the_debt_of_time

"So you're my new sister, huh?"
"Who are you?" she screamed and twisted violently away to the opposite side of the
large bed. This translated, apparently, to an invitation for the boy to climb onto the mattress
with her to get a closer look. She held up her hands defensively, flexing her fingers when
she remembered how much smaller her limbs were again thanks to the De-Ageing Potion.
"Wait." She looked at the boy closely, shocked at the nearly identical resemblance
to her best friend. How had she not assumed? 1971, Potter Manor. She gasped, bringing one
hand to her mouth. "You're James? Oh my... goodness, you... you look―"
James grinned smugly. "Handsome? Dashing? Brilliant?"
Hermione let out a loud laugh, shocked by how genuine it sounded. She had not
had a good laugh since this whole fiasco began. She smiled at him; his strong resemblance
to Harry and his apparent lack of understanding in regards to personal space made him
somewhat endearing.
"You look like a right mess is what you do. Do you even own a brush?" She
subconsciously reached up to smooth his hair as she had done to Harry for the past seven
years, unable to stop herself from doing so, as though her muscles acted on their own.
"You're one to talk." James laughed, reaching a hand up to shake out his hair,
making it look twice as bad. He then ruffled her locks teasingly. "I think I see a bird
somewhere inside your hair. Can you hide snacks in this mane of yours?"
"Never thought to." She scowled, almost taking the chance to properly scold the
boy for talking to an adult like that, but then she remembered that she was no longer an
adult. Her mind held the memories of a nineteen-year-old witch from 1998, but, in fact,
she was now an eleven-year-old girl living in 1971.
"Well, since you don't, can I hide snacks there?" he asked with a grin. "Seems a bit
more convenient than weighing down my pockets."
She rolled her eyes. "No, you cannot hide sweets in my hair."
He laughed again, the sound a joyous one, unlike Harry's which always seemed to
come out like relieved surprise, as though he were continually shocked that he was able to
find humour in life. James, however, was completely unburdened.
"Look at us, siblings already! Always wanted a little sister," he said, leaning back
against the headboard. He rested his hands behind his head, making himself comfortable.