Disclaimer: Anything you recognize from the Harry Potter books and/or movies is not mine.
A/N: Blah. These plot bunnies are going to kill me one day. Well, I was sitting here, wondering about all those James/Hermione fics out there, when suddenly, a little bunny jumped out of nowhere and clonked me on the head. Now the plot wont go away until I write it. I don't know what inspired me to write this, as I've never read a James/Hermione fic besides the one by Kiss This, and I've had no desire to write one until now. Hopefully, if all goes well, I'll finish this. I have half the plot already written down, so it's not going to be abandon right off if at all. It's kind of a project for me, really. I'm still working on SC, WatC, and IB, but this is just going up so I don't loose what I've written. Don't expect many updates for a while, as I'll only update when I have time from my other stories or if I get bored of the others. I already have three unfinished stories out there.. Eh heh. Don't kill me! I'll finish them all.
Also, this fic will be rated M for a reason. Please heed all warnings. Anywho, enough of my blabbering. Enjoy? - Min
Hands are Meant to Hold
By: xScenex
a.k.a. Min
Chapter 1
Hermione Granger, age eighteen, stepped out of her parents house for the last time. Little did she know that of course, as she had many intentions of coming back home to visit them. She had went home to spend time with her family for her birthday and took a short break from hunting horcrux's with Harry and Ron. You see - Hermione Jane Granger wasn't an ordinary girl.
She was a witch - one of the brightest witches her age that attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in Britain. In witch and wizard standards, she was an ordinary girl, nothing too special - unless you counted her knowledge.
Her best friends were Ron Weasley and Harry Potter, followed by Ginny Weasley - Ron's younger sister. Ron was the strategist of their group, as Harry was the courage, while Hermione was the brains. Naturally, the trio found trouble - or as dear Harry had said once, 'Trouble finds me'.
At the moment, they were on a hunt for the remaining items that contained pieces of a Dark Lord's soul. The Dark Lord went by the name of Voldemort, but his real name was Tom Marvolo Riddle. Trying to find the pieces of his soul was a dangerous journey as many Death Eaters followed them closely, and many times they had almost been murdered.
Every time though, they had gotten out alive - even if they were a bit worse for wear.
Hermione's break away from the hunt was fun, but short-lived and slightly full of tension as her parents didn't want to let their only child go back to hunting for dangerous artifacts. They didn't know the main details about the war, and Hermione tried to keep them at a minimum, knowing that they would forbid their daughter from doing anything as dangerous as she was. Not that she wanted to hunt for the horcrux's; but she wouldn't leave Harry and Ron to fend for themselves.
Before she could let her emotions override her duty, she jogged down the path away from her house. It was an old path, one not commonly used by the occupants of the neighborhood. No one really came about that area anymore, as most who lived in the duplex neighborhood consisted of an older genre. The ground was littered with leaves and sticks, tufts of grass growing through the concrete walk every so many feet. The concrete was broken, long cracks winding up through it in patterns that were undecipherable.
Hermione sighed, wiping her face off as she slowed down a bit to catch her breath and try to rid herself of bad feelings that threatened to override her senses. Looking around, she realized that she'd never actually been so far along the path before. She didn't know where it led. All around the walk were trees - an undeveloped wooded area of land. Thick brush, with the absence of the sounds of cars and people.
Naturally, the girl would turn around unless provoked, but she felt she needed some time to think. She continued walking along, kicking up loose pebbles. It was a warm day and the sun was shining through the canopy of leaves above her. The atmosphere was almost calming; with the soothing, nature scented air, the soft whoosh of wind against the bushes and other plants, and the gentle calls of birds above.
She hadn't been anywhere so peaceful since before the war began again.
The walkway had ended some time ago, having been grown over by grass and other plants. Figuring all she had to do is cast a simple 'point me' charm, Hermione walked off the path.
Minutes passed, and she lost all track of time. The girl was content in enjoying herself, and the only thoughts that flittered through her mind were of how Harry and Ron weren't there to enjoy the stroll the wooded area. The girl vaguely noted that the trees were getting taller and the shadows darker the further she walked, but thinking it to be only her imagination, she continued in calm silence.
All thoughts of peacefulness were interrupted though, when Hermione caught sight of something - a court-like area where the trees didn't grow and stone pillars thrust upwards towards the sky. Broken stones lay scattered about, and a small creek cut through the ground off to the left.
The court was huge - larger than two house lots put together. Curious of what the place was and wondering why no one had ever told her about it in all the years she'd lived in that surrounding area, Hermione walked forward to the center of the vast, stone covered ground. Interest flooded through her as she saw what lie in the center.
There, looking so surreal compared to the rest of the place, were five tall trees, all forming a circle. Not that that was so unusual - it was the state of the trees. While the surrounding wooded area was filled with bright, healthy green floral life, the five trees in front of the girl were dead. Not dead as in no leaves, but dead as in no leaves and completely stone grey.
Hermione stood there, taking in the queer scene. She could feel something emanating from the center of the them and took the time to examine it without touching anything.
In the center of the perfect circle were leaves just like the rest of the wood, but only they were dead too. Brown and grey looking, an odd sight as most leaves are only brown when they died.
The area was large enough for six people to stand comfortably inside it, around what appeared to be a charred wooden cross-shaped structure that looked like a couple of two-by-fours nailed together.
It looked innocent enough, so cautiously Hermione stepped forward. As she entered the circle, the air seemed to drop a few degrees and silence pressed down against her as if trying to smother her. The sound of crunching leaves beneath her feet was almost disorienting. Feeling suddenly uneasy, Hermione paused.
Should she continue to check the place out? Or should she just leave. The area seemed to be forbidden in Hermione's eyes, but something as secretive as that made her eyes shine with hope of knowledge no one else had.
She decided on the former though, and continued to walk through the leaves, ignoring how loud her breathing sounded against her ears.
Step, crunch, step, crunch.
Every footstep closer to the black cross, she could feel something pull at her. It were as if it wanted her to move closer, and oddly enough, she felt herself abide the feeling, even though alarms were going off in her mind. Things like that just weren't normal. But there had never been anything out of the ordinary around her neighborhood, unless you counted her.
Now the girl stood right in front of the small, hand made structure. Her heart beat heavily against her chest in anticipation and perspiration formed against her clammy skin. Reaching out with one hand, Hermione attempted to brush gathered dust off of the top of the cross.
When her hand made contact with the wood, she felt something shoot through her fingertips; a harsh, electronic bolt of raw energy. She cried out loudly and tried to pull her hand away from it, but found herself bound to it.
She felt panicked as the familiar feeling of dark magic began to emit from the wood in front of her. She bit her lip and once again attempted to wrench her hand away. It was no use.
The light around her seemed to become darker and darker, threatening to engulf her. And in a matter of minutes, it had.
Darkness surrounded the frightened girl. She desperately tried to look around, but didn't know what direction was which.
Point to which thy time expires
Lives they fall before their time
Follow North unto thy sea
Where raging waters cascade upon thy land
Freezing in shock, Hermione winced as the words boomed around her. If she had been thinking right, she would have thought the idea silly - only in muggle movies did someone ever fall into some kind of 'trap' where an unknown thing talked to them. Or, rather, some things. There were numerous voices chanting loudly around her. It seemed like some kind of dream.
There was a pause after the verse was said and a small light illuminated in front of Hermione and she looked down. The top of the cross was glowing white. Transfixed, she listened while her body settled in shock.
Point to which thy time begins
Lives they come as others perish
Follow South unto thy land
Where greedy humanity thrives upon thy Earth
The bottom half of the cross lit up like the top part had. It was almost blinding, but Hermione didn't shield her eyes.
Point to which thy fate desires
Lives they follow along with destiny
Follow East unto thy Heavens
Where the pure reside in eternity
On cue, the left side of the cross lit up and the chanting continued without pause this time, the beat becoming faster and much clearer than before.
Point to which thy choices are made
Lives they choose their future ways
Follow West unto thy Hell
Where the tainted reside in eternity
The last section lit up and a burst of hot energy burst forward, singing Hermione's exposed skin. She gasped loudly and tried to shield her face from it with her free hand while the chanting repeated.
Point to which thy time expires
Lives they fall before their time
Follow North unto thy sea
Where raging waters cascade upon thy land
Point to which thy time begins
Lives they come as others perish
Follow South unto thy land
Where greedy humanity thrives upon thy Earth
Point to which thy fate desires
Lives they follow along with destiny
Follow East unto thy Heavens
Where the pure reside in eternity
Point to which thy choices are made
Lives they choose their future ways
Follow West unto thy Hell
Where the tainted reside in eternity
The girl was then thrown back heavily from the illuminated wood. Sitting up and wincing from the obvious bump on the back of her head, Hermione looked up. With the light that now came from the cross, she was able to look around and realize that she was in a kind of chapel. A large altar stood feet away from her surrounded by hundreds of white candles. The walls were adorned with images of Gods and Goddesses. Gaping openly around her, Hermione stood up. As soon as she was upright, the candles around the altar lit up with a small whoosh. Chills ran down Hermione's spine and she shivered.
There was no one else around her, although the eerie chanting continued, repeating the same four verses over and over again. Her legs carried her towards the altar, where a large, dusty tome sat open on a page.
'Turn back time twenty years, an impossible feat they said. Many believed Joseph to be insane, and in the end, he was executed for supposed witchcraft. Sarah Taylor, the pioneer's daughter, later discovered a journal that once belonged to him. Inside, it quoted, "It was amazing - nothing like I've ever seen before. They've always told us that magic didn't exist, and what supposedly was used by 'witches and wizards' was nothing more than blatant devil worship. But they were wrong! Oh, how wrong they were. Hundreds of the magic dwelling folk there are! Civilizations of them, living amongst the normal people. If only they could see this as well…"
Later investigations told of how Joseph had supposedly gone back in time with the help of some fellow friends, all whom have disappeared from history - how long Joseph went back in time, no one knows really. He never documented the exact dates. The only record that relates to time states the following: Come forth powers of direction and lead me to thy ancestor's time before my birth and guide me towards thy light. For twenty years we stay divided - let us undo that fate.
What the passage means, none know. It is a mystery to the folk of the village.'
Hermione blinked a few times. None of it made much sense. It was obvious that a muggle had written the passage in the old book by the way the spoke of magic. She read through the paragraphs twice more.
"But what does that mean? Is it some kind of prophecy?" She inquired out loud as she read the middle paragraph. "Come forth powers of direction and lead me to they ancestor's time before my birth and guide me towards they light. For twenty years we stay divided - let us undo that fate..? No, that's not a prophecy--"
She was cut off suddenly as the ground shook. She was knocked off her feet and the heavy book fell off of it's stand and onto the floor next to her, scattering dust.
Coughing, Hermione covered her mouth. She felt panicked and wondered if the building would collapse on her. She attempted to scramble to her feet, but instead, fell back onto the floor as a large tremor ricocheted through the chapel. As she fell, her head his the corner of the altar, and her world slowly became black.
Chirp, chiiiirp, chirp.
"Ugh…?"
Groggily, the brown-haired girl opened her eyes. It took her a moment to see right, as her vision was blurry and unfocused.
When she was able to look around herself fully, the girl noticed that she was inside the chapel, still, but this time it was day light and through a broken stained-glass window from the right came the chirping of an unseen bird.
The chapel was old; that much was obvious. The ground was littered with dead leaves, pieces of shattered glass, and splintered wood from the pews on either side of the aisle. A few vines wound up the walls where they grew into the windows from outside.
Hermione felt the back of her head where it throbbed painfully from her previous falls. Wincing a bit, she rubbed the spot gingerly but was satisfied to know it hadn't bled.
She was about to get up but spotted the large dusty book that fell from the altar laying open next to her feet. She reached forward and picked it up, being careful as to not turn the page it was on. She allowed her eyes to rake down the page and she gasped loudly when she read the passage:
'As much as they believed Joseph's words to be lies, we all know otherwise now. When Sarah stepped forward that day, telling us of the ritual they set for the task, there was no denying the fact he was right. Mayor Daniel didn't believe her, and sentenced her to be hung the two days following the festival. But he would soon find out that he was too late to allow the sentence to be carried out.
They gathered, they did, those five wizards the next night, and cast the ritual upon her to send her away. It was a magnificent thing - something one would never believe possible. They stood side by side with Sarah in the middle of their circle, strapped to the wooden cross. One by one, they rose their "wands" and cast a light upon her, all the while chanting the same verse in Joseph's journal. Before my very eyes, I saw her disappear… That's when things started to change. Little things, one's no one really noticed. But I noticed - I knew the Friar never had three daughters. Spices began appearing from places I'd never heard of, all villagers claiming that they were well-known and used constantly. Day's passed, and some days, people would disappear - forgotten and unremembered. That is, by all except for me.
I acquired Joseph's journal not too long after Sarah left. Inside, it spoke of how there was no known way to get back - although he had left and come back himself. It claimed it was an accident; saying something about him being there would cause a disastrous overlap to the blanket of time. I do not understand. Sarah left and stayed - why couldn't he?
I have no idea how this time-travel works, but Joseph was right about it. But it is a dangerous thing. Sending Sarah back in time was a tricky thing to do - and alas, the world is changing. God save us all…'
Hermione stared blankly at the paper, her heart skipping a beat. She'd been to that cross - she'd said the verse. She felt tears well up in her eyes for a moment before pulling out her wand and casting the tempus charm.
9:56 a.m. October 20th, 1978.
The girl took in a deep breath and willed herself not to cry. She was truly back in time. It wasn't a joke - it was real. She was stuck, more than likely. The tome spoke of there being no known way home to her time, unless she were to cause an overlap in the 'blanket of time'.
She pulled her knee's up to her chest and shut her eyes tightly. "I'm dreaming," she whispered quietly, "I'm dreaming. I want to wake up… Hermione, wake up, it's just a dream…"
She didn't wake up. She sat there for a long time, unsure of how long exactly, but knowing it was a while as when she looked up again, the sun was at noon point.
She pulled herself to her feet with the help of one of the pews and brushed herself off lightly while taking in her surroundings once more. The door was slightly open and the lock was broken off.
All she could do was hope it was a joke and get out of there.
After stumbling uneasily over to the door and slipping out, she realized that a dense wooded area surrounded her - no surprise. She sighed a bit and took her wand out once more and said, "Point me, Road."
The wand spun around in her palm for a few seconds before facing northwest. Nodding in affirmation, Hermione began walking in said direction, hoping the road wasn't too far away. Luck was on her side, though, as she soon found herself tumbling onto the cobblestone road which seemed to lead into some village or another up further.
She blinked.
It looked like Hogsmeade. Actually… She spotted a sign hanging up on a tall pole on the left side of the road.
'Welcome to Hogsmeade;
Things were just getting odder and odder for her. And in truth, they would get more surreal as the day went on. She would have never guessed that morning, as she stepped out of bed, that she would be stuck back in time forever, living in Hogsmeade at the local bookstore where she worked for her lodging. She had had no idea what she got herself into that day when walking in the woods near her house, but now, she had to move on whether she wanted to or not.
Ding, clatter, ding!
Hermione looked up from behind the desk at the back of the store which was littered with numerous novels and biographies.
It had been two weeks since Hermione had fallen back in time. You'd think that a smart girl like her would have went straight to Dumbledore to get help on the matter, but that wasn't the case this time. He wouldn't have been able to help her get back home; it wouldn't work that way. The book Hermione had found on that altar that one day had told her that she was stuck permanently. As she hadn't been thrown out of that era yet, it was obvious.
So, Hermione being Hermione, decided to find the positive facts in the matter. She realized that she couldn't change things drastically, if at all, but she would try her best to make the world a little better. She had more time to find out what the Horcrux's where before Voldemort came into full power, or back into power in the future.
In the meantime, she had had to find a place to stay - and luckily, the Hogsmeade bookstore was looking to hire. The job included a medium pay as well as lodging in the upstairs room of the store, complete with a bathroom, one bedroom, and a closet. Not much, but it sufficed. Hermione applied for the job. The owner was ecstatic to finally find an employee and Hermione was allowed to move in that day without having to give any background information.
Two weeks later, there she was, sitting behind the desk reading 'The witch and I' when someone opened the door to the shop.
Hermione knew it was a Hogsmeade weekend. The owner of the store had given her a calendar, informing her of the days that Hogsmeade would be full of teenagers. She supposed it was to help her know when she had to work longer.
Without looking up, Hermione called out softly, but loud enough to be heard, "Hi, welcome to Janice's Books and More. If you need any help, don't be afraid to ask."
Usually, the customers ignored her and didn't need her help unless purchasing something, but this time, she was surprised when the person approached her desk and asked in a soft, masculine voice, "Actually, I do need some help."
She looked up and gulped silently when she set eyes on the boy.
His light, russet colored hair shone brightly as the rays of light from the windows hit it, giving him a soft glow. His amber eyes shined with mirth and mischief. The boy was pretty tall, with a slight build in his upper body. A few scars ran along his jaw line and up his exposed arms.
Hermione recognized the boy. How could she forget him?
"A-And what would you like help with?" she managed to say calmly as she stared at her future Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.
He smiled slightly and replied, "I'm looking for a book called 'Defense Spells of the Modern Age'. Would you by chance have it?"
Hermione stood up slowly, trying to shake off the very odd feeling building up in her stomach. She wanted to vomit, cry, and scream all at once. She wanted to go home, and seeing someone from her own time - even if they were younger - made her homesick.
She looked at the boy for a moment, receiving an uneasy stare in return, but finally turned away. "Actually," she said, now thinking about the matter at hand, "I think we do have that book."
She walked off, Lupin trailing behind her slowly. Hermione walked to one of the shelves in the back of the store and ran her fingers along the dusty volumes until she came to the 'Defense' section. She read the titles on the first two shelves, then crouched down to reach the lower shelves.
"Defense for your Garden… Dandilion's Magic - why's that there? Ah… Defense for Beginners… Here we go! Defense Spells of the Modern Age," she pulled the book out from it's spot and ran a hand over it to get the dust off before looking up at the boy standing a few feet away. She held the book up so that the cover showed, and asked, "This is it?"
He took the book from her and examined it for a moment before giving her a grin, "Yeah, this is the book."
Nodding, Hermione stood up and walked back up to the desk as Lupin walked off to search more of the bookcases.
Breathing in deeply, Hermione rested her head in her hands. It was almost too much to bare. How could she continue with life if she was stuck there? She wanted her friends and family back. Even if the world was a bit more peaceful there then it was from where she was from, she wished to be home.
She counted to three a couple of times before sitting up strait and picking her book back up. She tried to focus on reading the novel but found her eyes drifting over to the boy who now stood looking through the section on charms. She felt her stomach twist uncomfortably and she suddenly wished she didn't work there. She had thought that Harry's parents, Remus, Sirius, and Peter had graduated the year before. She must have calculated it all wrong.
Before she could think further into the whole scenario, the door opened again with a soft ding! Hermione sighed heavily and greeted the newcomers like usual. She didn't get a response, but watched as three boys came into view and walked over towards where Lupin stood. She nearly fainted, seeing who they where.
James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew stood there, laughing and talking loudly mere yards away from Hermione.
Standing up quickly, Hermione stumbled out of the room through the door in the back behind her desk and climbed up the stairs as quickly as she could, oblivious to the stares she received from the boys. When she reached the landing, she rushed towards where the bathroom was and soon found herself heaving up her lunch.
It was too much to take in at once. They were dead - dead! Or, two of them were. But there they were, young and healthy, standing downstairs. At the thought, she felt her stomach heave once more and all remaining contents in her stomach left.
Feeling weak and tired, Hermione pushed herself away from the toilet and lent against the wall. She didn't want to go back downstairs. She didn't think she could handle confronting the boys.
But she had a job to do.
About ten minutes later, she gathered the courage up and after cleaning her mouth out and washing her face off, she headed back downstairs.
Remus was standing at the desk, James and Sirius at his side and Peter wandering around near the 'Jokes' section.
"Hey, it's not nice to make your customers wait," the younger Sirius scowled at her when she walked up to the desk.
Hermione refused to look at the boy, keeping her eyes downcast as she sat down in her seat, taking out a pad of receipt paper.
"Be nice, Sirius," Remus mumbled as he placed the books he'd selected down in front of Hermione, who promptly took them one by one and neatly wrote out the title's and author's of the book, then the price next to them.
"Well, it's rude! We shouldn't have to wait for her-"
"Ah, stuff it Padfoot," another voice spoke up. Hermione once again didn't look up but she knew it was Harry's dad speaking.
"Are you against me?" Sirius squawked loudly.
"No, but I bet this beautiful lady here had a reason to be absent," he remarked.
Hermione couldn't help it and looked up in time to see Harry's dad grin broadly at her and wink. She felt her cheeks flush and looked back down at the receipt and totaled the amount up.
"All four books together will be five sickle's and two knut's," she told Remus as she began bagging the books.
Said boy took out a collection of money from his pocket and counted out the exact change which Hermione took and placed in a small case next to the desk.
"Is there anything else I can help you with?"
"Yeah," James said after a moment. "How about you go out to lunch with me and my friends here?"
Hermione's stomach dropped to the floor. James Potter - Harry's dad - as hitting on her. HER. As in, Hermione Jane Granger, best friend of his future SON. She shook her head for more than one reason and said quietly, "I already had lunch. And I'm working, anyways."
"That doesn't matter," Sirius grinned. "Just put an 'out to lunch' sign on your door. No one will notice."
Hermione shook her head once more.
"Looks like a tough one," she vaguely heard Sirius mumble to the others. She fought down the urge to slap him and sat up straight in her seat.
"If you don't mind, I have some things I need to do."
"Oh, I reckon sorting books takes a lot of time, huh?" James asked mockingly.
The girl just glared at him. "If you're going to harass, leave."
"Harass? Harass! She's accusing you of harassing, Prongs!"
"Guys, lets just leave her alone," Remus spoke up, picking up the bag that contained his books. "She has work to do."
"But-"
"Please, listen to your friend," Hermione agreed. "I have work to do."
"You ruin all the fun, Moony," James and Sirius whined at the same time.
Rolling his eyes, the russet-haired boy began walking off. The others sullenly followed him, but Hermione caught James giving her another grin as he ruffled his hair up in the back, making it messier than ever. The girl noted absently that he looked quite good with his hair like that. After realizing her thoughts, she nearly slapped herself, ashamed of thinking such things.
Picking up her novel once more, Hermione had a feeling she hadn't seen the last of them.
A/N: Okay, yeah. A bit boring, I know. I don't even know if it makes much sense. xD But oh well. If you want, tell me what you think, and if you find something wrong with this, please inform me and I'll fix it. Anywho, thanks for reading. - Min