A/N: I know, I know, I thought To Love a Werewolf would be my only Time Turner fic too. But, this one would just not leave me alone. And I don't think it's too horribly cliché. She's not going back just for kicks or to try and change everything. There will be a specific purpose.
Hermione laughed with Harry despite the glower Ron sent their way.
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up." Ron huffed, dropping into his seat.
"Sorry," Harry and Hermione chimed together, without a break in their laughter.
Like moths to a flame, the sound of people laughing drew Sirius and Remus from the Burrow's kitchen. They were already smiling, watching the young ones have a good time. They had seen them serious and grieving all too often in the past few months, following the Battle of Hogwarts. "Care to let us in on the fun?" Sirius asked, eyeing the red-eared Weasley.
"Ron," Harry started, gasping for breath, "George-"
"Wheezes," Hermione tried to pick up when Harry couldn't continue. "Potion…lust…"
"No! Hermione, please. I'm begging you," Ron pleaded, hands clasped before him.
"McGonagall," Harry blurted and he and Hermione leaned against each other laughing anew.
Remus's grin widened as Ron buried his face in his hands, groaning.
"Mister Weasley, do contain yourself," Hermione said in a fair impression of their former professor.
"How could I, when standing so close to such a provocative creature?" Harry repeated Ron's words back, clutching at Hermione the way Ron had at McGonagall. And they erupted into peals of laughter once more, the older men joining in.
"Was it the potion that made him sound like a git?" Sirius asked, joking. They got their answer in the way Hermione flushed and looked away. "Guess that's a no. Sorry mate."
"Shove off," Ron grumbled, not looking up from his hands.
"I'm sorry, Ron," Hermione sighed when she was at last able to breath normally again. "Honestly. But if you could've seen yourself." She chuckled again.
"Yeah, me too," Harry relented. He relaxed into the couch, Hermione leaning lightly against him.
Remus's smile faltered and turned polite. Beside him, Sirius sighed, relieved when the kettle whistled, giving them an excuse to escape.
"Excuse me," Remus ducked his head and slowly walked to the kitchen. Ignoring Sirius behind him, he tended to their tea.
"They look cozy," Sirius started.
"Don't."
Sirius sighed again, slumping into a chair. "It's not like that between them."
"Doesn't matter."
"Of course it does, mate! You're not made of stone."
"That doesn't change anything. Does it?" he demanded hotly. "And keep your voice down." He forced his hand to steady as he stirred his drink.
"Remus-"
"I knew it then and I know it now. I was just too young and…"
"Reckless?"
"Precisely."
"So…you'd change it, then? If you could take it back, would you?" Sirius poured a small shot of whisky into his tea.
Remus didn't answer at first. How many times had he asked himself that same question? Taking a sip of the hot liquid, he sighed, defeated. "No. I don't regret a moment of it." He drank half of his cup before finishing his thought. "But she will."
"You can't know that," Sirius disagreed.
"Of course she will. Why wouldn't she?"
"What's that?" Hermione asked, making her own cup of tea.
"Er-" Remus flushed.
She grinned at the flustered man. He was usually so calm and mature, it was easy to forget how he blushed when caught off guard.
"Remus was just reminiscing about a long, not exactly lost, love," Sirius confided, paying no mind to the startled look his friend was sending him.
"Ooooh," Hermione grinned, sitting between them at the table, sipping her tea. "Go on. What was she like?"
"Nosy," Sirius smirked and Remus rolled his eyes. She smiled, patiently not questioning the obviously inside joke. "Smart. Pretty."
"Beautiful," Remus kept his eyes on the cup he held between his large hands.
Hermione turned a large grin on Sirius at Remus's correction. When neither man continued, she felt her curiosity pique. "So, what happened?"
Remus could feel her eyes on him and he held himself in tight check to keep from reacting. "She had to leave."
"Oh." She sounded sad. "Because of the war?"
"…Yes."
She made a sound of sympathy, patting his forearm, where it rested on the table. "I'm so sorry." She was aware of his muscles tensing under her hand. "Have you tried to find her?"
"Not possible," he quickly responded, pulling his arm carefully out of her reach.
Sirius huffed and leaned back into his chair. "Remus thinks-"
"Stop it, Sirius."
"Maybe it'd help to have a woman's opinion."
"Maybe it wouldn't."
"What could it hurt?"
"Me." The soft bickering dropped into a heavy silence.
Hermione nervously fiddled with her cup. She felt awkward sitting in the uncomfortable quiet, which she thought she had inadvertently caused.
"Sorry," Sirius grumbled, taking a swig of tea. Remus shrugged it off, still not tearing his eyes from his cup.
Hermione debated on what to do, continue to sit with them or leave the room. She wanted to leave, but thought it would be rude, so she sat still and quiet, waiting for one of them to dismiss her from their company.
Harry's laughter floated from the sitting room, calling her to them. Remus seemed to notice the draw it held for her.
"Hermione, don't let us keep you."
She smiled relief at him. "Excuse me," she practically whispered. She was out of the kitchen before she had time to, so much as, take a breath.
As soon as she was out of earshot, Sirius groaned and apologized again.
"Don't worry about it," Remus dismissed. "I just started to panic."
"Did you see her cooing over you?" Remus sighed and let his friend get it all out of his system. "I think there's hope yet."
Remus groaned, he couldn't afford to hope; it would cost too much in the end.
"If you don't want a happy ending, then why are we always here?"
"Of course I want her! I'm just being realistic here. I'm old now, twice as ugly, and you may not have noticed but my attitude is utter rubbish." Sirius scoffed, trying to interrupt, but Remus didn't let him. "Look Pads, I just want to be near her, alright? I want to be close enough to bask in her goodness."
"And after?"
"No change. Unless she's so sickened by what happened, that she won't let me near her at all."
"You shouldn't think so poorly of her. She doesn't deserve that."
Remus frowned as he finished his tea. "I know. She'll be more kind and generous than I deserve. She always has been."
"That's true of us all. I've said some really foul things to her in the past. And still, she treats me like gold."
Remus closed his eyes, thinking of his past. "I can't wait for her to go, just so she can get back."
"So, you do have hope than?"
"No, I can't. I'd just like to be able to talk about it with her."
"And my cousin?"
"…I don't see how that will affect her."
"Because she's your girlfriend," he said blandly.
"I think she's suspicious of my feelings for Hermione already. I doubt she'll be very surprised once it all comes out."
"But what happens when it does?"
"Nothing will change; Hermione will always be what she is to me. And Dora knows how I feel about her."
"And how exactly do you feel about her?"
"She's a very nice girl and I value her friendship."
"It's a bit more than just friends though, isn't it?"
"Barely."
Hermione sat on the couch, leaning against Harry once more, relieved to be out of the tense kitchen before it erupted. She froze at Sirius's raised voice.
"You're so closed off! That's why it's 'barely' more."
"I know that!" Remus shouted back. Not even Ron moved at the sound of his broken voice. "You so fondly pointed out, I'm not made of stone! So quit being so damned surprised that I am, the way that I am!"
"Should we…" Harry trailed, not really wanting to interfere.
"I don't know," Hermione answered, standing but not moving towards the yelling men.
"What are they on about?" Ron asked in a near whisper.
"Not sure," Hermione listened to the argument raging over her soft voice. "They were discussing some old love of Remus's when I was in there."
"Maybe Sirius is upset about Remus harboring old feelings and trailing along Tonks at the same time," Ron suggested.
"Could be," she allowed. "But Sirius seemed in favor of him finding the old girlfriend."
"That's it then, he doesn't like the way he's string along Tonks." He seemed so matter-of-fact. But Hermione saw Harry's doubtful glance.
"What are you so bloody afraid of?" Something slammed loudly following Sirius's question.
"Piecing my heart back together! Again!"
A loud pop sounded to Hermione's left, startling her, it was Professor McGonagall. "Children," she greeted, eyeing Ron carefully.
"You can't keep on like this!"
"What else do you expect me to do?" Remus's shout had died down and he sounded defeated.
McGonagall's eyes got large and she rushed into the kitchen. Relieved that she taking car of it, the trio relaxed back into their seats. They could hear hushed speaking, but couldn't really make out any of the words.
Once, Hermione thought she heard her name, but dismissed it' why would they mention her? After several minutes of whispered conversation, she heard a loud sigh and someone heavily falling into a chair. She exchanged a nervous look with the boys, feeling the tension in the house mount to all new levels.
The three waited anxiously for the older lady to return to the room. "There will be an Order meeting tonight. We have new intelligence and your presence is inescapable." She headed straight for the fireplace without pause. "Six o'clock."
Hermione looked away from the green flames, to Harry's tense face, to Ron nervously biting his thumb.
"Inescapable?" Harry queried, brows raised.
"New intelligence," Hermione quoted.
"Do you think she was thinking about what I said to her?" Ron asked, ears flaming again.
Hermione rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"More like she was thinking about where your hands were." Harry grinned.
Hermione snorted, remembering Ron grabbing her breast.
"She knows it was a potion though." He swallowed thickly. "Right?"
"I don't know," Harry teased, "Some of those lust potions don't work unless there's already some for of attraction."
"Honestly," Hermione huffed.
"What?" Ron shouted. "I do not!"
"Are you sure, Ron? She's a powerful witch. I bet in her day-"
"I am not harboring secret feelings for McGonagall! She's ancient."
"She's not that old," Hermione argued.
"Yuck!" Ron protested.
Harry laughed and shook his head. "I was just taking the mickey, Ron. We know you don't really have a thing for her."
"Yeah? Well, good. But do you think she knows?"
"Don't be absurd, of course, she knows." Hermione rolled her eyes at her best friend.
Ron mumbled to himself as he sat, "Not absurd."
A/N: No idea how long this will be. I have several chapters written already. Let me know what you think so far…that means leave a review. ;)