Author's Note: Excuse Number 92730482730: Writers block, insanely late rehearsals for St. Joan, and Honors level homework every night.
Onward.
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters in any way. Don't eat me. Please.
Changing the Course of Destiny
Chapter Eight
The Great Hall silenced as Professor Dumbledore stood up and spread his arms wide, commanding the full attention of the entire body of students.
"As a special treat to commemorate this wonderful year that has flown by so quickly, my fellow colleagues and I decided that a school ball would be a pleasant idea. The theme for this function has been decided, and it is to be a masquerade. The entire school is welcome to participate, though it is not mandatory.
However, if you chose to participate, there is one rule that everyone must obey; everyone will come with a mask of some variety that cannot be removed until midnight. Also, it is preferable that you do not come with a specific date so no one but you will know your true identity. Understood?"
The Hall echoed with the general consent of the students and Professor Dumbledore smiled.
"Very good. Now, onto smaller details. Dress robes or muggle dresses and tuxedos are the ideal attire for this event. Madam Malkin has been kind to discount all of the dress robes in her store for this special event. I believe that there is a muggle clothing store at the end of Hogsmeade.
"I believe that is all. Off to sleep now." Professor Dumbledore concluded his speech and sat down with the staff.
The Great Hall instantly burst into roars of conversation of the students about the ball as the students stood up and started moving towards the entrance doors.
"A masquerade ball, eh?" James said thoughtfully. "I'll have to ask Lily to go with me."
"James, you heard Professor Dumbledore!" Hermione interjected, with a stern look at James. "You're not supposed to ask anyone specific to go with you to the Ball. I think he's trying to promote inter-House relationships, don't you Remus?"
"Oh, um, yes." Remus replied, though seeming a bit distracted and detached from the conversation.
"He said it was preferable, not a requirement." James retorted with a grin, showing his perfectly straight and white teeth. "Aaaaaamy?"
"Yeeeeees?" Hermione responded, mimicking James' speech pattern.
"Would you do me a favour?"
"What kind of favour?" She countered.
"Could you pretty, pretty, please with whip cream and a cherry on top ask Lily to go with me to the ball?" James gushed in one breath, making his words slightly slurred together.
"I don't know, James…" Hermione said, trailing off. " I mean, I don't converse with her beyond 'hello', so it may be difficult to try and persuade her."
"PUHLEEEEEEEZ!" James begged, lacing his fingers together and shaking his hands at Hermione in a gesture of begging. It was blatant that he was trying to make a 'puppy dog' face by attempting to make his eyes look wide and innocent and his lower lip protruding. However, the overall effect was nothing like a 'puppy dog'. In fact, it was so pathetic that Hermione burst out laughing and gave in.
"Okay, okay. I'll try. Just do me one favour, alright?"
"Anything!" James hurriedly agreed, unlacing his fingers and returning to his 'normal' self. Hermione was slightly tempted to make him do something completely outrageous, just because he had agreed to do anything she had wanted him to do. However, she sided with her better judgement and decided not to.
"Never, ever, ever -- under any circumstances - ever again make that face."
"Your wish is my command." James replied promptly, giving Hermione a peck on the cheek due to his overwhelming joy, before dashing into the thick crowd, disappearing quite effectively.
"That was… Thoroughly shocking." Remus said slowly, as if he had just been stupefied.
"I know - I work wonders, don't I?" Hermione asked jokingly with a cheeky grin. Sirius nodded, agreeing.
"Of course you do, Daaaahling." He replied, placing an arm around her shoulders, shooting Remus a smug and triumphant look. Remus heaved a sigh, giving him a stern look.
"Why, thank you, my dear." Hermione spoke with the same, exaggerated air that Sirius had about him. "So," She started, aborting the unusual speech pattern. "What do you guys think of this Masquerade Ball? Are you going to attend?"
"Of course! Just think of all the hot babes that are going to be there in elegant dresses! I bet at least half will be wearing garters under them too." Sirius answered promptly.
"Padfoot! You are suffering from a constant case of GMS." Remus groaned, his hand balling into a fist and colliding gently with Sirius' shoulder.
"GMS?" Hermione questioned.
"Gutter-Mind Syndrome." Sirius supplied. "Well, I guess I will leave you to alone. James and I have got some… Business to attend to. Farewell." With those final words, Sirius departed and left Remus and Hermione on their own.
"So… You still have homework to do?" Remus asked lamely, casting around for a more enticing subject to talk about.
"Yeah. I've got that one essay from Potions. I should go do that. See you later!" Hermione replied hurriedly and dashed off towards the Library, her bag swinging with her steps.
Remus sighed and ran a hand through his hair, closing his eyes tightly before opening them again. How much more of a boring prat could he be? Homework. Really..
---
Hermione returned to the seventh year girl's dormitory, setting her bag down by her bed. The door opened and footsteps indicated several other people entering the sleeping quarters. Taking a breath, Hermione looked up to see that it was Lily and two of her friends that Hermione didn't know by name. They were conversing animatedly about one of the guys in the grade. Hermione assumed that one of her friends must have a crush on the boy.
"Hey, Lily?" She questioned, standing upright and sitting on the edge of her bed. The girls stopped their conversation and turned to face her. Hermione had the feeling that her friends were sizing her up; to see if she was worth their precious time or not.
"Yeah?" Lily inquired politely with a small smile.
"You know James Potter, right?" She asked, wondering if that had been the best way to start this off. James is going to kill me. And the sigh accompanied with a roll of her eyes from Lily indicated that it probably had not been the wisest of choices to make.
"That insufferable git? Yeah, I know him. He's always trying to hit it off with me." She added with a heavy sigh. "So what about him?"
"Would you go to the Masquerade Ball with him if he asked you?" Hermione inquired, smoothing her uniform's skirt down.
"Did he ask you to ask me for him?" She said flatly, one of her eyebrows raised. She folded her arms across her chest.
"Yes…" Hermione admitted with a sigh, having a feeling that this was not going to end in the way James wanted it to.
"Then tell him that I will most certainly not go with him."
"He's a decent guy, I think you should give him a chance, though. I mean, sure, he's a little… Rough on the edges, but he is a good guy at heart." Hermione said carefully. At least she could tell him that she tried.
"He needs to ask me himself. And he needs to stop bothering Snape. If he does both of those things, I may reconsider." She paused. "I don't believe I got your name…"
"It's Amy. Pleased to meet you." Hermione said with a smile. "If you'll excuse me, I've got some more things to do this evening…" She rose from her perch on the bed and strode out the door.
"I totally cannot believe that you just turned down James Potter for a date to the ball. I mean, sure, we're not supposed to have dates. But it's James Potter." One of Lily's friends protested, regarding Lily as though she was worried about her mental health.
"Oh my God, you're totally delusional!" Her other friend added. Lily rolled her eyes, turning away to get her pajamas.
---
"James, you've got your work cut out for you." Hermione said, falling into an empty armchair in front of James'. She let out a sigh, pitying the boy in front of her.
"I take it that she didn't say yes, then… Did she?" He asked miserably, his nervous (but optimistic) mood almost vanishing immediately.
"No, she didn't say yes. She said no," James let out a groan, but Hermione silenced him with a glare and continued on. "But she said that if you stopped bothering Severus," He let out an exasperated noise from the back of his throat. "and if you asked her yourself she would reconsider."
"Alright, thanks Aims." He let out a long sigh and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes.
"You're welcome." Hermione replied. Her hands raised to her head and her fingers started messaging her temple. Another deep sigh escaped past her lips and her eyelids fluttered before veiling her eyes.
"You look tired, you should get some sleep." Sirius commented, looking over his Potions textbook at Hermione. She opened her eyes, regarding him warily. "Seriously, Amy."
"Alright." Hermione relented, rising from her seat and smoothing her skirt. "Good night, I'll see you tomorrow." She turned on her heel, walking off towards the girl's dormitory and up the stairs.
---
"Hey, Evans!" James called out, weaving between several students; knocking one over with his bag of books. Lily and her two friends stopped walking and turned around, gazing at James. She sighed heavily and crossed her arms.
"What do you want, Potter?" Lily asked. James stumbled to a halt in front of her; his bag swinging into her. She leapt back and he hastily gave his apologies.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" He spluttered repeatedly.
"Stop. It's alright." She said in a strained voice after the fifth time he apologized.
"I, um… Well, I wanted to ask you something." A blush crept up James' cheeks, a rare sight indeed. "Will you… Well, do you want to go to the Masquerade Ball with… Me?" He finished, avoiding her green eyes. She sighed heavily, regarding him for a moment before speaking.
"Alright then."
"Really! Woah, thanks!" His head shot up and a smile spread across his lips; reaching from ear to ear.
"Just don't try to pull anything." She warned, turning away and striding towards the Care of Magical Creatures lesson. James watched her back recede for a while before turning around and pumping his fist into the air with a small jump accompanied with a silent 'YEAH!'.
Sirius strode up to James, clapping him on the back with a 'thud'. "Good job, mate. I always knew that there was no way she could resist your charm." Hermione rolled her eyes at this statement, but it went unnoticed.
"Come on, guys, we've got to get to class." She reminded them with a sigh and offered a flash of a smile to James in congratulations.
"Oh. Class… Right." James repeated. His euphoria from Lily agreeing to go to the ball with him had seemingly worn off.
"Come on, James, cheer up. It's Care of Magical Creatures – nothing too difficult." Sirius reminded James, punching him on the shoulder.
"Oh, right. Cool."
---
"So do you guys have to go to Hogsmeade to get your outfits for the ball or do you have something in mind, already?" James asked around a mouthful of half chewed chicken. Hermione shuddered at the sight, setting down her fork and taking a sip of her pumpkin juice.
"It'll be easy enough to transfigure something, I'd imagine." Came Sirius' reply and Hermione was thankful that he, unlike James, had swallowed before speaking. "What'd you reckon, Moony?"
"Yeah, it shouldn't be too hard." Remus agreed, pushing around the green beans on his plate. He had barely touched his food the entire meal. "I could look up some spells after dinner, I suppose."
"Thanks Moony. We'll come with you, if you want." Of course, James and Sirius would most likely come even if their company wasn't welcomed.
"I don't care either way." He replied, taking a small bite of his vegetables before taking a large swig of his pumpkin juice.
"You coming too, Aims?" James looked over at Hermione, who shook her head; sending her brunette hair flying.
"Oh, no. I've got to finish some last minute work." She pushed her dinner plate back and took a sip of her pumpkin juice. "Speaking of which, I've got to go. See you later, perhaps." Without further adieu she exited the Great Hall.
"Remus, what'd you do?" Sirius asked, looking at his lycan friend with one of his eyebrows raised.
"What do you mean?" He answered with a sigh.
"Well, mate, we couldn't help but notice that she's a little uncomfortable around you…" James added.
"So what'd you do to make her feel that way?" Sirius finished.
"Ikissedher." He muttered under his breath, a brilliant hue of rose spreading across his cheeks.
"Um, what the bloody Hell?"
"I. Kissed. Her." He repeated with a glare at the mischievous pair.
---
Two hours later, Remus was sitting slouched in a chair by the fire with Sirius and James sitting opposite him. The Gryffindor Common Room was filled with the dull roar of talk and frustrated groans accompanied by the scratching of quills, creating the perfect atmosphere to converse without being overheard. Unfortunately, this perfect atmosphere combined with the grilling he was receiving from Sirius and James resulted in a dull headache for Remus.
"Wait wait wait." James held up his hand, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. "So then you just, like, kissed her! Right after she apologized for being so emotional and you told her not to be sorry?"
"Yes." Remus replied through gritted teeth. They had been going over this for the past five minutes. He had known James was rather thick, but James had taken that to the next level.
"That's so cliché!" Sirius interjected, smacking his hand down on his knee. "It's like one of those things that you read in romance novels!"
"Not that you've ever read one, of course." Remus added slyly. Sirius opened his mouth and then closed it; words seemed to be failing him right now.
"Well what'd she do when you kissed her?" Sirius asked; the illusion that he appeared to be a fish in water broken.
"She um… Kissed me back." Remus admitted, covering his face with his hand. He had no desire to be teased further by his best friends for blushing.
"Then what the bloody Hell is the problem between you two? You guys should be making out right now and not avoiding each other!" James practically broadcasted to the entire common room.
"Keep your voice down!" Remus hissed, looking around and seeing a couple people turn their heads in their direction. "I don't need everyone knowing that I'm having troubles with my personal life!" He raked a hand through his hair, leaning back in the chair. "She doesn't feel the same way I do."
"Did she explicitly tell you this?" Sirius pressed further.
"Well, no-"
"Then you should stop assuming that." James concluded, cutting Remus off.
"Because remember," Sirius interjected with a grin. "To assume makes an ass out of you and me!"
"Just go be with her." James added after Sirius' comment, for once in his life actually maintaining a serious face after an amusing comment.
"Snog her if it makes you happy." Sirius added and James pressed his lips together.
"You lot are positively horrid." Remus growled, though displaying a flash of a grin. He stood up and strode out of the common room, walking out of the portrait of the Fat Lady, and started off towards the library.
James and Sirius were right. Amy had explicitly said that she didn't have the same feelings -- maybe he did have a chance with her after all. He would go and explain himself to her and everything would work itself out. They could even study together… He approached her chair in the library and sat down in the chair opposite her.
"Hey Amy."
"Oh, hey Remus." Hermione replied, looking up before dipping her quill back into her ebony ink pot and continuing on with her sentence. "Let me finish this essay really quick. Just one more sentence, I promise." She dipped her quill in the pot once again and wrote her last sentence out quickly. Her entire essay was so neat that it almost hurt the eyes to gaze at. Her chocolate eyes shifted their focus onto him. His vocal chords suddenly felt restricted.
"I was wondering how you were." He started, his voice wavering but growing stronger. "We haven't had a chance to catch up in a while."
"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry, I've had a lot of homework lately and I needed to get it done." She recorked her ink pot and stowed it in her bag.
"So how've you been?"
"Decent. No more breakdowns, I assure you." She offered a grin and leaned back in her chair. He strode over to her, tilting her head back gently.
"You sure? No tears, no nothing?" He smiled, leaning closer to inspect her face. "Okay, you pass the test."
"Oh, goodie." Hermione answered with a soft laugh, so as to not invoke the wrath of Madame Pince for being too loud.
"Do you want to go for a walk?" Remus inquired, shoving his hands into his pockets to conceal his crossed fingers.
"That would be lovely." Hermione replied after a second's thought, to decide that she wasn't going to think about anything anymore. She rolled up her parchment neatly, placing it with care into her bag and then slipping her quill in behind it. Slinging the strap over her shoulder, she stood up and followed Remus out of the library and down the grounds.
When they reached the lake, Hermione stowed her bag under a tree. "Aren't you quiet today." 'Amy' remarked casually, a hint of a joke in her voice. Her fingers curled around the edge of her uniform skirt, playing with the material. Normally, she was not a nervous person, but she found that Remus created that feeling in her. It had decreased in intensity for a moment when she had revealed to him about her past – or would that be future – but it returned after their kiss.
"I'm in a quiet mood today. If you want to talk, though…" Remus trailed off, glancing at her. The setting sun's rays were behind her, making her profile outlined in gold. "About anything, then I'll listen."
"I hate how much homework we get." She confessed, drawing the subject back into an area she understood and was willing to talk about. One that made her feel more at ease. "It's like each teacher thinks that their subject is the most important one that you could possibly learn. Sometimes it just makes me want to scream."
"I know the feeling. Almost like you're drowning, right?"
"Exactly. I mean, whatever happened to just being a kid?" She added bitterly and then blushed. "I mean, I know we're seventeen and everything, but… The homework load has always been a lot even when we were younger. Actually, I have to say, I think that… Nevermind."
"No, go on." Remus prompted, wondering if she had been about to bring up the whole future/past ordeal.
"Well… I think you guys get less homework than we do. It's still a lot, though." She relented with a sigh and finished her sentence. If there would be a reason why she wanted to stay in the past, it would be the homework load.
"I can't really comment on that, since I've never been to the future."
"Not yet, at least. You have some growing up to do."
"You mean that you know me in the future?" He asked, wondering if they had a romantic relationship. His mind pushed that idea out quickly, though, because she would still be seventeen in the future and he would be, regrettably, older.
"Yes." Hermione confirmed. Dammit, why do I keep revealing the future? This is the worst thing that can happen, Dumbledore said that we could not let people in the past know their future. She ran a hand through her hair. Then again, the odds of me escaping this era… Are so unlikely.
"Do you want me to stop asking questions?" He asked and she shook her head. "Well… What am I in the future?"
"I'm not supposed to tell you. You're not even supposed to know anything about your future. I screwed this all up." With a frustrated groan, Hermione sank down onto the grass and wrapped her arms around her legs. "But seeing as the odds of me actually returning to the future are just absurdly stacked against me, I guess it would be okay. You're my third year Defense Against the Dark Arts professor." And that's why I can't be with you.
"… You're pulling my leg." He said in a flat voice.
"No, I'm not. I wish… I wish that I was."
"So is this why you're… You've been avoiding me since the incident in the library?"
"Yes." Hermione admitted with a sigh.
"Oh…" He seemed to be at a loss for words.
"So I guess you can see that it's not that… That I don't like you in a romantic way, it's just that… It'd alter our futures and every else's future." I hate how doing what's right isn't what I want.