Second chapter in two days... I know I'm shocked too.

VII: Spitfire

Hermione hadn't slept well, she'd been plagued by nightmares about her family: of getting back to the nineties to discover that they'd died; of their worried voices calling her name; and perhaps the worst of the lot, of them forgetting about her completely. After that last nightmare, a restlessness had settled over her. The sun was yet to rise and her roommates were all still sleeping. Hermione rose and dressed, Professor McGonagall had very kindly transfigured all of the muggle clothes she'd be brought with her into clothes that were more appropriate for the seventies after the first day of lessons had come to an end. Once dressed, Hermione took one of her non-textbooks, slipped out of the dorm, and left Gryffindor tower.

On leaving her house, the time-lost muggle born made her way down to the Great Hall, deciding she'd read until breakfast appeared on the table.

"Finished..." Sirius grinned, scrawling his name at the bottom of his potions essay and throwing down his quill. It was Saturday and Sirius and his four friends had risen early to complete their homework so they could have the weekend free to explore the castle.

"Its about time," Peter squeaked, his stomach rumbling loudly. "I'm starving."

"Me too." Sirius told him.

"Big surprise," Hazel chuckled. "Siri, you're always hungry."

Sirius just smirked at her. "Shall we then? Breakfast should be on the table right now."

"You guys go ahead," Remus encouraged. "I'm not going to breakfast."

"You ok Rem?" James asked, eyeing their scarred friend. "You don't look so good."

"I-I'm fine." Remus assured them. "I just have to pack; I have to go home for the weekend."

"Is everything alright?" Hazel asked, concerned for her best friend- he'd been snappy and irritable all yesterday.

"Everything's fine, Haze." he assured her. "I just have to go to My Great Aunt Gladys' funeral. She died last week."

"I'm so sorry Rem." Hazel told him. "Were you too close?"

"Erm, yeah," he nodded. "quite close."

"D'you want any help packing?" James asked

"No!" Remus snapped then blanched, seeing his four friends worried expressions. "I mean, no, no thank you. You four go ahead, I'll see you guys on Tuesday."

Peter, James, Sirius and Hazel exchanged a worried glance but fortunately, for Remus, didn't press the issue and left the Common Room.

As they entered the Great Hall; second only to Hermione Granger, who had her nose buried, once again, in a book; Sirius began to chuckle.

"What's so funny?" James asked.

"Just thinking about what my dear old mum would say if she knew the sort of people I was friends with."

"Sort of people?" Hazel echoed, arching an eyebrow.

"Well, my family don't like anyone who isn't pureblood." Sirius told her shrugging. "Rem and Pete are halfbloods, and James, while pureblood- is a blood traitor. Then there's you Haze."

"What about me?" she asked.

"Well you're a mudblood," Sirius replied as if it were obvious, then yelped, clutching his face where James had just punched him. "What the hell James?"

Unnoticed by the four friends, Hermione had looked up from her book and was watching them curiously, probably wondering where Lupin was.

"How dare you call her that?" James snarled.

"What?" Sirius and Hazel asked in mutual bafflement.

"The 'M' word," James hissed, glaring daggers at the taller boy.

"'M' word?" Sirius echoed. "You mean it's offensive?"

"Of course it's offensive!" the bespectacled boy snapped. "Merlin's beard! It means dirty blood."

Sirius froze, looking horrified. "Oh Merlin." he turned to Hazel who still looked a little confused by the exchange. "Haze, I am so sorry, I didn't mean to say..."

"It's ok Siri," Hazel told him. "I believe you."

"No, it's not ok- I had no idea that it was in any way insulting." he insisted. "It's something my relatives say all the time so I guess..."

"Sirius!" Hazel said loudly, putting her hand over her friend's mouth. "I forgive you- just don't say it again. Ok?"

Sirius nodded, Hazel's hand still over his mouth.

"Ok then," the redhead nodded, backing away from Sirius as Peter's stomach growled loudly. "That's all settled, let's feed Peter before his belly causes an earthquake."

Laughing, the four friends continued to the table.

By 10th September; the end of the first full week of term, James Potter, Sirius Black, Hazel Evans, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew had become all but inseparable. To an impartial observer it would seem that the five eleven year olds had been friends for years, not little over a week. Remus had indeed vanished over breakfast that first Saturday, off to attend his Great Aunt's funeral; he had appeared pale and tired when he'd reappeared on Tuesday morning but any concern his four friends had had for him vanished when he'd reached for the basket of chocolate croissants and asked whether they'd been given any homework the day before.

"Damn," Sirius groaned flopping into one of the comfy chairs that furnished the Gryffindor Common Room after dinner. "Is it me or did this afternoon drag?"

All five friends were extremely full of the delicious Cottage Pie and cheesecake that had been prepared for dinner and had retreated to the common room with the intention of starting their home work for that day.

"At least Professor Bailey's lessons have improved." Remus put in reasonably, dipping his quill in his ink ready to start his Transfiguration Essay.

This was true, after the boring first lesson Professor Bailey had already taught them how to disarm an attacker, and how to cast a shield charm. He had also hinted at starting a duelling club for first years after Christmas, so they could perfect the spells he was teaching them in this first term.

"At least there's that," Peter agreed. "Hey Remus, how do you spell Tentacular?"

"Thought you'd finished the Herbology?" Hazel frowned. "It's due in on Thursday, Pete."

Peter flushed. "I… uh, ah…"

"Screech!"

The five friends looked up at the window, a very large and very angry looking owl glared at them through the thick glass.

"Sanctimona?" Sirius frowned, rising to let the bird in. "She's my mother's personal owl,"

"Why would… oh no," James' voice trailed off catching sight of the red envelope clamped in the bird's beak.

"What's wrong?" Hazel asked, puzzled by the wizards' behaviour; all four boys looked worried.

Sirius took the envelope from the owl and she flew out of the window with another piercing shriek.

"I don't want to…"

Whatever Sirius didn't want to do was drowned out by a very loud, very angry, very female voice which seemed to come out of the letter itself.

"SIRIUS ORION BLACK," she screamed. "YOU ARE A DISGRACE- ITS BAD ENOUGH THAT AS BLACK HEIR YOU WERE NOT SORTED INTO SLYTHERIN AS YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE- BUT GRYFFINDOR? NEVER IN THE WHOLE HISTORY OF OUR NOBLE HOUSE HAS ONE OF OUR OWN BEEN SORTED INTO GRYFFINDOR! HOW DARE YOU! IT WAS BAD ENOUGH THAT YOUR COUSIN ANDROMEDA IS IN RAVENCLAW, BUT GRYFFINDOR...?

"WHAT MAKES THIS WORSE IS THAT YOU CHOOSE TO ASSOCIATE WITH A MUDBLOOD, HALFBLOODS AND A POTTER- A BLOOD TRAITOR SIRIUS? WHY DO YOU INSIST ON FOREVER BEING AN EMBARRASSMENT TO US?"

The howler ripped itself to shreds, its message still echoing around the otherwise empty common room. The silence which followed was deafening. It was Hazel, in her muggle born curiosity who spoke first.

"What was that?" she asked, staring at the remnants of the angry letter as if it were going to suddenly rebuild itself and attack her.

"That, my dear Hazel," James informed her, seeming to know that Sirius was in no position to reply himself. "Was what's known as a Howler."

"If that's a wizard's complaint letter I am so glad my family are Muggles."

"Sirius, are you ok?" Peter squeaked, the recipient of the Howler looked very pale.

"Y-yeah," he nodded stunned. He gulped then asked shakily. "Guys, why do I get the feeling I got off lightly?"

"Is your mum the kind of person who prefers to do her shouting in person?" Remus asked.

"Oh Merlin," Sirius groaned, burying his face in his hands. "Give me my presents now because I may not see Christmas."

James, Hazel, Remus and Peter looked at each other; but as they were all still eleven it was probably more to do with the fact that it was early September and none of them had started thinking about Christmas shopping yet.

"So erm..." Peter toyed with the end of his quill. "How do you spell Tentacular?"

The next day started off with Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor Bailey had done a theory lesson with them; making sure they understood the spells that they were learning. Then, after break they had double potions with the Slytherins.

Hazel had no problem with Professor Slughorn, despite her first impression of him. He was a jovial man who had started off the year with a quiz to see if any of them could identify a selection of potions- and he hadn't seemed too bothered by the fact that none of them could. After their first lesson which had been all about the dos and don'ts of basic potion making. That day he had taught them how to brew a simple medicinal concoction called a Wiggenweld potion.

Slughorn let them choose their own potions partners for the term: James and Sirius, Lily and Severus, and Hazel and Remus, had immediately paired off. Hazel couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Peter and Hermione Granger- who had been paired by default as the last students to find a partner.

"Alright," Slughorn had enthused, clapping his hands. "Remember your partners first years, you'll be working with them in every practical lesson until Christmas, now, begin."

After potions was lunch time. Once the classroom was cleaned up Slughorn had dismissed them with a simple worksheet as homework. The hungry first years had poured from the classroom in a rabble, pushing all wanting to get to the great hall for their meal.

In her effort not to get separated from her friends, Hazel somehow ended up colliding with a Slytherin boy who seemed to think that she had barged into him deliberately. The boy had retaliated to the perceived slur by shoving her bodily towards the wall. The wall had given way beneath her and Hazel had ended up falling through what turned out to be a secret passageway and landing in an undignified heap at the feet of two older students.

"Well hello little firstie," the two red haired young men-fellow Gryffindors and twins- chorused as Hazel picked herself up. "You lost?"

"Uh huh," Hazel nodded. "I got shoved into a secret passage after potions and ended up here, wherever this is."

"Well, dear fellow redhead," one of the boys grinned. "Fabien and I will help you get un-lost, won't we Fabe?"

"That's right Gideon," Fabien nodded. "As long as you're willing to do something for us,"

"What?" Hazel asked, she didn't want to get into trouble, she'd only been at Hogwarts a week

"Follow us little firstie."

"My name's Hazel," she announced, slightly more forcefully than she intended. "Not firstie."

"Well you're a little spitfire aren't you?" Gideon grinned offering her a hand. "Gideon Prewitt, and this is my associate and twin brother Fabien."

Fabien followed his brother's example forcing Hazel to cross her arms in front of her before any handshaking could be done. "Hazel Evans."

"Pleased to meet you Spitfire," the Prewitt twins chorused. "Now follow us."

Without waiting to see if she was following them the boys brushed past her and strode down the corridor. Hazel hurried after them, curious to see where they were taking her.

They stopped suddenly at a large painting of a bowl of fruit which looked very out of place in the dungeon corridor. Fabien turned to her and grinned maniacally.

"This is it Spitfire…"

That was the third time they'd addressed her as such- she doubted they were going to drop it and if the boys heard it, James and Sirius especially, she'd never shake the nickname.

"What is?" she asked, politely.

"Just wait and see," Gideon's flaming red eyebrows quirked. He turned and tickled the pear. The pear laughed out loud and turned into a doorknob; with a flick of his wrist Gideon opened the door concealed behind the fruit bowl, revealing a huge, cavernous room that had five tables arranged just like the tables in the Great Hall.

"Welcome to the Hogwarts kitchens Spitfire." the Prewitt twins chorused.

It transpired that what the twins wanted in return for getting her 'un-lost' was an extra pair of hands to help them carry their refreshed secret stash of goodies. The house elves, who worked in the kitchens, had insisted on giving her some food too. Hazel made a note to remember where the kitchens were and to share the place with the boys as soon as possible.

"There she is." Remus said, relieved noticing Hazel entering the common room with two older, red haired boys.

"Hey Haze," Sirius called. "Over here."

Hazel waved and hurried over to them, followed by her new friends. "Hi guys,"

"Where've you been been?" James asked, curious

"And who are they?" Peter's watery blue eyes darted between the older boys' faces.

"Gideon and Fabien Prewitt," the boys said in tandem. "And it's nice to meet Spitfire's friends."

"Spitfire?" Sirius and James looked at Hazel, who groaned, hiding her face in her hands, Remus was the only one who heard her mutter.

"Bugger."

~V~