It's a Mystery [Hermione]

[james ignotus potter]

James was growing acustom to the fact there was a boy prancing around Hogwarts who looked just like him, as creepy as it was to him. He figured, he was the only one in the world who looked like him. Obviously someone was playing a wonderful prank on him. He was thinking the magic polyjuice potion was being by some slytherin getting his bollocks off, on freaking the poor boy out. Well they'd be entitled to with as much as James tortured poor slytherins on a daily basis. Although he was 'trying' to be better about his disposition and only hex those who came after him first. What ever impressed Lily that was. He was more into trying to find away into her heart. But on the low down, James was very much a loner. He was friendless, his adventures without Sirius, Remus and well.. Peter.. Whom James infact kind of scoffed at the fact he wanted to toddle along after the other two and him. It was amusing to say the most part.

Today James was lead around the castle passing the library and different students that passed by. James wouldn't be caught dead in the library. Maybe at night under the invisability cloak, when he could take books out, and no one would really know. He was pretty good with being sneaky, and not being caught.. although it came with practice. Today he highly avoided that area of the school. Well until now, maybe Lily was in there, he needed to find her, James being James was slowing working up the courage to ask Lily to come out with him one night, maybe when he was away from his friends he could be mister prince charming. Although he was highly uncertain Lily would fall for anything he had to offer her. He was deffinitely really mean to the poor girl. Well there was this attempt to James recognciling his ego. Maybe that would lead him to go into the Library and find her. He coughed as he glanced around to see if there was anyone he knew watching him. He had to keep his head about him, and who he was.

He slowly started walking towards the door to the library. His eyes intensely looking around as if someone was going to jump out and hex him. Finally the doors opened and for the first time in day light, James Potter strolled openly into the library. A little hesitant at first. But there was only one year left, to change who he was, before he left hogwarts forever.. Why wait? His hand subsided a little as he hesitantly ran his fingers through the dark tresses of hair, shifting his body almost heavily for a moment towards a table. Eyes flutteringa bout looking for that redheaded Gryffindor. His heart pounding almost loudly in his ears, catching his breath in his chest. His eyes searching, he hesitantly leaned against one of the tables, allowing his elbows to bow out a bit showing those quidditch muscles through an undone buttoned up white gryffindor uniform shirt. The sleeves rolled up, and the tie hanging limp around his neck almost like a piece of dead nothingness. James tried to be cool everywhere he went, but that's all he was to anyone, someone cool who made an ass of himself constantly. He let out a heavy breath. Oh Lily.. he muttered to himself as he looked around for her. Upon clearing his throat, he had a couple people turn off and stare at him, like he'd just set off a couple stinkbombs or something. He just glared them down, and his hand working its way for the wand in his pocket. He could hex them if he wanted too. But that wouldn't be him turning a new leaf would it?

[mione]

Hermione awoke with a scream.

She sat up in her bed quickly, her breath leaving her in small gasps, cold persperation erupting from her pores. A very distant part of her mind silently thanked Merlin that she had remembered to put silencing charms around her bed this morning. She had been having the same nightmare for awhile now, since before the trio found themselves - and others - thrown back twenty years in time. Every evening it was the same. She and the others were in the Department of Mysteries, fighting off Death Eaters as they ran. They would appear before the veil, when suddenly, she would find herself paralyzed, unable to do anything but watch as the events unfolded before her. Watching Harry and Sirius dueling together had dazzled her the first time, their cohesiveness mesmerizing her. In these dreams, however, all Hermione felt was a sickening dread developing in the pit of her stomach. And, as always, the dream ended as it always would: Harry screaming, clawing at Remus as he tried to reach Sirius as he fell through the veil. Though Hermione hadn't been anywhere near as close to Sirius as Harry - not near as close to him as she would have liked, either - she had still cared for the man. That, on top of the fact that he was the first person she had ever seen die. The dream always left her breathless and frightened, and with a greater understanding as to what Harry had gone through after Cedric Diggory's death. If only she had studied harder, had been able to defend herself properly and produce a proper shield charm and been able to help Harry-

Hermione quickly shook herself out of her stupor. It would do no good to live in that mindset. What would her parents say if they ever saw her like this, had heard the thoughts she was thinking? They would be beyond ashamed. They had not raised her to be so harsh with herself, to blame herself for things that she could not change. But that was the thing, wasn't it? They were in the past, and she could change things- Hermione quickly changed mental tracks. She had learned long ago that travelling back in time had profound effects on the future. They were already risking their lives, after all, simply for being seen. Now, however, they were strolling down the halls of Hogwarts, behaving as though nothing were out of the ordinary. The risk that remaining so far into the past presented was monumental at best, catastrophic at worst.

Knowing that returning to her nap - something she rarely did, but was feeling the need for one increasing with each passing day - was futile, Hermione dressed herself and exited the Common Room. She couldn't find it in herself to make the travel to the Great Hall - with so many new faces to adjust to as well as the loss of so many old ones - so she veered off of her natural path and decided to head toward the Library. She normally saved study sessions for the afternoon after she had recieved her homework, but there was nothing wrong with getting a few assignments over with early. That only gave her more free time when Harry and Ron needed help completing their last minute essays. As she entered the Library, Hermione contemplated on whether she should finish her Charms or Potions essay first. Charms would take much less time, but Potions was more challenging. In the end, Hermione decided on finishing her Charms work first, as it would take less time in the long run, and quickly grabbed several books she knew held excellent facts about the Bubblehead Charm and it's effects. She turned and made her way to her usual table, only to hesitate when she noticed a very familiar shaggy black head of hair in front of her. Smirking, Hermione quietly called, "Harry! What the bloody hell would you be doing in the Library? A bit early to be asking for help on your homework, isn't it?"

[james ignotus potter]

Despite the fact James wasn't a person to be in the library. He was always up for proving someone wrong about him. James was also very much a man of his word. Well as much as one could be. He did right in times, when it was needed, even if he was fully against what it was for to begin with. Maybe years ago, he would have said no just to watch the other person suffer, but he was getting older. He knew there was just no call for that. His trip to the Library was proving slightly in vain, he was standing there, not really moving. Perhaps he needed to start walking around. He needed to keep adventuring the castle. He pulled the map out of his pocket, glancing around before he tapped it, watching it change as he started unfolding it to the current location he was at, at the moment. Looking to see the all to fimilar moving position of Lily Evans in the Library. She wasn't there. His face turned into a rather crazed look as he began searching the map completely to see where she was in the castle.

It was horribly sad that he didn't have the guts to approach her in a regular hallway but stalked her via a magical map. At least he was secretly showing potential. He stood there, he wasn't fully aware there was some crazed bushy haired girl coming into the Library, nor was he even aware the girl was behind him with all her books. He was quite content staring at the map that was infront of him. He wanted to find Lily, he wanted to talk to her. Although some girl was blabbering behind him, and he twisted the map to spy through the page, before tapping it really quick so no one else could see it, and shoved it back into his pocket. He didn't want some other gryffindor finding about about the marauders map. His eyebrow arched as he stood there thinking it would be fun to ease drop on the conversationg between this very sassy lass, and Harry whoever. Understandably, James could do very good pretending he was doing something else, when need be.

Honest, James wasn't one for the library, and hell.. it was starting to look like a fun place to easedrop on people. His eyes looked over towards the corner, there was that stupid Slytherin git. He snarled lightly behind the mop of black hair, he was about to go over and give the boy a piece of his mind. Stupid SLYTHERIN. He grumbled under his voice, getting ready to pull the wand from the inside compounds of his robes, being that he hadn't made it back to the common room to change into normal muggle clothing. Unaware, that seriously the girl behind him was actually talking to him. He was very oblivious now that he had his target in sight.

[/size]