CHAPTER TWO

Hermione's night was restless. Despite Remus's words that had calmed her down at the time and the distraction of James and Sirius, the Sorting Hat's words were upsetting her. She wondered what authority the Sorting Hat had over her future, whether he was all-knowing or had just seen something within her that she hadn't discovered yet.

She groaned and stood up, knowing that she wasn't going to get much more sleep that night. The other girls were still sleeping as the sun was only just beginning to rise. She walked into the shower and washed her black locks, allowing the heat of the water to pierce her mind into alertness. She pulled on her uniform and plaited her hair so that it fell in two long braids down her back. She brushed her teeth and grabbed her schoolbag, walking down to the common room.

It was practically empty down there. She sighed, settling into one of the red armchairs and pulling out her Transfiguration textbook. It looked the most interesting lesson by far and she hadn't been bored by the text yet, even though she had read it about six times. She had just finished the third chapter when someone grabbed her shoulders and shouted 'BOO!' She screamed and turned around, whacking whoever it was with the book.

There were a few snorts and Hermione looked at the culprit.

Sirius.

"I am so sorry!" She whispered, although he was laughing.

"Bloody hell, Hermione." James said, red in the face from laughing. She looked back and saw Remus doubled over in laughter.

"Are you okay? Oh, bloody hell, I've not broken your nose, have I?" Sirius rolled his eyes at her frantic worrying and sat down next to her.

"I'm fine, 'Mione. Genuinely." He said, still chuckling slightly.

"Are you sure?" She asked, looking at his face as if to check she hadn't broken it with her 1000 page textbook.

"Well, now that you mention it, I am hungry." He said, smiling hopefully at her.

"Breakfast?" Remus offered.

"Breakfast." They all agreed, opening the door to the common room and walking out. They finally arrived to the Great Hall late. Hermione claimed it was because of Sirius's hair, but it actually turned out being because they got lost three times, despite Remus's claims he knew where he was going. James also fell into a trick step and it took them fifteen minutes and a very advanced charm from Hermione to get him out.

When they finally got there, the boys began gorging themselves with food whilst Hermione poured herself the biggest cup of coffee in existence and nibbled on some toast. The conversation was still easy, filled with excitement about the classes and ideas for pranks that the boys had been plotting.

The owl post arrived at that moment, a large package being delivered to James, a slightly smaller one for Remus. Hermione received nothing as her parents were still wary of owls and if she really thought about it, the whole concept of magic itself. Sirius, on the other hand, received a smoking red envelope. He flinched when it landed in front of him and turned deathly white.

"What is that?" She asked quietly, staring at the smoke curling out of the envelope warily.

"A Howler." Whispered Remus. She was about to ask what it was when Sirius picked it up and opened it with shaking hands. The Gryffindor students surrounding them were watching in silence as he carefully snapped the wax seal.

"SIRIUS ORION BLACK! HOW DARE YOU! NOT ONLY A GRYFFINDOR, BUT ASSOCIATING WITH BLOOD TRAITORS, HALF BLOODS AND THAT FILTHY LITTLE MUDBLOOD WHOR—" Sirius's eyes opened from where they had been squeezed shut as the screaming message stopped. He didn't believe that his mother would stop just like that.

Hermione watched Sirius worriedly as the letter began to scream. His hands were clenching the wood of the table so hard they had gone white and he was biting his lip so anxiously she was afraid that it would draw blood. He was shaking in anger and, she guessed, fear. James and Remus had also tensed as the Black matriarch continued her tirade.

Hermione sighed, lifting the bowl of porridge Remus was eating and dropped it onto the screaming red envelope. The noise stopped instantly and she sat back down, taking another sip of coffee. Sirius opened his eyes and looked down at the porridge splattered over the table and then up at Hermione, who everyone was staring at with wide eyes.

"I'm surprised that worked." She said off-handedly as she took another sip of the strong drink, scrunching up her nose slightly at the bitter taste. "Remus, be a dear and pass the sugar, would you?" James snorted, breaking the silence that had enveloped the Great Hall. He fell into very unattractive laughter, which made Remus and Hermione laugh. Sirius was just staring at her with wide eyes and an ever wider smile.

That was the moment Sirius Black decided he was in love with Hermione Granger.

—

They managed to find Transfiguration after much trouble as they let James navigate them there. Professor McGonagall was a stern teacher and would obviously not tolerate latecomers. The four of them made it in and took a seat around one of the desks and looked up to the front desk. A small cat sat on the desk with odd markings, like spectacles around it's eyes. It eyed them coldly as Sirius sighed.

"Thank Merlin that McGonagall isn't here yet." He said.

"She'd have our bollocks." Agreed James, sounding slightly breathless from the run they had to try and reach the lesson in time.

"Might be a little difficult for her to do that to me." Commented Hermione off-handedly which made Remus snort.

"Who's cat is that?" Asked James, looking at McGonagall's desk. Remus's head turned in unison with Hermione's and they both looked at each other in realisation. Lily Evans tutted in annoyance at the foursome and Sirius's eyes widened slightly.

"Well, shit." Remus muttered. The cat leapt forwards from the desk and a very strict looking McGonagall was stood before them.

"Well, who cares to explain?" She asked, her Scottish accent cold and harsh as she looked at them.

"That was bloody amazing, Professor!" Said James, looking up at her with child-like innocence and awe.

"Thank you for the sentiment, Mr Potter, but I don't believe that was the question I asked. Must I transfigure one of you into a watch so that you know what time you must arrive for lessons?"

"I'm very sorry, Professor, but we got lost." Said Sirius in a sweet voice, blinking up at Professor McGonagall.

"Perhaps a map, then?" She said humourlessly. "Four points from Gryffindor." Lily gave them a harsh glare but James was too distracted to notice her.

"A map would be bloody useful…" He muttered quietly enough so that only Hermione, Sirius and Remus heard.

"Now, Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts. Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned." Said Professor McGonagall, staring at the foursome. Hermione tried not to laugh at the simultaneously proud and offended face of James. "We'll be starting with something simple today, but it is still advanced. I've never had a student to get this in the first lesson."

Hermione looked down as a matchstick appeared in front of her.

"You'll be working to change your matchsticks into needles. I'll be surveying your progress. Consult your textbooks if you need any more instructions." With that, McGonagall began walking around the classroom, inspecting each person and their wand movements.

Hermione hadn't moved. She couldn't help but feel as though she had learned this before. It was odd, really, the sense of déjà vu coursing through her.

—

"Harry, it's not working." Said the red-haired boy that she vaguely remembered was called 'Ron' from the train. He was whiny and annoying and she couldn't understand why Harry, who seemed so mild-mannered and quiet and, frankly, well-behaved, was hanging around with the ginger parasite.

"McGonagall said no one had ever gotten it the first lesson, Ron." Said Harry quietly, as though he were afraid of angering his friend.

"I guess. Hey, guess what?" As the two boys fell into mindless chatter, Hermione felt herself brightening. If she could get her matchstick to change the first time, people might finally like her and want to be her friend. She pulled out her wand, marvelling at the pretty runic designs that ran up it and focussed on the matchstick turning into a needle.

"Well done, Miss Granger. Fifty points to Gryffindor for breaking my own record!" Said McGonagall's voice, interrupting her spell. She looked down and withheld herself from gasping.

She had done it.

She had bloody well done it!

In place of the little matchstick lay a pointy little silver needle. McGonagall's eyes were gleaming as she looked down at her and Hermione grinned back.

—

"Miss Granger?" Said McGonagall's voice, breaking her out of her reverie. She looked up and sae McGonagall's eyes watching her coldly. "Did you have a nice daydream?"

"Splendid, Professor, albeit a little confusing." She replied brightly, smiling at McGonagall, who did not look amused at all. All three boys were fighting down grins, as to not further anger the strict Professor.

"Let me see your work, Miss Granger." She said coldly, watching Hermione critically. Hermione looked at her wand and saw it differently. Instead of having a dark brown wood grain and pretty runic symbols, it was a reddish-brown. It had a small crystal at one end, but apart from that, remained unembellished. "Anytime today would be nice, Miss Granger."

"Of course, Professor." She replied brightly, waving her wand and picturing a needle. There was a gasp and she looked down, a large grin taking precedence over her face. McGonagall's eyes were twinkling, just as they had done in her vision.

A needle lay in place of her matchstick.

"Fifty points to Gryffindor, Miss Granger, for breaking a school record." She beamed and nodded her head to McGonagall. She moved on and Hermione looked to the three boys who were all gaping at her.

"How the—" Began James.

"Bloody hell—" Continued Remus.

"Did you do that?" Said Sirius.

She giggled at their synchronisation and tapped the side of her nose twice.

"A magician never reveals her secrets." Remus laughed and explained the muggle saying to James and Sirius, who were looking at her with confused expressions on their faces.

She couldn't reveal her secrets even if she wanted to.

She didn't know what they were.

The 'Visions' continued throughout the day, like memories of another life she once had, but they hadn't been as vivid as the one she had had in Transfiguration. They were merely glimpses, little flickers in her brain . She knew exactly how to cast Wingardium Leviosa before she even tried, which made Professor Flitwick's eyes gleam, she could identify a great number of potions and ingredients, much to the delight of Professor Slughorn, whose face seemed to light up more and more every time her hand rose to answer a question, she even knew the directions to most classes.

It was disconcerting to say the least.

She tried to play off her seeming omniscience, although people were still noticing. She pretended she had read the textbooks so many times that it was all ingrained in her skull. Lily Evans was growing increasingly more and more annoyed with her as time went on. She could feel the dirty looks piercing her from the precocious little redhead, but managed to widely ignore them.

She hoped she'd find the answer soon.

—

The days blended into months and before she knew it, it was Hallowe'en.

"'Mione!" She could feel somebody shaking her awake and kicked her leg out.

"Piss off, Lily, I don't care if Snape killed your dog, let me sleep." She mumbled into a pillow. She heard someone snort and opened her eyes blearily.

"You fell asleep in here last night whilst we were planning our grand prank." Said Sirius excitedly. She just yawned and nodded, stretching as she stood up and walked over to where Remus and James were whispering with each other. Peter was still asleep, the sound of his snores filling the room. They smiled as she and Sirius sat down and passed some parchments over to the two of them.

"So? D'you think we're all set?" Asked James as she scanned over them. James and Sirius had decided that they were going to be unforgettable at Hogwarts. They decided to use Hermione's affinity and skill with magic to their advantage by making the four of them the greatest pranksters that Hogwarts would ever lay eyes on, and their debut was to be that night at the Hallowe'en Feast.

"I think we are. Except one thing," she said, looking at their worried faces, "We need a name! We can't just be James, Sirius, Remus and Hermione, you know? It's not exactly catchy." Remus laughed as he pulled out parchment and a quill.

"But the actual prank is fine?" She nodded, which made James and Sirius instantly relax.

"Don't worry, we'll still be the greatest pranksters that Hogwarts will ever see. We just need a name." She said. They fell into silence until James clicked his fingers.

"JSRH!" He said, loud enough to have woken Peter had he not slept like the dead.

"Absolutely not." Said Sirius, a look of disgust marring his face.

"The Prank Gang."

"No."

"Pranksters."

"A bit generalised, don't you think?" Said Remus, a smile on his face. "I'm having a shower before breakfast." He stood up and walked to the bathroom.

"Trickster Twosome."

"Well that would be splendid if there weren't four of us." Sirius deadpanned, looking James in the eye.

"Boys." Said James wearily.

"That's the worst one yet, Jamie." Said Hermione, beginning to tie her hair in a messy bun so that it stopped falling in her eyes.

"Well, I'm not exactly getting any help here." He said, crossing his arms and pouting. Hermione rolled her eyes and continued looking through the notes the boys had made.

"Oi!" Shouted Remus from the bathroom, "Which one of you prats has marauded my shampoo?" Hermione and Sirius laughed as James jumped on the top of a table.

"That's it!" Shouted James gleefully.

"What, Prats?" She asked, giggling slightly.

"No, the Marauders." They fell into silence until Sirius spoke.

"I like it, mate."

"Yeah, so do I." Hermione agreed, making the grin on James's face widen.

"Bloody brilliant. Now can one of you gits find my shampoo?" Shouted Remus from the bathroom.

And so the Marauders was formed.

—

The Great Hall was cast into silence. A horde of bats descended from the stormy night sky, making the candles inside the pumpkins flutter. Hermione laughed as the three boys gorged themselves on sweets — Remus especially so with chocolate, which surprised everyone.

"It's go time." She whispered conspiratorially across the table. Sirius mock-saluted her and slid out of his chair, closely followed by James. "Come on. The spell is Finite Incantatem, remember?" Remus nodded and they both made their way to the doors of the Great Hall just as James and Sirius snuck back in with the fireworks.

"Finite Incantatem!" She and Remus shouted at the same time. All the candles in the Hall went out instantly, accompanied by several screams.

"Incendio!" She heard Sirius whisper and so it began. Hermione and Remus had charmed fireworks that James had asked his parents to supply him with, to say messages and pictures and to explode in varieties of colours. Sirius and James were the design team, but they did manage to charm a few fireworks themselves.

A giant pumpkin firework filled the hall at that moment, which made many people gasp in awe as it exploded in the shape of a bat. There were cats and owls and toads, along with stereotypical witches and cauldrons and a particularly advanced charm that looked like the caretaker, Mr Filch, that James had spent a few hours designing. After about ten minutes of fireworks, a final one came up, reading:

'Have a Happy Hallowe'en from the Marauders'

This firework didn't explode into sparks like the others did. Instead, it exploded into confetti, smothering the Great Hall just as the lights came on. Everyone was laughing and clapping, unaware that they had been enchanted with a Sticking Charm from Hermione, so the red and gold confetti wouldn't come off for a week.

"Thank you very much to our elusive Marauders for a delightful show." Said Dumbledore, a knowing smile on his face as he looked directly at Hermione and Remus. McGonagall, however, seemed to have her eyes narrowed on James and Sirius. She and Remus made their way over and Sirius pulled her into a tight hug.

"It worked!" He whispered jubilantly. She laughed and looked up at him.

"Did you ever doubt me?"

"Miss Granger, Messrs. Potter, Lupin, Black, that was some advanced spell-work." Said Flitwick, a delighted smile on his face. The four of them grinned at the man who was covered from head to toe in red and gold confetti. "Quite marvellous, yes, for four eleven year olds."

"It won't be so marvellous, Filius, when you find out about the Sticking Charm they put on the confetti." Sirius and James snorted behind her at the sight of McGonagall, who looked like an odd sort of chicken.

"A Sticking Charm? Why, that's fourth year work! Outstanding! Thirty points to Gryffindor!" He announced happily.

"And thirty points from Gryffindor for disrupting a week of school. And detention, all for of you, with me tomorrow night." She leaned forwards to the four of them, eyes gleaming. "Although, I will say it was some amazing spell-work for first years."

And so the Marauders became a force to be reckoned with.