Going Back- Hermione, Ginny and the Marauders

Chapter 17- The First Week

Third Person:

The first week spent at the Potter Manor was spent as some well earned relaxation time. For Ginny and Hermione, they had battled a full war, got shot into the past and restarted their lives. 

For James and Sirius, though, they had spent a year full of pranks, quidditch, detention- oh- and school. 

Hermione and Ginny had shared a room. They could have easily gotten their own, but they decided it would be best to stick together. Euphemia said they reminded her of James and Sirius, always wanting to stick tighter. 

James and Sirius' bedroom was across the hall from Ginny and Hermione. The hallway was long and wide, lined with spare bedrooms and bathrooms. 

The four had fallen into a routine. Hermione and Sirius would be the first to wake up, much to Hermione's surprise. They would brew some tea and drink it while Hermione would read or write to Lily, and Sirius would think or write. It surprised Hermione, that Sirius wrote. 

"What are you doing?" She asked him the first morning, when she saw him scribbling furiously.

"Well, Hermione dear, this is something called writing. It's what happens when you think something and then put it onto pap-"

"I know what writing is, you daft dimbo! I meant what are you writing? You don't strike me as the writing type."

"Well, just because I am drop dead gorgeous, doesn't mean I'm just a pretty face."

Hermione scoffed at him. He was much different than the Sirius she knew. He seemed so much more... alive.

"In all Sirius-ness," (Of course he would make a pun about his own name, Hermione thought), "I like to write, it helps keep my head empty."

Hermione snorted, "As if you need any more of that," and went back to writing Lily.

After about an hour, Ginny would wake up. She would make herself coffee and down it. 

Once she felt alive enough for the day, the three of them would go to wake up James. It amazed the time travelers how James Potter would only wake up quickly for two things. Lily Evans and Quidditch.

Most days, they decided on the classic "Aguamenti," from three directions. James hadn't even shot up quickly. He just rolled out of bed, as if it was a daily occurrence.

"Alright ladies, and lad, what's the plan for today?" James asked. They would usually do this, have a morning meeting to decide where the day should go.

"We haven't been out in awhile? Maybe we could go get some brunch? I heard that's a muggle thing," Sirius took pride in his fun factoid about muggle culture. 

"Brunch sounds good to me. Where should we go?" Ginny asked, already hungry. To be fair, she would only drink coffee in the mornings. 

"Maybe we could go somewhere near Remus'? And then maybe visit him afterwards," Hermione proposed, and everyone nodded.

"Yeah, Moony's probably pretty lonely- all cooped up with his mum. She's sick." 

(Hermione and Ginny knew the classic "my mother is sick" for they had read plenty of marauders fan fictions. this is a joke not an actual line, proceed.)

"Alright, well I'm sure he'd like to get out for a little. We can go to this cafe near his house," Hermione said. She had owled Lily, who she knew lived close enough to Remus, about a cafe. She internally smirked, knowing that Lily would probably go that day.

The other three muttered in agreement. 

"We can leave in 15?" Ginny asked, surveying the room. It wasn't hard to all be on the same page, they were a small group, "Alright, I'm going to wash up real quickly!"

She walked off to the bathroom. James had followed her, heading to his own bedroom to try and tame his hair. 

Hermione, who had been up for hours, went to the kitchen for a glass of water. Sirius remained standing there alone, sort of oblivious to the fact that everyone had already left. It's not that he was stupid- that was a common misconception- it was that he had the attention span of a four year old at the worst times. He would constantly be consumed with thoughts about randomly transforming into his animagus, or something James had said to him in transfiguration during their first year. 

Once he realized everyone had gone their own ways, he decided to join Hermione in the kitchen. She was fixing herself a cup of tea, lavender tea.

"Switching it up, I see?" Sirius asked, noticing she usually had peppermint.

"Hm?" Hermione had clearly zoned out, "Oh, yes. I've had the worst headache. I usually have peppermint because it helps with focus, but I need some lavender today."

Sirius had noticed Hermione never gave simple answers. She would always give reason to whatever it was she was doing, and it made Sirius feel smarter. 

"What's been giving you a headache?" Sirius  asked.

"Studying all night."

"In the summer?" Sirius questioned.

Hermione didn't want to explain herself, with studying time travel, werewolves, and other personal things, so she just shrugged.

Sirius had noticed, as she never gave a simple answer- at least when she was being truthful.  He didn't seem to care too much,  though. He walked over to the kitchen island, and hopped onto it. 

"You know there are perfectly good seats at the table," Hermione almost couldn't believe how childish Sirius had seemed.

"Well, Mione, where's the fun in that?"

"alright, well don't hurt yourself."

"Yes, Mother," Sirius was doing his best to push Hermione's buttons, but she just slowly turned to him, sipping her tea. She gave him a small smile. 

She confused him. Usually  when he acted like himself, anyone, other than Moony and James and usually Peter, would furrow their eyebrows and complain. His mother was even worse than that... But Hermione just seemed half amused by him. He didn't mind it, though.

Hermione looked at Sirius, and saw a happiness that wasn't in the eyes of the Sirius she knew. The Sirius she knew was dull, faded, and like an almost empty glass of water that you leave on your bedside table, but in the morning, whatever water was left wasn't enough. The Sirius she knew was dead long before he actually was.

This Sirius, the Sirius that had become the Sirius she knew, was so full of life. In spite of his past trauma and  his rebellious tendencies, he was a happy, alive person.  It was unsettling in a way, since she had only known him broken, but it brought her some security in what she- and Ginny- was doing was right.

There were footsteps in the hallway, quite rapid ones. Ginny and James had seemed to be racing one another to the kitchen. 

Ginny stepped through the arch that led to the kitchen first, and with a smug grin smeared on her face, she asked, "Time to go?"

Hermione and Sirius nodded, while James stood still. It was upsetting to him to lose, but he quickly let it go because he was too excited for brunch- whatever that was. Muggles get creative with naming things, don't they, he thought to himself, as the four of them walked to the fireplace. 

It was large enough for all four of them to go at once- everything the. Potters had was large- so they all took a little handful of floo powder and tossed it into the fire, standing next to one another.

Hermione shouted the address of the nearest floor port- she had checked earlier in the morning- and with a poof the four teens were sucked into the floo network.