Quintessential

Chapter 13

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Hermoine was still upset over the accusation of fancying Remus, despite her befriending the young boy she couldn't deny the fact that whenever she saw him her mind still wandered to the middle aged man that used to be her teacher. She couldn't imagine being attracted to any one of the four boys.

Their game of exploding snap had finished rather quickly with Marlene and Mary winning, to Sirius and James' displeasure, but Hermoine and Lily managed to come in second place, again angering the two competitive boys.

Hermoine decided to take a walk around the halls and clear her head. She thought about what she would be doing if she were back in her time. Would she be exhausted still, working herself to the bone? Would she have given into Ron's plea to take a break? Would something else have happened, even worse than Sirius' death? She would never know.

Her mind briefly wandered to her conversation with Gideon earlier, one thing was still on her mind. In a way it made sense that people would be suspicious of her and Remus, they were together all the time and Hermoine cared for him deeply. When Gideon gave her the hints, he should've been the first name to pop up in her brain. Not Regulus Black. Why would there be a rumor about Regulus and Hermoine? They barely associated with each other and never in public. But yet, he was still the first name that popped up into her mind.

Hermoine thought back to her being in the tree with him. His shaggy black hair, ruffled out of its normally neat appearance. His piercing gray eyes, ones that he and Sirius shared. His face and defined bones that made him look like a skeleton. She thought of every feature he had, thinking so deeply she imagined him into being right in front of her.

The imagined Regulus' eyes stared into hers and she stared right back, studying them. He moved closer and closer. Hermoine didn't move, not scared of what a figment of her imagination could do. He leaned in and his cheek brushed hers, his mouth placed so close to her ear she could hear him breath.

But only for a moment did she feel this. For Regulus Black was actually standing there, not just her imagination.

Breaking Hermoine out of her trance, Regulus whispered, "I need to talk to you."

Hermoine pulled away and looked at him shocked. He looked back, confused by her surprised since she had just been staring right at him.

"About what?" She asked, not as polite as she would normally strive to be.

"Come with me and I shall tell you," he looked around anxiously,"this really is a... private matter."

"If you need to tell me something, you can do so here," Hermoine replied firmly.

"I really don't think you want me to do that."

"And why not? Are you too scared of someone overhearing your secret?"

"It's not my secret."

"Well then is it really your place to tell me?" Hermoine began walking away but the boy grabbed her wrist before she got a chance to go further.

"It's your secret," he said, with a look that was almost pleading with her to listen.

Hermoine was taken aback, but she held her ground,"I regret to inform you, I don't have any secrets."

"Well that is a lie."

"Well then, tell me what exactly you think you know."

"You told Remus. This morning. In a classroom, I- I was there."

"There was no one in the classroom, I looked myself. And I had a silencing spell so you couldn't have heard anything."

"You didn't look in closet. I was looking for an ingredient for my Polyjuice Potion so I had to go into the storage cabinet. You forgot to check and by the time I realized who was there you had already said-" he stopped himself and looked around,"well... you know."

Hermoine's mouth hung open in shock. Regulus took this opportunity to pull her along and outside, back to the tree that he had showed her before.

"What do you want?" Hermoine finally spoke.

"What do you mean?"

"Well I assume you're trying to blackmail me or something. What else could you possibly be doing so, what do you want?"

"Why would I be blackmailing you?"

"You and your friends aren't the most kind bunch. I can't assume you'd want to keep the secret of a 'mudblood' who came from the future."

"Well, you're wrong. I want to help you."

"What do you mean? How could you possibly help?"

"I've read up on time shifting before. When I was younger I would shift to places to escape my home. Every night I would fall asleep and wake up somewhere else; a field or the beach, anyone other than my home. When I knew it had been a while I would fall asleep there and when I woke up it would be the morning in my own bed."

"So what? I'm just supposed to fall asleep and boom I'll be home? Because I hate to break it to you, I've been here for months and I go to sleep every night."

"No it's more complicated than that. If you didn't mean to get here then you don't know how to go back."

"Obviously I don't know how. That's my problem."

"That's the thing. I can teach you. It'll take some time and we'd have to meet in secret but, I could teach you."

"You mean I can go back home? I can see Ron and Harry, Ginny and Luna?" Hermoine jumped up in excitement and wrapped her arms around the boy. He was shocked by the action and before he could return the hug Hermoine already pulled away. "Sorry about that," she looked at her feet awkwardly.

"No it's fine, I'm just, not used to... hugs."

"Right, well... um... I guess I'll be going. Thank you, really."

And with that Hermoine walked away through the path back the the castle.

Regulus' eyes trained on her, watching her leave. It was bittersweet, watching her be so happy about leaving. Leaving him.