Revelations

Sixth year found Hermione paying nominal attention in class, as per usual. It had become almost a game for McGonagall to try and catch the young Miss Potter day dreaming. Unfortunately, in this life, Professor McGonagall had very little patience for Miss Potter who never managed to live up to her potential. For her part, Hermione had been kicked into overdrive. The war was coming. It was happening, and it was happening NOW. Fear for James, and to a slightly lesser degree, for Lily, pushed her more than anything else possibly could. Every night when she closed her eyes, she could see James' lifeless body lying on the floor of his cottage. She found that she had a hard time sleeping, and when she could not sleep she would shift to her animagus form and run through the Forbidden Forest. If she could not run because it was the full moon, and she avoided the marauders, then she would wander the castle disillusioned for protection. Bellatrix LeStrange had graduated a couple years ago, but as the attack last year proved, Voldemort's lap dogs were eager to show their displeasure with so called blood traitors. She read the Daily Prophet with a sense of dread, the disappearances, the attacks. She notices that even James and Sirius were reading the paper, once she was through with it, and they exchanged looks that Hermione suspected had nothing to do with pranks. Remus and Sirius had talked about them in Old Hermione's past, but it was actually happening right now, and it worried her. It was the night before the full moon and Hermione was pacing in what she supposed was an isolated spot of the castle when Severus found her.

Unbeknownst to Hermione, the marauders were creeping stealthily through the castle in an attempt to pull off a prank of sufficient prowess to earn them the accolades of their peers. Yes, they might be concerned about what was happening outside Hogwarts, but they had a reputation to uphold.

"Oi!" hissed Peter. The marauders turned back to look at him. He pointed down a side hall. "Isn't that your sister?"

"Yeah, it is," James said with a slight frown. They crept closer to the side hall and watched her pace back and forth for a moment, and were about to leave her to it, but then Snape approached her from the other end, and he looked to be in a towering mood.

"Hermione!" He hissed at her. She stopped pacing and turned to him.

"What's wrong?" She asked, frowning slightly. Severus looked positively furious.

"I have been looking for you everywhere," Severus said flatly. He frowned darkly at her for a moment and then inhaled deeply as though to calm himself.

"Severus, what on earth is bothering you?" Hermione asked, confusion evident in her tone.

"Do you know who…what…your brother has chosen to associate himself with?" Severus asked coldly. Hermione blinked for a moment. She realized that his fury was a mask for his fear…for her. However, he'd just crossed the line. The line—the only one guaranteed to unite Old and New Hermiones into a snarling, hissing lioness of rage. She snarled, and it sounded almost like her alter ego's snarl and she poked Severus in the chest, rage vibrating in every cell of her body.

"You had better not be referring to Remus, Severus Snape," she growled at him, anger twisting her features, her eyes cold and hard. He was surprised by the depth of her anger and he tried to argue with her.

"He's dangerous!" Severus snapped in a righteous fury. Hermione laughed at him, but it was vicious and cold.

"Because your house is filled with fluffy bunnies of cuddliness?" Her voice dripped sarcasm. "He is a danger only once a month, which is far less than some people. He takes steps to restrict that danger. Whatever argument you may have had is moot."

"But Hermione," Severus tried again, and she cut him off with another little snarl.

Remus Lupin is the kindest, gentlest, most honorable person it has ever been my privilege to know. He is a good, decent, honest man, and I refuse to hear you slander him," Hermione raged on, poking Severus in the chest at certain junctures to drive home a particular point. Severus stared at her slack-jawed. Severus stared at her slack-jawed.

"My god, Hermione, are you in love with Lupin?" Severus asked, his voice shocked. Hermione stomped her foot at him.

"Really? The only reason I could possibly perceive those qualities in Remus is because I must be blinded by love for him? Or do you mean I'm driven mad with lust because I want to shag him senseless? I swear you're almost as bad as Jamie half the time. No and no. I care for Remus, I would hope that he considers me a friend, but I am not in love with him. Besides, I think his wife might have a few choice words for poachers in her territory," Hermione snapped angrily, goaded past reason.

"His wife?" Severus asked sharply. "What wife?"

"Never mind," Hermione muttered darkly. The marauders, who had been watching this exchange with a sort of awe, turned to look at Remus who looked utterly confused.

"Did you See it?" Severus demanded. Hermione stomped her foot again.

"Severus, I am not in the mood, and I see no reason for you to live vicariously through Remus' love life," Hermione snapped coldly. She glared at him for a moment. "I thought better of you, Sev. I can't believe that you would act like this."

"I can," James muttered to Sirius who nodded. They turned to Remus then who was staring at the now empty side hall, a look of shock on his face.

"Remus?" Sirius said gently. Remus blinked and then looked at Sirius.

"She already knows," he whispered. James shrugged.

"Apparently so, but she also thinks that you're the next best thing to Merlin," James said with a cheeky grin. "I don't think that even I rate that high with her. I think I might be jealous."

"But, she knows," Remus repeated, his eyes wide. Sirius and James frowned at him.

"Did you ignore the rest of the conversation?" James asked sharply.

"The absolutely brilliant set down she gave Snape?" Sirius asked with a frown.

Remus stared at them, and then looked back down the hallway that Hermione had disappeared down. His mind spun in all directions and he thought about the way that Hermione had always treated him. She had always been kind to him…she'd treated him gently, never crowding him—in fact, he realized she'd treated him that way from the first time she'd met him. She had always known. He thought some more, and frowned. Severus had asked her if she'd seen something, but he could tell there was a capital 'S' to the word See. All the blood drained from his face and he turned to James.

"Hermione…she's not…is she?" he whispered through numb lips. James frowned.

"What, a werewolf? You would have noticed a little furry buddy, I'm sure," James said dryly. Remus shook his head.

"No, James. She—she's not a…Seer…is she?" Remus whispered, glancing around the halls. James snorted.

"Of course not, whatever gave you that idea?" He said firmly. Remus sighed.

"Oh. It's…nothing." He muttered.

Over the next few days, Remus had a hard time talking to, or hanging out with Hermione. He found himself watching her, and listening very carefully to that which she said and did not say. He came to a startling realization. Hermione was not exactly as she appeared. She was still the same kind, caring girl he'd known for years, but there was a hidden layer to her as well. He knew she was incredibly intelligent. He'd done homework with her and with Lily for years, and many of their homework sessions had degenerated into intense discussions about different points of theory or practical application. Hermione also managed to disappear for swathes of time with Lily, and no one ever really knew what they were up to. Hermione had a fiery temper, and often gave in to that temper, especially when her brother goaded her, but then sometimes he watched her eyes turn flat and hard, and she could become cold and calculating as well. Remus always knew if a person was lying: their heart rate accelerated, they sweated, they revealed themselves through a myriad of bodily functions they had no control over. He watched Hermione carefully weigh each word that left her mouth when she was around them. Around him. What was she up to? He wasn't sure that he wanted to know.

HP/HG/HP

The first Hogsmeade weekend of the year had arrived. Lily, with a wicked, evil smile had begged her to wear muggle clothing. Hermione had sighed heavily, and put on the skin tight jeans that Lily handed her, and the V-neck burgundy sweater that clung to her curves. She was able to tolerate jeans, but she still couldn't figure out why Old Hermione thought they were so comfortable. Hermione looked at herself in the mirror and then looked at Lily.

"What's the point of this again?" Hermione asked dryly. Lily snickered at her.

"It will vastly amuse me for days and days," Lily assured her. Hermione sighed heavily and followed her friend down the stairs to the common room.

The marauders were sitting in 'their spot' at the Gryffindor table eating breakfast. They were all excited because it was a Hogsmeade weekend, and had spent a majority of last night planning their plan of attack for this morning. There had been a spirited debate about whether Honeyduke's or Zonko's should come first, and Zonko's had won by a narrow margin. Suddenly, the Great Hall was completely, utterly silent, and the boys glanced up to see what was going on. Sirius' eyes widened in shock. Hermione was wearing muggle clothing, and it clung to her every curve, but that wasn't what was making it hard for him to breathe. No, it was the way she was walking. Her hips rolled as she walked toward them looking like some sort of jungle cat with a delicate, wild grace. She was sex personified: her lush curves, the sway of her hips, her full mouth. Sirius' eyes darkened to steel grey, and Remus smirked at him. He glared at his friend, and then turned his attention back to the dark haired goddess that was approaching them.

"Morning Hermione," James said cheerfully as he ate his breakfast steadily. Hermione smiled at her brother.

"Morning Jamie," she said sweetly, and grabbed the pitcher of pumpkin juice. She could feel people watching her, and it made her slightly nervous, but none of them were burning her with the heat of their gaze like Sirius was. He was watching her, but instead of the hooded, veiled looks she was used to—his eyes were blazing with…something. Whatever it was…it was dangerous. Her stomach clenched and she felt her body growing warm under his gaze. She tried to ignore him, and force her body to behave, but it was a losing battle.

"So Hermione, I was thinking we might go to Honeyduke's, and then I think we might go to that used bookstore. Does that sound okay?" Lily asked her friend. Hermione frowned slightly, and nibbled on her lower lip. She thought she heard a muffled groan coming from where Sirius was sitting, but she didn't dare look his way.

Hmm. I suppose," Hermione said slowly. "I need some more quills and some extra parchment, too."

"Excellent," Lily said cheerfully.

"Hermione, you're still going with us, right?" James reminded her gently. Hermione looked at her brother with a slight frown. She knew that he was still worried about her summer illness, and the attack at the end of the previous school year. She sighed.

"Yes, Jamie," she said quietly. At this point, she needed to pick her battles carefully. Lily rolled her eyes at her friend from across the table, but she knew that Hermione didn't have a whole lot of choices.

Sirius decided that watching Hermione walk toward him in her clingy muggle clothing was not half as painful as watching her walk away. The gentle sway of her denim-clad ass as she moved away from him was almost hypnotic. His mouth grew dry and his tongue was cleft to the roof of his mouth. He took a quick sip of pumpkin juice, and ignored the amused look that Remus sent his way.

Walking through Hogsmeade with Hermione and Lily was an experiment in control…or a really vicious form of torture. Sirius wasn't quite sure which yet. She was close enough to him that every time her wild curls bounced he could smell her scent. In the past, he might not have been able to, but Padfoot had helped heighten his senses, and the subtle hint of jasmine wafted toward him when she shoved her hair over her shoulder. Mixed and mingled with the hint of jasmine was that special scent that was spicy and sweet and all 'Hermione'. After a couple queer glances from Remus, he realized he was sniffing the air near Hermione, and he flushed red.

Due to Old Hermione's familiarity with both Moony and Padfoot, Hermione Potter didn't find anything odd about Sirius sniffing deeply next to her, and had, in fact, completely discounted it. She caught Lily looking oddly at her and she cocked her head to the side in question.

"What is it?" Hermione asked curiously. Lily tried to hide a smile.

"Sirius is sniffing you," Lily muttered just loud enough for Remus to hear. Hermione's deep, throaty chuckle almost made Sirius' eyes cross. She flashed a cheeky smile at him over her shoulder, then turned back to Lily.

"Boys will be dogs," she murmured to her friend with a hint of a smile. Remus' eyebrows scaled up his forehead. He knew that muggles referred to boys that played the field as 'dogs', but did Hermione know that? Or did she know something more? Lily snickered. Huh. Maybe she only implied the first meaning. Surely Lily couldn't possibly know that…no, it wasn't possible.

"We're going to the bookstore, boys, we'll see you in a bit?" Lily asked, carefully not looking at James.

"Yeah, sure, Evans," Sirius said with a shrug—he needed to get away from the intoxicating scent of Hermione Potter or thoroughly embarrass himself—and the boys headed toward Zonko's with a look of purpose.

Vortiger's Used Books was a tiny, unassuming shop with floor to ceiling bookshelves. Unfortunately, Mephistopheles Vortiger had far more books than he had shelves and tall stacks of books were placed at random spots throughout the store. Hermione and Lily loved coming here, and could happily browse for hours. The girls quickly separated, each going to her favorite section and eagerly looking through Mr. Vortiger's impressive wares. The smell of the books, the aromatic wood of the shelves, and the faint hint of resin pulled her in, and Hermione quickly became lost in her own world. She had her head buried in a fascinating manuscript about Gloswinda Gryffindor, her ancestor according to family legend, when she could feel someone watching her. Her head whipped up automatically and she saw Narcissa Black watching her with cold, ice blue eyes. Flanking her were her friends and fellow Slytherins, Mnemosyne Nott and Antigone Flint. The girls knew one another from the infinite number of tea parties that all of the young ladies had been forced to attend from the time they were eleven.

Narcissa, Mnemosyne, Antigone." Hermione said politely, and gave a cool nod to each girl. Mnemosyne and Antigone nodded back just as coolly, each girl carefully polite. Narcissa's eyes narrowed and she moved closer to Hermione's position.

"Aren't you going to congratulate me?" she asked coldly. Hermione watched her cautiously and racked her brain, trying to figure out what she was talking about.

"I'm afraid mother hasn't written to me about anything yet," Hermione said carefully, confusion evident in her face.

"Lucius has begun officially petitioning for my hand," Narcissa said with some relish.

She kept playing with a ring on her right index finger. Hermione Potter recognized it as an official courting gift, the sort a young wizard would give to show that his suit was serious. Hermione's eyes widened in surprise. Lucius had said that he planned on offering for her after school, and she knew that petitioning for her hand, and negotiating the betrothal and the marriage contract could take years.

"Congratulations, Narcissa," Hermione said honestly. "I hope that you will be happy."

"Stay away from Lucius," Narcissa said in a low, dangerous voice, her cold eyes narrowed on Hermione's face. Hermione blinked in surprise.

"Narcissa, I promise you-," Hermione began, but Narcissa cut her off.

"I'm not stupid, Hermione, and I'm not blind. Stay away from him. He's mine," Narcissa said menacingly. She advanced on Hermione, until her back was pressed into the bookshelves. "I'm playing for keeps, just you remember that."

"I don't want him," Hermione said coldly, allowing a sneer to curl her lip. "And he certainly doesn't want me. I'm a blood traitor, remember? Abraxas Malfoy would never let me near his son."

"It would be a pity if you were to be attacked again. It's shocking the sorts of things that Dumbledore allows to go on at Hogwarts these days," Narcissa said coldly. Then she turned on her heel and left.

Mnemosyne and Antigone watched her for a moment longer their gazes calculating, and Hermione realized with a sudden sense of panic that it was their brothers Caractacus Nott and Gaius Flint who had been among the boys who attacked her last year. Their parents had pulled them out of school rather than have them expelled, although Sev had passed along a rumor that they had acted on their own and not on orders. Hermione straightened her spine and lifted her chin, staring back coolly at the girls, until they each gave her another chillingly correct nod, and then turned and followed their friend. Hermione couldn't help the shiver that ran down her spine. The entire Black family was absolutely insane. Regulus and Andromeda were the only mostly sane ones of the bunch. Sirius was partially sane, but he had more issues than she could shake her wand at, and Sweet Nimue help her, she was starting to think she might have feelings for him.

Ah the joys of inbreeding. Insanity with a dash of sociopathy, and a side of infertility. Superior, my ass.

Yes, thank you.

Oh, right. I forgot. How is it that you lot aren't stark raving bonkers like the Blacks?

We didn't marry cousins. I mean, at this point everyone is related to everyone else, but the Blacks have married other Blacks for centuries. Toujours Pur, and all that.

Um, Ew!

Indeed.

Wasn't your mother a Black?

You know, the art of polite conversation insists that you not constantly insult the person with whom you wish to converse.

Right, sorry. Shutting up now.

Yes, mother was a Black, but actually a distant cousin to Sirius and Regulus, I am not directly related to either boy.

Thought about that a lot, have you?

I wish it were possible to hex you.