"We couldn't imagine a more perfect day for a young couple."
"Yes, with breakfast at Three Broomsticks, jaunts to every which shop around Hogsmeade..."
"...including a notable visit to Madam Puddingfoot's..."
"...followed by a picnic lunch..."
"Don't forget the snogging."
"Oh, of course. The most important part of any date. The secretive, back-alley snogging sessions."
Both Harry and Hermione blushed furiously at this. "We weren't snogging!" Harry declared. "We didn't even have anything at Madam Puddingfoot's!"
Hermione continued for him. "And we weren't snogging in the alleys! In case you forgot, Harry isn't allowed in Hogsmeade!" she continued in an angry, but hushed, whisper. "Look, Harry and I aren't a couple, right, Harry?"
"No... we're just friends," he confirmed. "Is everyone going to be bothering us about this tonight?"
The twins looked at each other. "Well, the betting pool did involve nearly two hundred people in total... I think they'd be expecting some answers. The others might just be curious, though."
"Betting pool? What's this all about?" asked Hermione.
"Who and when Harry's first love would be."
"You were taking bets on Harry's love life? I can't believe the nerve of you two!" screeched Hermione. "What would the professors say?"
"Well... Professor McGonagall said 'Five Galleons on December, Fourth Year.'"
Hermione didn't know if she should feel defeated, or angrier. Grabbing Harry, she quickly said, "We're not going to deal with this mess. Look, we're not a couple, all bets are off, and we're leaving." The two of them quickly left, quickly heading for the second floor bathroom.
Hermione was still pacing back and forth, muttering to herself, half an hour after leaving dinner. Harry decided to interrupt her by asking, "Hermione? Can you tell me what was bothering you today?"
She stopped pacing and stared at him. "Isn't it obvious? The twins, and that stupid pool they had on your love life!"
"No, I meant earlier in the day, back in Hogsmeade. When we started to figure out what was going on with the future." He gestured to Hermione to sit down beside him. "Well, in all three cases, it seems like Voldemort's returning. I don't think we can stop that. Is that what got you down?"
"What? No, it's not V-Vo-Voldemort. I'm not too worried about him... not at the moment, anyways."
"What? Really? You've got bigger things to worry about than Voldemort?" Harry was amazed. Was there anything scarier out there than Voldemort being resurrected and returning to power? Asking a girl out on a date, maybe.
"Yes... sort of. Tell me, Harry, have you ever heard of the Anthropic Principle?"
Harry didn't bother replying, instead only frown slightly with a questioning look on his face.
"Oh, right. Of course not. Well, basically, what it says is that for the universe to be observed, there has to be something there to observe it. And it works the other way around, too. The observer has to be able to exist in that particular universe to observe it."
"That sounds kind of... obvious. And circular. How is that scarier than Voldemort?"
"I'm getting to that! Um, next question... do you remember how V-Voldemort was doing right before we jumped back each time?"
"From what I remember, he was gaining power. Things weren't looking good. That's probably why we went back in time, right?"
"Yes, I think so too. Which brings me to my next point. Why did we stop?"
"Stop? What do you mean?"
"Well, when we activated the beacon, all our past trips flooded our memories all at once, right? We managed to figure out that we took three trips backwards in time."
"Right."
"So, that means... This time around, it's our last trip, isn't it? We're not going back again, or else we would have the memory of it."
"No, we might be... wait, no, that wouldn't make sense. If it all comes back at once... huh, you're right. That's why you asked me about that principle-thingy right?"
"Anthropic Principle. And the worst part is, I don't remember us getting any closer to defeating Voldemort on all our trips back. I don't think we'll have any kind of major advantage this time around, either." Hermione was shaking as she said this, and nearly crying.
"What are you saying, Hermione?" Harry could sense her fear, and it made him feel afraid as well.
"I'm saying that... we're experiencing this as our... our last trip... because I don't think... we might not... survive to go back again," she answered quietly. Crying, she hugged Harry, and he held her. Neither one could think of an alternative explanation.