Title: Timelines

Pairing: Hermione/Remus

Rating: T

Summary: Hermione explains to her husband how it was that she fell in love with him as she traveled through various timelines, searching for one in which their side suffered less casualties of war.

Warnings: Fluff. Crazy fluff. And crazy hot Marauders.

Author's Note: Hello. This is, technically speaking, a prequel to Overclocking. However, it can be read alone, as everything important is re-explained and expanded on further. In this story, Hermione travels through various timelines which are ultimately rejected for various reasons, as she searches for the perfect one with the most gained and the least lost. I'm not sure if this is a one-shot, or if it will be a collection of one-shots, each focusing on an alternate timeline of events. Let me know what you think, or if I should write more. Enjoy!

Timeline 28: Chasing Ghosts

Hermione chewed her sandwich languidly, not tasting the corned beef at all (which suited her just fine considering the fact that she hated the saltiness of it and had nothing to drink anyhow). Her fingernails pattered on the table in a methodic back and forth rhythm, staring at the portal at the other end of the room - the archway glowing a bright green color, the grey veil fluttering softly in the breeze created by the clashing worlds. There were crystals on the ground surrounding the portal, humming quietly, acting as a barrier to prevent the worlds from crossing over and causing a rift. Hermione swallowed her bite and coughed to clear her throat, glancing at the door which led out into the Department of Mysteries, then up at the clock.

It was 12:08. Where was he?

Her tapping became a bit faster as she awaited her partner. She was anxious to explore what was behind the veil. It was a passage into an alternate dimension, a new world they had created. Or found. She wasn't sure which, and frankly, she couldn't give a rat's arse about the specifics of her research at the moment. She knew parallel dimensions existed, and she knew they ran concurrently with their own. Her specialty in time and her training with the great Sir Edward Witlingham, the last person who'd held her job, had taught her that she wasn't specializing in time as much as a way to transport people between these alternate planes.

What was behind the veil in this room wasn't the same thing as what was behind the veil Sirius fell through when she was fifteen. Well it was, and it wasn't. It was in the sense that everything was connected and everything was concurrent - life and death and everything in-between. It wasn't in the sense that her passage through it wouldn't end in her immediate and permanent departure from this world. She knew how to manipulate the portal, and with the help of Percy Weasley, her esteemed colleague and friend, a master in death, she had discovered a way to tweak occurrences in the timeline and see what effects they had. Their goal, as far as the head of their department knew, was purely to expand their knowledge basis and possibly discover secrets from said other dimensions. Their actual goal was to find a world in which Voldemort hadn't destroyed all their lives quite as much but everything else remained the same. For Percy, it was a world in which his brother was still alive. For Hermione, it was a world that was just better.

Once they found a suitable world, they would compromise the barrier, the crystals infused with ancient and complex magic which guarded the threshold, and allow the worlds to collide. They would diffuse into one another, and the momentum that kept them going would keep them going until they replaced one another completely. Only this would happen instantaneously, and once finished, Hermione and Percy would seal them into place. Then, the only thing they had to contend with was the Keeper of Time, the invisible driving force behind homeostasis, the balance between life and death, the thing that would attempt to kill them out of vengeance.

Hermione glanced at the clock again. 12:14. Why was he late?

She was waiting on Percy to make the trip through the veil, to explore this alternate world and see whether it was a viable option for the swap. They had no criteria for it, as it wasn't an official operation. They researched the history of Hogwarts, Voldemort, Dumbledore, and everyone and everything that could help them find their ideal world. They'd gone back to Grindelwald's childhood, to Merlin's time, to the beginning of time, forward to the end, and all of their changes had been wrong. Some had been disastrous, leading to the near-extinction of their kind. Some had been frustratingly close to what they wanted to achieve. But none had been just right. Two of them had even been okay with Percy but not acceptable for Hermione. And one had gone the other way. They would continue searching and changing things until one of the worlds was right for both of them. That's what they agreed upon. Those were the terms of their collaboration.

After going back in time more than three-hundred years the last time, they decided to make the most recent change they had ever made. It was brought on by a memory Hermione had while she was reminiscing of old Professor Lupin. She was taken back to the confrontation in the Shrieking Shack with Sirius, Snape, and Lupin. She remembered Snape saying he had gone to Lupin's office to give him his last batch of potion before the full moon. Because Lupin had never taken it, Snape had gone to his office, seen the Marauders' Map, and followed them, almost thwarting them, but most importantly, not having the potion with him. Lupin had turned into a beast, and Pettigrew had gotten away.

Harry had told Hermione about the prophecy Trelawney spouted out about the servant rejoining his master. Pettigrew's release was directly responsible for Voldemort's uprising. What if he hadn't gotten away? What if Snape had never showed up or Lupin had taken his potion? Would they have killed Pettigrew, or would they have turned him in? Either way, Voldemort wouldn't have risen to power - at least not as quickly as he had. Who would be alive now if things had been different?

Their change in time wouldn't save Harry's parents or the poor Longbottoms, but she reckoned it might have saved everyone since then. So with a bit of interference, Hermione had made the student who had detention with Snape that night show up on time via a well-placed Imperius, thus not delaying Snape in his journey to give Lupin his potion. Lupin had taken the last of the potion before he saw Sirius and Pettigrew on the map. What happened from there, Hermione didn't know.

The changes took some time to set in, but Hermione had gone into work, done her routine checks on all six of her veil rooms, and had found the tell-tale glow of green which suggested that the changes had been made, and Hermione and Percy were free to cross over.

She looked at the clock in exasperation. 12:24.

She dropped her head to the table and groaned.

Hermione seriously considered sending out a search party when Percy Weasley nearly broke through the door with the force he used to open it. He was flushed, as if he'd been running.

"Sorry, sorry!" he exclaimed, bowing his head apologetically. "My Dad - he caught me on my way back from Kingsley's office - wanted to show me something - couldn't get out of it."

"It's alright," she said, letting her shoulders slump in relief. "You're here now."

"Yeah," he said, his head whipping to the veil as it made a whooshing sound.

He stepped closer and examined it. He waved his hand in a triangle, and the veil glowed white momentarily, before it turned green again.

"Is it good?" she asked nervously.

"White means good," he said tersely, nodding. "We won't be killed stepping through it."

She sighed in relief, then pocketed her wand. "You ready?"

"Fingers crossed that this one's the one," he said, taking her hand.

"I'd drink to that," she said, squeezing his arm and closing her eyes. "Don't let go of my hand."

"I wouldn't dare," he mumbled quietly.

She focused on the journey, the passage through the worlds, one which looked similar to taking the floo network. She stepped forward, her eyes still closed, and she saw the world beyond the veil, the journey they needed to take to their destination. The world they had created had settled into permanence, but they still had to get there safely and methodically so that they could get back out with their lives.

She led Percy through the veil with her eyes closed, aware of the feeling of ice cold water being splashed over her, but ignoring it. They were through to the other world. She could tell because the colors, even in her mind, were inverted. Her eyes still closed, she mumbled spells she'd been taught by Ed to navigate the in-between. She could see her patronus in her mind, guiding her through a vast black emptiness, to one of the lights close by. She followed it slowly, carefully avoiding the other lights. Soon, she was standing in front of another archway, and through it, she could see Hogwarts grounds. Only, they were far away.

This was the place.

Hermione stepped through, pulling Percy through with her, and she immediately opened her eyes to see that what she'd 'seen' before was now manifested before her, but in the normal, vibrant colors. She took a moment to see that they were on a cliff overlooking Hogwarts grounds from across the Great Lake. That worked fine for her. It'd be less work guarding the portal, which would remain open until their return. The odds of stumbling across this and dying instantly, forever lost in the nether, were very real the time the portal had manifested itself inside Zonko's. That'd been a disaster and had led to Hermione and Percy becoming even better with their Obliviating, as they'd to use the Imperius to stop anyone from going near it until they had it secured and hidden, and then used Obliviate so they'd forget they'd had an Unforgivable used against them.

The footing on the ledge of the cliff was unsteady, so Hermione used a bit of her wandless magic to reform it and make it more secure, while Percy began to ward anyone off from the area, and making it invisible. Once he was finished, Hermione used the crystal around her neck to partially close the passage, making it impossible for people or animals to accidentally pass through it. They'd just walk through as if nothing was there. The crystal worked as a key - an invention that had taken Percy and Hermione three months to invent - and something completely necessary because of the Zonko's disaster.

Once finished, Hermione looked over the edge of the cliff and whistled. It was a long drop.

"How do you fancy getting down?" she asked Percy, biting on her lower lip.

Percy considered this for a moment, then turned to Hermione with an uncharacteristically wicked smile she usually only saw on the lips of George Weasley. "How about something a bit unconventional?"

She eyed him suspiciously. The look on his face told her 'unconventional' was the kindest way to put what he was considering.

"Honestly, the way you're looking at me now makes it seem as though I'd planned to push you off the cliff," Percy said with a laugh. "You just have to trust me, and it'll be fun."

She continued to eye him in silence for a long while before she sighed, resigned to whatever it was he had planned. "Alright. What do you have in mind?"

Percy opened the inside of his robes up and pulled out a tiny box. With a wave of his wand, it expanded into a giant trunk that barely fit even on the enlarged ledge. He opened it up, revealing all sorts of tools he'd learned to carry with him through his Unspeakable training and their adventures in alternate timelines. She had a bag of tricks as well, although hers didn't contain the same things his did. He pulled out a flask and handed it to her.

She held it up to the sun and swished it, studying its color and consistency. "Shrinking solution?"

"Just a gulp will do," he said excitedly. "We only need you tiny for about five minutes or so."

She eyed him, then the potion, then him again. And then the potion again. And then him once more for good measure, before she reluctantly took the gulp. She closed her eyes and felt herself shrinking in size until she was as big as one of the nearby rocks. She opened her eyes again, expecting to see Percy, but he was no longer there. Nor was his chest or the potion. Instead, she saw a tiny colorful bird with blue and red and yellow color-blocking - his animagus form.

He hopped over to her, and to her horror, he picked her up with one of his feet, before he flapped his wings wildly and took off in flight. Hermione screamed in horror as Percy took off down the cliff side, soaring over the Great Lake. She didn't dare struggle, as she didn't fancy plummeting to her death at the moment, so she instead held onto his little claws as she lived the terrifying flight to the grounds. Once near the shore, she stopped screaming, and Percy set her down gently. She felt the discomfort associated with growing again, and she closed her eyes. When she opened them again, Percy was standing there with a mischievous grin on his face.

"Good approximation of how much of the potion to drink," he said coyly. "Would've been a disaster if it'd worn off even a minute earlier."

Pale and shaking slightly, she glared at him angrily.

"Well, off we go then," he said, trotting off to the castle like a proud steed.

After steadying herself she begrudgingly followed him. Her nether patronus usually spawned them in the proper place for what it was they wanted to see and where they should start their investigation. It was hard to plan for what they should do and where they should go, as they tried to avoid suspicious activity in case they wanted to make the switch permanent. This portal had landed them near Hogwarts for a reason. It was always a bit nerve-racking, until they found someone or something they recognized. Or it had been, ever since they'd landed in one dimension where Hermione had been framed the way Sirius had been, and although mostly everyone was alive, Hermione was on the run. Upon sighting her, Ginny Weasley had nearly killed her.

Percy opened the heavy doors for Hermione, and she slipped inside. In times like this, she really wished she had the Marauders' Map. If she found someone like McGonagall, things would instantly be easier. In their quest to find out if the timeline was appropriate, Hermione always selectively picked one person to let in on their quest. It was usually the first reliable person she came across - either Harry or McGonagall or even Neville Longbottom once. It made things easier.

They heard noise coming from the Great Hall, signaling to them that school was in session. The sun slowly dropping down implied this was dinnertime. Hermione wondered if it'd be safe to barge into the Great Hall, in case things were hostile again. But the decision was made easy for her when a young girl wearing a Gryffindor tie walked by with a girl wearing Ravenclaw garb. She waved at Hermione politely.

"Good evening, Professor," she said warmly, before she disappeared with her chattering friend into the Great Hall.

"'Professor?'" Hermione asked, blinking in surprise.

Percy smiled but shrugged. At least they knew it was safe, so they entered into the Great Hall, not knowing what to expect.

It was filled with chattering students, who didn't look up at their entrance. Hermione's eyes flicked to the Head Table and scanned the faculty. Hagrid was there. McGonagall was there. Snape was there. And then to Hermione's great surprise, she saw sitting there, in all his old glory, with twinkling blue eyes and snow white hair, Albus Dumbledore.

Her eyes widened, and she willed herself not to cry. She glanced over at Percy, whose eyes were locked on the same thing hers were.

"I really hope this is the one," she whispered in awe.

"Me, too," he agreed.

They walked down the center aisle, and to Hermione's pleasant surprise, she also saw Remus Lupin there, chattering animatedly with tiny Flitwick. Everything thus far seemed to be in order. Or better than expected, she supposed.

When they arrived at the Head Table, Dumbledore and McGonagall looked up in astonishment.

"Mr. Weasley, what a pleasant surprise!" McGonagall exclaimed, smiling fondly at him. "Have you come on business or for personal reasons?"

"I was just visiting with Hermione," Percy said brightly. "I hope I'm not imposing."

"Those in need will always find what they seek among friends," Dumbledore said delightedly, although there was an odd, sad undertone in his voice. "You are always welcome here, dear boy."

"Thank you, Professor," Percy said bowing.

Dumbledore waved his wand, and another empty chair appeared at the end of the table, next to the already empty one by Lupin. Hermione, assuming that was her place, sat down in it.

"Good evening, Hermione," Lupin greeted enthusiastically, looking rather chipper. "And Percy Weasley, the youngest Wizengamot member in the Ministry's history, taking time out to visit his friends. Good man."

Hermione watched in amusement as Lupin patted Percy so hard on the back that he nearly fell over. She could see from the pleased smile on his face that he was enjoying his job in this timeline as well. In one of the timelines, he was a chimney sweep. In another, he was in a partnership with George, running Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. This was an improvement to both, in his eyes.

"Well, you know," Percy said with a cocky air to his tone, "have to find time to relax."

"I bet you do, Your Honor," Hermione whispered out of the corner of her mouth, snickering to herself.

"Hermione said she could use some help preparing for classes. How long until break?" Percy asked, expertly fishing for information.

"Just over a month until winter holiday, and I couldn't be more excited," Remus said, squirming in his seat. "'Dora and I are buying Teddy his first training broom. Is it silly that I'm more excited to give him his gift than to open gifts myself?"

Hermione was warmed by the notion. Remus Lupin was adorable. There was no other way to put it. She shared a smile with Percy before she shook her head. "No. I think it's sweet."

Lupin smiled broadly and dug into his meatloaf ravenously. He looked so healthy, so energetic, so young, so happy. She really hoped this was the one. Seeing Lupin like this was like a breath of fresh air.

"So how are your classes going?" Lupin asked her. "I know how tough it can be to be a new teacher, especially at your age."

"It's going alright, I think," Hermione said vaguely, unsure of how else to respond. She didn't even know what subject she was teaching, so what more could she say?

"The students all love you," Remus assured her, then turned to Percy. "You should have seen what Minerva had to deal with once the new term started and people saw that Hermione was teaching. Suddenly, everyone wanted to take Ancient Runes."

Hermione flushed at Remus's kind words. At least she knew what she taught now, and if she had to be honest, she wouldn't mind teaching Runes either. It was always more of a hobby subject for her than anything, but she always saw its value the way others didn't.

"Good of you to fill in last second," Remus said kindly. "And good of Kings to spare an Auror at a time like this."

'At a time like this.' Hermione wanted to ask what he meant, but she knew she shouldn't. It'd be odd of her not to know what was going on, especially considering the fact that she'd apparently been an Auror up until September.

Lupin turned back to converse with Flitwick, and Hermione turned to Percy, who had caught wind of the same thing she'd latched onto. "I'd never be an Auror - not if I didn't have to be."

"You fought when there was a war to be fought, just like I did, but neither of us fancies law enforcement," Percy said quietly. "Do you reckon this means it's not over?"

Hermione looked around the room, her eyes drifting to Dumbledore's, and meeting his gaze briefly, before she turned back to Percy. She stared long and hard at him, then let her gaze drop to her plate with a frown.

After the crowd of students started to thin, Hermione stood with a hand from Percy, and with a nod of agreement from him, they approached Dumbledore, intent on getting his input on the situation. Even if he'd oppose them switching this time into reality, there wasn't much he could do to stop them if they saw this fit. They knew without a doubt in their minds that Dumbledore was the one to consult on this matter, as this was the first timeline they'd gone to that had him alive.

That was another thing that unnerved them. Dumbledore's death seemed to be a mandate for Voldemort's defeat. Maybe his survival meant Voldemort's survival as well. The 'neither can live while the other survives' part of Trelawney's prophecy may as well have come with a twin for Voldemort and Dumbledore stating that 'both must live, or both must die.'

When they reached Dumbledore and told him they needed to speak with him, he appeared a bit wary before he responded. "Tomorrow, if you don't mind. I have some business to attend to after tonight's meeting."

"Meeting?" Hermione asked, furrowing her brow.

"The Order meeting," McGonagall said, looking at her strangely. "Let's go, then. We haven't time to spare. We must return in time for rounds tonight. We're still on 12 hour shifts."

"O- okay," Hermione said, sharing a frightened look with Percy.

They followed Lupin, Snape, McGonagall, and Dumbledore up to Dumbledore's office, where they each took turns flooing to 12 Grimmauld Place.

Once they arrived, they saw the same people who she remembered being there from her fifth year, again to her relief, and she even saw Cedric Diggory there, all grown up and as handsome as ever. Hermione turned to Percy and smiled, but he was already gone, striding up to his not-dead brother Fred and catching him by surprise by giving him a bearhug.

Hermione smiled fondly at the scene, even though she had the sneaking suspicion that all was not right in this world, even if there seemed to be far fewer casualties thus far than in hers. She was greeted passively by Tonks, who gave her husband a peck on the lips, warmly by Harry, Ginny, and Ron, who gave her hugs, and was at least acknowledged by most of the other members.

Everyone crowded in the kitchen was still chatting, including Dumbledore. She looked around and wondered who or what they were waiting for to start the meeting. She went through a mental checklist in her mind, before she realized who the missing person was. Only, she couldn't be sure he was who everyone was waiting for. After all, she couldn't be sure he was still alive. He could be the one person who was dead.

She wished she could ask, but she knew how horrible of a question it'd be if he was dead.

Hermione bit her lip, wondering if Sirius Black would show up. As if answering her unasked question, through the doors, he appeared. He was wearing a fine suit with luxurious robes, his hair trimmed the length of Lupin's, except much fuller and more wavy. He had scruff on his face and a smile on his face. If Lupin looked young, he had nothing on Sirius, who was breathtakingly handsome. It had to have been that he was cleared of all charges after their alteration. Hermione smiled in excitement, then surprise when Sirius passively waved to everyone else, clasping his godson's shoulder, before he moved to Hermione.

"Did you have an accident?" Sirius asked her, reaching his hand out and grasping a strand of her hair.

He was so close to her that she could feel the warmth radiating from his body. She flushed naturally.

"Err?" she asked, unsure of what he meant.

"Your hair's about six inches shorter than it was this morning," he said with a laugh.

Hermione didn't know how to respond, especially when Sirius let go of her hair and moved his hand to cup her cheek. Before she could do anything, he bent down to kiss her.

Hermione's entire mind went blank, and all she could feel for the seconds that Sirius's lips collided with hers was raw heat and passion and devotion, and her knickers start to get a little wet. She didn't know how long he kissed her, but it wasn't long enough, as he let go of her and threw his arm around her waist possessively.

"Let's get this meeting started," McGonagall said, gathering everyone's attention and directing it to Dumbledore.

Hermione's gaze drifted to Percy's across the room, and he cocked his head to the side, glancing back and forth between Hermione and Sirius. Hermione flushed under his gaze and forcefully turned her attention to Dumbledore.

"My friends, it is my displeasure to have had to call you here for an emergency meeting, but I have received word this afternoon that we have lost one of our own," Dumbledore said somberly, as whispers filled the room. "Late last night, while on his reconnaissance mission to Berlin, Neville Longbottom was ambushed and killed."

Hermione's eyes widened, and the whispers around the room grew louder. Hermione turned to a loud bashing noise and saw that Harry had punched a wall, blood gushing down his arm, the unmistakable look of rage on his face. Ginny steadied him with her arms and met his gaze with concern in her eyes.

Hermione looked to Percy, who had a look of horror on his face and was comforting his mother, didn't even glance at her.

"It's my fault," Harry shouted. "I should have gone with him. I should have been there and- "

" - and gotten yourself killed, too?" Sirius bellowed from next to her.

"He was all alone," Harry said, his entire body shaking. "If I'd gone - if I hadn't been too busy to go - then we could have fought them off."

"You had other things to do, Potter," Shacklebolt said simply.

"We weren't exactly sitting on our arses," Ron agreed. "Maybe we shouldn't have let Neville go alone, but if we hadn't, we wouldn't have caught the LeStranges and found another Horcruxe."

More whispers flew through the room, and Hermione gathered that the news of that capture hadn't been broken until now. What surprised her more was that they were hunting for Horcruxes alone.

"He shouldn't have been there alone," Harry said adamantly. "Neville isn't - wasn't - the stealthiest. He could've done with help."

"Don't be stupid," Sirius said again, shaking his head. "Even if you had gone, I doubt you would have made it out with your head."

"You don't know what I'm capable of," Harry challenged. "I'm not a little boy anymore, Sirius. I can take care of myself."

"No one is doubting your capabilities of defending yourself against Deatheaters," Lupin said calmly and carefully, "but Sirius is right. Just as you are a grown, capable wizard and a fully trained Auror, so was Neville. And from what Severus has told me, even five more of you wouldn't have helped."

Hermione's eyes snapped to Snape, who seemed less slimy than usual. He had something in his eyes. What was it? Sympathy? Had Neville's death shaken him?

"Potter, there were three dozen men waiting for Longbottom. He - he was killed instantly," Snape said so quietly that Hermione had to strain to hear. "It was unplanned for so many of them to be there. They were having a social gathering, and as I generally am not one for such frivolities, I was not aware of it. They killed him upon detection."

Hermione swallowed, tears welling in her eyes as she imagined poor Neville stumbling into a house in Berlin where dozens of Deatheaters were doing who knows what. Neville was strong and smart, but he didn't stand a chance, it sounded like.

Sirius pulled her tightly against himself and rubbed her shoulder. There was silence in the room.

"Had they known who he was, surely his death would not have been as prompt and painless," Snape added quietly. "But you, Potter - you they would have recognized, with that scar of yours, and your face plastered on the Daily Prophet, and then Longbottom surely would have been subjected to the same torture - "

" - that's enough, Severus," Dumbledore said sternly.

Harry's face had become ashen, and the room was deathly quiet aside from a few women sniffling and sobbing. Hermione was one of them, even as Sirius held her tightly.

"Neville was a brave individual, and his death is no one's fault but Voldemort's and the individuals' who follow his commands," Dumbledore said softly. "All we can do is make sure his death was not in vain."

"Voldemort," McGonagall said, struggling to calm herself, "must not win, and if we fall apart in self-pity at the death of one of our own, he will."

"Professor McGonagall is correct, of course," Dumbledore said fondly. "We have many strengths that Voldemort does not. Conversely, we have weaknesses as well. One of them is the empathy and compassion we feel. We must not let him take advantage of that."

There was a brief silence, as Dumbledore looked around the room at each of them individually, as if trying to determine if they were strong enough to move past this tragedy.

"What's the next move?" Sirius asked, interrupting the silence. "I'm ready to avenge his death, not mourn our loss."

Hermione saw many people nodding in agreement with Sirius. Dumbledore smiled sadly.

"Severus, if you will," Dumbledore said, nodding to Snape.

As Snape began speaking, Hermione tuned out, lost in thought. There was no point in anything. This world was a definite 'no' for her. Neville's death was unacceptable, as was Voldemort's continued survival. This was no good, no good at all, sadly. Her eyes drifted to Percy's, and she saw unmistakable, incredible sadness in them. He was disappointed, just as she was. He still had his arm firmly around Fred's shoulder, but his eyes were unseeing as he stared blankly at the wall.

There was no point in telling anyone anything or doing any further research in this timeline. They knew enough. Now it was just a matter of waiting for the meeting to end and going home with another notch on their arch.

Once the meeting was done, however, this proved to be difficult. Sirius waved in ample amounts of liquor, and as Fred offered a drink to Percy, she saw the desperation in Percy's eyes that told her he wanted to stay, just for a bit. She couldn't say no. This was all he had for now - fleeting moments with his brother. And it'd be difficult to get back to the cliff tonight anyhow. Night had fallen, and Sirius didn't seem keen on letting her escape.

So she drank along with the best of them, after McGonagall graciously told her she need not return to patrol tonight, mourning their loss, and trying to wrap her mind around how the hell she was apparently not only dating, but was living withSirius Black, judging by the photos of them on the wall and her gran's antique vase in the corner of the living room. Grimmauld Place was fixed up and had a bright, cheery atmosphere to it, and she guessed that'd been her doing as well.

Still, it was beyond understanding.

Hermione watched on as Harry got sloshed while Sirius poured him another glass of brandy. He returned to Hermione's side and caught her off-guard once more by sitting down next to her, and pulling her into his lap. She squealed, and then moaned, as Sirius began attacking her neck, biting, and kissing, and sucking as if they were alone.

"Wait, Sirius," she said, her entire body reacting to his touch.

"Why's that, darling?" he asked her. "If it's about your hair, I don't care what you do with it. Chop it all off for all I care."

"What?" she asked, before she remembered that he'd said her hair was shorter. "No, it's not that."

"Then what?" he asked, his light eyes sparkling with lust as he met her gaze. "I want you. Why should I stop? Unless you don't want me?"

Hermione blushed scarlet at his heady words, and she briefly reconsidered telling him to stop. He was so handsome - so, so, so handsome. And she could feel his erection slowly building beneath her. His last question was filled with skepticism, and he could tell that she wanted him as he wanted her. That thought made her body heat up even more.

"Of - of course I do," she said, averting her gaze. "But we're not alone. Harry and Ron and Fred and George and - "

"I wasn't going to shag you in front of everyone," Sirius said in amusement. "But let's go snog in our bedroom, if you feel more comfortable. In fact, that's a better idea anyway. We won't have to relocate for when we do shag."

The offer was tempting, but she couldn't. This would be... taking advantage somehow. She couldn't explain it, but this didn't feel right, as much as her body told her it was right as long as it felt good. She shuddered and ignored her burning loins. She looked around, saw Remus getting up and kissing his wife farewell while he went on patrol, and she took the opportunity.

"I have to patrol tonight," she said, jumping off Sirius's lap. "I should go with Remus."

Sirius stared at her in disbelief, then slowly began to chuckle. "Strange witch. If you insist."

Hermione looked to Percy to tell him where she was going, but he was just as sloshed as Harry was, now singing songs with Fred and George. There was no point in telling him anything now. She'd find him in the morning.

"Are you coming back after?" Sirius asked. "Or is Dumbledore still making you do all night patrol?"

"All night," she said, even though she didn't know the answer. She just knew she didn't want to come back to Sirius.

Well, she wanted to come back to Sirius, but she wasn't going to.

"See you tomorrow then," Sirius called, waving goodbye with a raucous laugh.

"Bye," she said, then yelped, "wait, Remus!"

She didn't catch him before he went through the fireplace, so she followed him through, concentrating hard on Dumbledore's office. She was a bit inebriated. And the sobering tonic she'd taken would take some time to kick in.

Luckily, it was Dumbledore's office she fell out of. Coughing up smoke and dust, she opened her eyes to see a hand offering her help up. She took it graciously and stood, coming face-to-face with an amused Remus.

"Minerva dismissed you from your post tonight," Remus said with a smile. "Wouldn't you have rather stayed with Sirius?"

"No," she said, before she snapped her hand to her mouth in horror at what she'd just blurted out. "I mean - "

"No?" Remus asked in surprise, raising his eyebrows.

She floundered, looking for something else to say, but she came up with nothing. Remus blinked a few more times, before he turned to the door and started walking down the stairs. Hermione followed him, unsure of what else to do.

"What I meant was that - I - uhh," she flailed.

"It's alright, Hermione," Remus said gently. "You've no obligation to me to explain anything."

And yet Hermione felt like she really wanted to. Because from his perspective, she must have looked like a horrible person, not wanting to comfort his best friend, who was her boyfriend, and instead abandoning him.

"It's not that I didn't want to stay," she said truthfully, as the tonic finally started to clear her mind, halfway down one corridor.

"Oh?" Remus asked. "Then why didn't you?"

"I couldn't stay," she answered truthfully again. "I can't explain it, but Grimmauld Place - it wasn't in my place to be there with Sirius."

Remus regarded her carefully, his light eyes boring into hers, before a smile curved onto his lips.

"That's kind of you to leave Sirius and Harry to one another," Remus said, deducing that she'd left so that they could comfort each other, since Harry blamed himself, and Sirius knew what it was to lay the blame on himself for something.

It made sense, although it wasn't what Hermione was thinking of at all. Still, Hermione blushed at the compliment.

"You're an extraordinary witch, Hermione Granger," Remus said fondly. "You always were, and you always will be. In all your endeavors, you bring with you immense accomplishments and feats not just for yourself but for all those around, and even beyond. Not factoring in how kind and considerate you always are. The world is better because of your place in it."

Hermione swallowed hard. That was the kindest thing anyone had ever said to her. Ever. And she felt more embarrassed and more pleased than she ever had in her life. She didn't know what to say, and when she finally found enough courage to look into Remus's face, she saw a small smile on his face and a light in his eyes that she found incredible, considering the news they'd all received just a few hours ago. He was so positive, so grateful for everything, regardless of everything bad that had been thrown his way.

And when the moonlight through the windows hit him just right, she could see how shiny and healthy his hair was, how smooth his skin was in places not marred with scars, how pink his lips were. His profile was beautiful.

Hermione looked away quickly, trying to shake the thoughts from her mind.

"What do you say we make this easier on us?" Remus asked, a mischievous grin on his face, as he pulled something out of his robe pockets. It was the Marauders' Map. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Hermione smiled as she glanced up and down the map, looking for students out of bed. There were none.

"How about we have a drink in my office for Neville?" Remus offered gently, putting his hand on her shoulder and squeezing. "I know you were close."

Hermione nodded, and she followed Remus to his office, trying to push away the thoughts swimming around her mind. As bittersweet as it was, she would be going back to her own world tomorrow, and there, Remus was dead, and here, he was married to Tonks, as he was in about half of the timelines she'd gone to. So it was no use developing a crush on him either way. She was chasing ghosts.

"So that's when you started developing your crush on me?" Remus asked, an amused grin on his face. "In a timeline where you were dating Sirius and I was married to Tonks, you started to have feelings for me?"

Hermione blushed, looking away. "I felt awful. You have to understand."

Remus suddenly embraced her, tugging her into his chest. He kissed the top of her head. "Don't feel bad, Hermione. If anything, I feel flattered that you refused Sirius in order to spend the night patrolling with me. It just goes to show how compatible we are."

Hermione buried her head in her husband's chest, listening to his heartbeat. "You know that I didn't pick this timeline for you, right? Percy and I picked it, because while Dumbledore and Voldemort are dead, everyone else is alive."

"I know," Remus said quietly, rubbing her back gingerly. "But aren't you pleased it worked out in our favor anyway?"

In most of the timelines where Remus had been alive, he'd been happy, so that wasn't a criteria for Hermione. Although, she felt selfish for admitting it, but she was pleased that it was she and Remus who were together and happy in the final timeline they'd chosen.

"I am," she admitted sheepishly.

"That wasn't so hard to say, was it?" Remus asked, tilting her head up so her brown eyes met his blue ones.

"No," she admitted again, returning his smile.

"I love you," he said, bringing his soft lips down to meet her forehead.

She closed her eyes and leaned into him. "I love you, too."

Author's Note: Awww. I love Remus/Hermione. The ending, of course, is set a few years after Overclocking. If you want to read more, let me know, and subscribe in case there is more. I have ideas for a few other shifts, some of them a bit funnier.