Five… Four… Three… Tw – ”

The door swung open and a bathrobe clad Ginny lunged at him, covering his mouth.

“Have you lost your mind, Ronald?” She asked him disbelievingly. “It is after midnight!”

Yanking her hand away from his face, Ron responded in the most big-brotherly voice he could manage.

“Exactly my point, Ginevra. Harry was supposed to be back in our rooms at midnight. He never showed… so here I am.”

“Oh grow up, Ron!” Ginny scolded him as she turned and walked back through the door, waving at him, indicating that he follow her.

She turned and placed a finger over her lips to silence any further outbursts from her brother.

“Harry’s sleeping,” She whispered, pointing at the soundly sleeping dark-haired boy on the sofa.

Ron raised his eyebrows suspiciously.

“Oh come off it, Ron,” Ginny said, shaking her head. “You know how exhausted he’s been. He fell asleep and I wasn’t about to wake him. He needs the rest.”

Ron conceded with a nod. He sank into an armchair with a concerned look on his face that could only have been inherited from his mother as he watched Harry sleep.

“Did you guys find anything else in ‘Hogwarts: A History’ that explained about the flashbacks?” He asked in a hushed tone.

Ginny sat in a chair across from him, holding a mug of hot tea with both hands.

“Well,” She said taking a slow sip of her tea. “I was thinking… if Hermione’s memories are imprinted within the school’s own memory, then… maybe, if we knew what happened to her while she was there… or here… at Hogwarts, I mean… well, it may help to explain the connections, the flashbacks... What do you think?”

“It couldn’t hurt,” He said in agreement. “But how are we going to get that information when McGonagall is dead set against telling us anything?”

“We get Remus alone… that’s how,” Ginny said firmly. “I know that Dumbledore hadn’t wanted them to tell us anything but the fact is… Dumbledore is gone. And the answers lie with only those who were there.”

The siblings looked at one another and then to their sleeping friend. Each silently praying that by the time they had all of the pieces of this puzzle, it wouldn’t be too late to help him.

They sat in silent contemplation, watching the fire die down slowly. Before long Ron’s eyelids began to grow heavy with exhaustion. He rose out of the chair and nudged Ginny who had dozed off in her own armchair. She yawned and stretched her arms above her head.

“Goodnight Ginny,” He said quietly, placing a kiss on the top of her head.

“’Night Ron,” She said sleepily.

She heard the door close gently behind him.

Ginny rubbed her neck which was already slightly stiff from reading all day and now from falling asleep slouched in the armchair. She moved over to where Harry was still sleeping peacefully.

As much as she hated to wake him, she knew his legs would be horribly cramped in the morning from sleeping all night on the too short sofa.

She gently shook his shoulder.

“Harry,” She said his name sleepily.

Kneeling down on the floor beside the sofa, she leaned closer to his ear.

“Harry,” she repeated.

He stirred slightly but did not open his eyes. She nudged him again and kissed his forehead.

“Wake up, Harry,” She said once more.

Harry did not open his eyes but he wrapped his arm around her waist pulling her closer.

Ginny smiled and swatted at him. “Have you been awake all this time?” She laughed.

“No,” Harry said tiredly. “Just long enough for your unassuming brother to leave.”

Her giggle was stifled when he tightened his grip on her and pulled her down, his lips meeting hers in a slow, indulgent kiss. Harry was certain that nothing in the world could feel so wonderful as waking up to this beautiful girl, and he kissed her more deeply still, taking advantage of the privacy.

Their kiss slowed and they parted. Ginny stood, taking Harry’s hands and pulling him upright.

“Come on,” She beckoned. “Let’s go to bed.”

Harry allowed her to lead him into the adjoining bedroom where they both crawled under the covers, Ginny automatically cuddled closer to lay securely in his arms.

Gripping her waist with his hands, Harry pulled her until she lay atop him and he kissed her again. He ran his fingers through her hair, as she pressed herself against him, trailing her lips gently down his neck.

In one smooth motion, she pulled Harry’s shirt over his head, then untied the silk ribbon that held her robe closed.

Harry pushed the robe down her shoulders until it slid completely free of her. Running his hands up her arms, across her back and just enjoying the feel of her soft, warm skin against him.

He rolled over and raised himself so he lay over her. In a moment, Ginny had unbuttoned his pants, sliding them down over his hips slowly along with his boxers.

Harry pulled her panties down and tossed them aside, covering her body with his.

The way she made him feel and the anticipation of their intimate unions had not faded. If anything, it had increased ten-fold as he now knew the reality of the euphoria he could experience with her.

He kissed her again, giving way to their passion.

All he knew was that he never wanted to spend another day without her beside him. The two began to move together in time as she took his breath away.

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The next morning before breakfast, Hermione walked through the corridors towards the Great Hall.

She had gone early to see Madam Pomfrey for a hair re-growth potion to fix the bald patch created when James had pried his hand out of her hair. She couldn’t decide which pain was worse… when she and Sirius collided into one another or this?

Regardless, Madam Pomfrey was growing increasingly irritated with her constant presence in the hospital wing, it was her fourth visit in just over a month. Even Harry and Ron hadn’t spent this much time in the hospital and in addition to their reckless adventures; they were both on the house Quidditch team.

She shook her head at the thought… Hermione had no such excuse besides the fact that she simply seemed to find herself in these situations.

Her stomach groaned loudly in hunger as she quickened her pace down a staircase and through another corridor as she made her way downstairs.

As she neared another turn she heard soft voices and she stopped abruptly. They were coming from just around the corner, only a few feet away. She turned back, opting to take another route to the Great Hall rather than interrupt, when she heard a fragment of their conversation.

“That’s not true,” Giggled a female’s voice. “Really?”

“It is,” Replied a male. “There are certain cultures in the world where they believe that a kiss is the most intimate of acts. They think that when two people kiss, they momentarily share bits of each other’s souls within their breath.”

Hermione eyes widened as she recognized the words immediately.

Sirius.

Sirius had said those same words to her under the mistletoe when they kissed at Christmas during her fifth year. Theirs was a brief, chaste kiss… but it had sent her reeling at the time, she could still recall it vividly.

Though, Hermione was doubtful that there was anything chaste about his relationship with Callie. She realized that this line must have been one he’d always used with his female conquests.

Deciding against taking an alternate route, Hermione smirked as she rounded the corner spotting the couple only a few feet away. Callie’s back was pressed against the wall and Sirius was leaning in closely, one hand planted on either side of her.

“Oh my!” Hermione said, louder than was necessary. “Don’t mind me. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

Sirius turned his head away from Callie and his mouth dropped open when he spotted the intruder.

“Close your mouth, Sirius,” Hermione teased as she walked around them. “You wouldn’t want any ‘bits’ of your soul to fall out.”

Her smile faded slowly as she walked away. She shook her head again, trying to force from her mind the image of Sirius leaning dangerously close to the beautiful, blonde Ravenclaw.

Behind her Sirius Black was watching her retreating form in astonishment. He wasn’t used to girls teasing him… or mocking his trademark “lines”. Hermione Granger was absolutely and completely different than any girl he had ever encountered.

“Sirius?” Callie spoke up.

“Hmm?” He mumbled, still completely distracted.

“I said your name about four times, Sirius,” Callie said dubiously.

“Did you?” He answered her vaguely. Craning his neck to look down the corridor to see if Hermione was still visible.

“I did,” she confirmed, watching him with dwindling patience. “Are we going down to breakfast?”

“Yeah…” He replied, finally turning to face her again.

She beamed at him. Reaching up she pressed her lips against his languidly and he automatically returned the kiss… slowly at first but as the image of Hermione came to the forefront of his mind, he began to return the kiss with an increased fervor. He pictured Hermione beside him under a starlit sky, their lips meeting… and he completely let himself go.

“Siri- Mmmph… Sirius!” Callie pushed him back.

Sirius opened his eyes and looked down at her…for a moment he was puzzled to see Callie, and not Hermione, there before him. She grinned up at him sheepishly.

“If you keep that up,” She whispered coyly, “we’ll never make it to breakfast.”

Sirius forced a laugh. “Yeah…I- I guess we should go.”

“Come on,” She said with a giggle, lacing her fingers through his as they walked towards the Great Hall.

All through breakfast, Sirius and Hermione avoided one another’s stares.

Every time one of them looked away, the other would look up… like a breakfast table game of cat and mouse. Both of them were too busy adamantly ignoring the other to realize that their behavior was noticed by everyone around them.

“Hermione, are you still angry with Sirius for leaving us stuck together?” James asked curiously, hoping that were the reason behind their furtive glances.

She looked at him over her copy of The Daily Prophet.

“Of course, I’m not angry,” She said sincerely. Then patting her head gingerly, she added with a chuckle, “Anyways, my hair has grown back so I haven’t any reason to be upset.”

James, Remus and Peter all laughed loudly at her comment… Hermione had looked fairly ridiculous with a bald patch amidst her curly hair.

Sirius just smiled quietly and observed his friends’ laughter.

Then he watched Hermione until her eyes finally met his.

“I’m sorry,” He admitted with a shrug.

Hermione nodded at him, “Thank you.”

A split second later, she had disappeared behind her newspaper once more and Sirius had resumed eating his breakfast.

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Harry, Ron and Ginny sat together in a booth at the Three Broomsticks waiting for the only person who seemed willing to give them the answers they needed.

They sat in silence… meeting each others’ eyes fleetingly, growing increasingly impatient.

He was late.

Ginny drummed her fingers upon the table, a full bottle of butterbeer sat before her, untouched.

The door of the pub swung open and the three friends swiveled around, looking up expectantly as a woman none of them recognized entered the room.

All three simultaneously turned their heads back to the table, and resumed waiting.

Ten minutes later, the door opened again, this time revealing Remus who pulled off his over-coat and strode over to their table.

“Sorry to have kept you waiting,” He said, greeting them with a nod. “I had some urgent messages to complete for the Order.”

“Is everything alright?” Ginny asked with concern.

“Yes, yes,” Remus assured her. “We are keeping tabs on the known Death Eaters; trying to familiarize ourselves with patterns in their routines… it’s all we can do until Voldemort decides to make a move.”

Harry nodded, knowing that what Remus was actually saying was that they were waiting for him to finish off the Dark Lord, once and for all. But something in the back of his mind still nagged at him that Hermione would be the key in all of this… he needed her help.

“How’s Tonks?” Ron inquired, changing the subject as he observed Harry’s pensive expression.

A sad smile crossed Remus’ weary face.

“She’s just fine… I hear, she’s fine.”

Ginny looked up at him piercingly.

“What do you mean, you hear she’s fine,” She said.

“I actually haven’t seen her in some time,” Remus admitted.

“But how – ” Ginny began to question him further.

Before she could finish, however, Remus interrupted her.

“It just wasn’t going to work,” He said with a finality in his voice that meant this part of the conversation was over.

He took a slow sip of the butterbeer that had been waiting for him when he arrived, then he looked at Harry purposefully.

“Anyways, you need some information from me. Though, I suspect I already know what you’re going to ask.”

“Right,” Harry answered. “We need you to tell us what happened while Hermione was in your time.”

Remus nodded, having expected this.

“Yes. What exactly would you like to know?”

“Well, for a start, how did she get there?” Harry asked.

“I genuinely do not know the answer to that Harry. We believe that Dumbledore is the only person besides Hermione who knew what actually happened and he took that secret with him to the grave,” Remus answered apologetically.

Harry looked down and nodded.

“What happened once she arrived?”

A faraway look passed through Remus’ eyes as he recounted the memory.

“We found her on the Quidditch pitch. Your father, Sirius, Peter and myself. She was dazed and disoriented… she called your dad, ‘Harry’. Now, I know why.”

Harry smiled at the thought of Hermione meeting his dad.

“You were friends? With Hermione, I mean?”

“We were eventually, yes,” Remus confirmed. “It took some time for Hermione to warm up to us all. We believed that she was a transfer student.”

“And my mum? Was she friends with Hermione, as well?” Harry asked eagerly.

Remus looked away quickly, thinking how to phrase his response. He refused to lie to Harry but, nevertheless, phrased his answer very delicately.

“They were roommates, so they did spend quite a bit of time together.”

Harry was not oblivious to Remus’ deliberate wording.

“But they weren’t friends?” Harry asked again.

“It’s hard to explain, Harry. When Hermione turned up, she and James… well, they were very close. I can’t say that your mum was entirely too pleased.”

Ginny gasped and covered her mouth in shock.

Ron gaped at Remus and Harry dropped his butterbeer, the bottle lay on its side spilling across the table. Though, not one of them moved to clean up the mess.

“She… and my dad… they… what? They dated?!” Harry sputtered.

“In so many words… yes,” Remus answered regretfully. He had known Harry would react this way.

Harry was appalled. He felt as though he’d been punched in the stomach as drawing breath suddenly became very difficult.

Therefore, Harry was grateful when Ron finally spoke up.

“Why would she do that?” He, too, was shocked.

Remus looked at them all remorsefully.

“I don’t know, I’m afraid.”

Suddenly Harry burst out angrily.

“How could she?! How could she knowingly keep my mum and dad apart?!”

He sat back in the booth, covering his face with his hand in an attempt to control himself.

Remus leaned across the table towards him.

“She was alone and confused, Harry. You know Hermione would never do anything to hurt you.”

Ginny sat up straighter when Remus said this.

“And she loved you…” Ginny said, the idea just coming to her. “She loved you and you look just like your dad… right, Remus?”

Remus nodded slowly, gauging Harry’s reaction to Ginny’s realization.

The anger on his face wavered for a moment, but he just shook his head, refusing to acknowledge the observation.

“Remus,” Ginny spoke up again. “If Hermione and Harry’s dad were… together,” she glanced cautiously at Harry when she said that word, “does that mean that… she could have prevented Harry from…”

“Existing?!” Harry summed up her thought heatedly.

“Hang on,” Ron said, attempting to calm his friend. “Say, we find a way to bring Hermione back. We can keep anything like that from happening in the past, can’t we?”

Remus shook his head.

“This is exactly why Dumbledore did not want us to tell you. Even if you managed to bring her back at this point, the consequences could be dire. I assure you, it is best that you let the situation run its course.”

“Run its course?” Harry repeated, his voice laced with animosity. “You’d like me to sit back and wait while one of my best friends negates my entire existence?”

“Do you honestly think I would allow that to happen, Harry?” Remus asked firmly. “Hermione’s relationship with James isn’t what you are imagining it to be. There were outlying factors leading me to believe that all will be as it should be, in the end.”

“What ‘outlying factors’?” Harry asked.

“There was someone else involved...” He trailed off.

“Who?” Harry, Ron and Ginny all asked at once.

Remus leaned back in his seat.

“I think I’ve said enough,” He stated quietly.

When Harry began to argue, Ron realized something and spoke up.

“Remus, if Hermione has changed the past… wouldn’t we already know what the outcome was?”

Rubbing his eyes with his fingers wearily, Remus considered his question.

“That is very difficult to explain, Ron.”

“Try,” Harry asserted.

The older man scrutinized Harry for a moment before deciding that he did deserve an honest response. He drew a long, deep breath before launching into his explanation.

“Think of the timeline as a railroad track. When Hermione was sent back in time, the track split, forking into two separate paths, in a sense. One being the track that results in the present day, as we know it… the other is the changing past, a result of Hermione's effect on the timeline.”

The three friends were silent, trying to take in what Remus was explaining to them.

“Therefore,” He continued. “The outcome won’t be revealed until Hermione’s journey is complete and the ‘tracks’ come together once more, essentially.”

“So, you can’t be sure that Harry’s parents will be together?” Ginny said, her eyes welling with tears.

Remus answered regretfully, “I’m afraid I can’t be certain, no.”

“You mentioned something about a note… when we spoke in McGonagall’s office.” Harry said quietly.

“Yes,” Remus confirmed. “The implications of that note will not be known until Hermione returns, I’m afraid. But I sincerely hope that it accomplished all she intended it to.”

When none of the three younger individuals had anything to add to the conversation, Remus reached for his coat and made to stand up.

Bracing a hand on Harry’s shoulder he spoke solemnly.

“I hope I was right to tell you all this, Harry.”

Harry nodded almost imperceptibly.

Nodding a goodbye to Ron and Ginny, Remus tossed a few silver sickles onto the table for his drink and walked out of the pub.

They were left at a table… the significance of all they had learned weighing so heavily upon them that there was no room for words.

Suddenly, Harry stood up from the table.

“We’re going to find a way to bring her back. Timeline be damned.”

__________________________________________________________________________________________

James, Sirius, Remus and Peter walked out of their last class of the day, eager to spend some time outside in the fresh air before dinner.

As they walked through the entrance hall laughing loudly at something Sirius was saying, they were spotted by a group of Slytherins, who followed them out of the castle.

The Marauders made their way across the grounds, ready to settle under their usual tree when a red spark rapidly flew past Remus’ head.

Remus, Sirius and James each whirled around instantly, wands raised readily. Peter hovered a few feet behind his friends, peeking in between them.

Spotting the offender, James shouted, “Brave enough to throw hexes at us with our backs turned, are you, Lestrange?”

“Don’t provoke them, Prongs,” Remus said quietly. It was he they had sent the spell towards anyways.

“I would have thought by now you Slytherin lot would have come up with a new strategy besides cowardice,” Sirius chimed in, spotting his younger brother, Regulus, among the group.

The three Slytherins began charging towards the Marauders and were met halfway, soon standing face to face with James, Sirius and Remus. Six wands held aloft, ready to duel at a moment’s notice.

Out of the corner of his eye, Sirius noticed Peter’s absence from their firing line. And spoke out of the corner of his mouth, in a low growl.

“Wormtail, if you don’t scurry your rodent arse over here in two seconds, you will have a lot more to fear than these gits.”

Peter quickly scampered from where he had sought refuge behind the tree and came to stand beside James, raising his wand shakily.

Once their fourth member had taken his place, James smirked arrogantly at their rivals.

“Looks like you three are outnumbered. Still care to take us on, do you?”

Damien McNair laughed maliciously and spat at James’ feet.

“If you think we’re afraid, you’re sorely mistaken. Dumbledore’s little pet Head Boy, the Blood-Traitor, and these two pathetic excuses for wizards?”

Sirius stepped forward angrily, they could say what they wanted about him but damned if he would stand by while someone spat at or insulted his best friends. He held his wand steadily, pointed directly at McNair’s heart.

“Take. That. Back.” Sirius whispered, his chest heaving with a barely controlled rage.

Regulus knew that look all too well, he looked to his friends who showed no sign of backing down.

Sirius forced his wand further into McNair’s chest and repeated himself.

“Take. That. Back.”

McNair did not speak but raised his wand menacingly to Sirius’ throat. Eliciting a dangerous smirk from Sirius, showing he was not in the least, frightened.

Regulus broke first, trying to step between the two but was shoved back by McNair, who didn’t take his eyes off the other Black brother standing before him.

Trying to convince his brother to walk away, Regulus intervened, “Oy, Sirius. It was a joke.”

Sirius stared at McNair still, and said, “Well, I didn’t find it very funny.”

“Damien,” Regulus tried again, this time attempting to appeal to his housemate. “Let’s just go.”

“But your brother wants to fight for his boyfriend’s honor,” McNair sneered. “Don’t you, Blood-Traitor?”

“Don’t call him that!” Shouted James, who stepped forward along with Remus.

“You going to take points away from us, are you, Potter?” Scoffed Rodolphus Lestrange.

He and McNair laughed aloud at their joke.

James, the taller of the two, glared down at Lestrange and snarled.

“What I’ll take from you, I guarantee you will miss more than house points,” He threatened.

“I think, however, their problem is with me, is it not?” said Remus. “Or was I merely the unassuming victim of your poor aim, Lestrange?”

Lestrange suddenly lunged towards Remus, and with a wave of his wand, shouted, “Levicor –”

“Expelliarmus!” Remus yelled before Lestrange could finish, his wand flew out of his hand and landed a few yards away in the grass.

James and Sirius laughed loudly at his dumbfounded expression as it became red with fury.

Regulus had already backed away, aware that he would lose any duel he was stupid enough to start with Sirius or his Gryffindor friends. Leaving McNair as the lone Slytherin challenger.

The four Marauders stood together glaring at him, waiting to see if he would even attempt to take all four of them on by himself. He wouldn’t back down so easily though, it seemed.

Training his wand on Remus with malicious intent, he stepped towards him.

“You’ll regret that, Lupin,” He said, his face wrenched in anger.

Yards away, Lestrange was searching furiously for his wand in the grass but kept a close eye on the action.

“Looking for this?” Spoke up a brown-haired girl who had approached silently, bearing a knowing smirk and dangling his wand in front of her.

Rodolphus snapped his head up to look at her and nodded holding out his hand.

“Yes, that’s mine,” He said reaching for the wand.

She pulled it away before he could clasp it.

“Not so fast,” she said looking past him at the Marauders and McNair, she watched as the Slytherin turned on Remus.

Moving at lightning speed, she waved Lestrange’s wand and yelled, “Incendio!”

McNair’s robes burst in flames all around him; he yelped in pain and backed away from Remus.

She arched an eyebrow haughtily at Rodolphus and tossed his wand away. He ran to snatch it back up from the grass, pointing it at McNair, he shouted, “Aguamenti!”

A flood of water burst forth from the end of his wand, drenching McNair as it extinguished the flames. He and Regulus sent one last glare in the Gryffindors’ direction before turning and marching back towards the castle.

The water ceased as Rodolphus lowered his wand and followed after his friends, he paused in front of Sirius.

“You four just made a huge mistake,” he warned them. Then, spinning around to face the girl who remained standing a short distance away, he added forebodingly, “You had better watch your back, girly.”

She smiled and waved back at him.

“I’ll look forward to that, Rodolphus,” she said sarcastically.

James and Sirius laughed, shocked at her brazenness as Lestrange stormed away in the direction of the castle.

“What a bloody prick that guy was, eh?” She laughed, gesturing at his retreating back.

Still laughing loudly, Sirius nodded.

“That was some fine wand work,” He complimented her. “Nadine, right?”

“Right. And you’re Sirius Black,” She said with a smile. Looking to the boy beside him, she greeted, “And you, I know, you’re James Potter.”

James smiled broadly, raising and eyebrow and glancing quickly over at Remus who was standing beside him, quietly witnessing the scene.

“I see my reputation precedes me,” He said as he ran a hand through his messy hair.

She grinned. “Not so fast, Casanova. You are Head Boy. Don’t we lose house points, if we don’t know who you are and address you as such?”

All four Marauders were nearly rolling on the floor in amusement. She was a feisty one, without a doubt.

Sirius struggled to catch his breath.

“I like you already,” He finally managed to say. “Any girl who can set fire to a Slytherin and take James’ ego down a few notches is alright by me.”

Nadine laughed and turned to Remus.

He stepped forward with an outstretched hand.

“I’m Re – ”

“I know who you are, Remus,” She interrupted, speaking in a slightly softer voice.

He blushed and looked away, dropping his arm to his side. Attempting to ease his discomfort she held out her hand to shake his.

“Nadine Westmere,” She said simply.

Remus smiled at her. “Pleasure,” He said politely, still shaking her hand.

Peter chose that moment to run over.

“I’m Peter Pettigrew!” He squeaked at the pretty girl whose hazel eyes were still fixed upon Remus’.

She tore her eyes away from Remus and glanced over at Peter.

“Nice to meet you, Peter.”

He opened his mouth to begin babbling incessantly to her, no doubt, as he did the same thing with every pretty girl he met. But before he could manage a word, Sirius spoke up.

“Well, I hate to run but humiliating Slytherins always works up my appetite. What do you say Prongs, Wormtail… dinner?”

He gave them both significant looks and jerked his head in the direction of the castle.

“Right!” James agreed ardently. Gesturing to his stomach, he said “I’m absolutely wasting away here. Let’s go, Pete.”

“See you at dinner, Moony. Bye Nadine… don’t set fire to Remus now, I need to copy his Potions homework,” Sirius called over his shoulder.

James grabbed the back of Peter’s robes and dragged him off as he and Sirius started trekking back up to the school, leaving Remus and Nadine alone beside the Beech tree.

“That was some nice spell work,” Remus said quietly, agreeing with Sirius’ previous compliment.

She smiled broadly.

“Thank you, Remus,” She said confidently. “I guess we’re even now?”

His mouth dropped open slightly… so, it was her. He laughed to himself, half-shocked, half-thrilled.

“I suppose so,” He said with a stunned nod.

She smiled at his nervousness… word around the school was that he was the quiet one of the “Marauders” but being as popular as he was, she would never have guessed that he would be so shy.

“Some fight that nearly was, huh?” She asked him, changing the subject.

Remus looked up at her, realizing something.

“You know,” He said slowly. “I could’ve taken care of McNair on my own. I generally ignore them but…”

“I am positive that you could have… and would have,” She answered sincerely. “But… can I be honest with you?”

Remus nodded.

“I just really hate that guy,” She blurted out.

For a moment they just looked at one another before bursting out in hysterics.

When he finally caught his breath, Remus looked over at her.

“Dinner?” He asked with a grin.

She nodded, her eyes sparkling with mirth as they walked together towards the Great Hall.

Dinner had already begun when they walked in, the sounds of clinking plates and silverware along with the dull roar of a hundred conversations reached their ears before they had even entered the room.

They walked through the hall before parting ways with mutual smiles, as she left to sit at the Ravenclaw table and Remus sat one table over, with his friends and the rest of the Gryffindor House.

His friends were already animatedly relating the story of their near-duel with the Slytherins to everyone within earshot.

James was busy recounting Sirius’ threats to McNair; making sure to mention several times that he had pointed his wand directly at the Slytherin’s heart, inciting gasps of shock and awe from his attentive audience.

Hermione sat between James and Alice, listening to the story, but she stared at Sirius, her eyes wide and worry etched across her face.

Sirius looked up, about to insert more details to James’ version of the story, when his eyes met Hermione’s. Concern was apparent on her face and her eyes were filled with emotion, sending an unusual fluttering sensation about his stomach. They both hastily looked away from one another, forced to feign interest in the remainder of James’ commentary.

Normally, this exchange between Sirius and Hermione would have been easily observed by the always perceptive Remus. But on this particular night, his thoughts were wholly engaged… concentrating on the sprightly girl sitting at the next table.

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