Hello! It's been a hot two years, hasn't it? I'm sorry! But, I am back! I've updated every past chapter and have finally pushed myself to write a new one. It is still, sadly, very rough, but it is, in my opinion, also very fun so enjoy!

Hermione

He laughed again. She felt the piece of clothing slide to the floor. She was now completely surrounded in his smell. "Miss Rose." Hermione snapped upright as Lily elbowed her in the side. "Yes professor?" Hermione asked, pushing her curls out of her eyes. Bathsheda Babbling looked down her pointed nose. "What does the rune Eihwaz mean?" Hermione smiled, remembering her frenzy for the Ancient Runes O.W.L. in her past. "It means defense, not to be confused with the rune Ehwaz, which means partnership." Looking slightly defeated, the professor nodded and continued lecturing about the importance of circular radicals in Aztec runes. Hermione turned to see Lily looking at her strangely. "What?" she asked. Lily shook her head. "How is it that you can doze off in this class and still answer correctly?" Hermione frowned. "I don't doze off." Lily snorted. "You have for the last week. You were lucky that Potter and Black were making so much noise during Potions, or Slughorn would have noticed that you put your elbow into the itch reducing potion we were making while nodding off." Hermione grimaced, rubbing her arm. She had been dozing off in many of her classes due to her late-night research. She was about to answer Lily when the bell rang. Lily grabbed her things and rushed to the front of the classroom to ask Babbling a question about their homework. Hermione slowly packed up her things. She chuckled at the thought that she could do with a time turner right now. We exited the classroom and-

"Woah, careful there Ms. Rose." She smiled up at the Keeper in front of her. "Why do we keep bumping into each other, literally?" Theo smiled at her. "Hmmm, it's a mystery. What class do you have next?" "Care of Magical Creatures. You?" "Quidditch." Hermione laughed. "Quidditch isn't a class, Theo." Theo grinned. "Oh really? I thought that was our arrangement… Flying lessons are technically part of Quidditch class." They both laughed. "However, this time, Quidditch classes must take place in the library, with the main objective being my essay for McGonagall." Hermione snorted. "Funny, but I'm going to be late. See ya!" She kissed him quickly before running off to the Forbidden Forest.

She was out of breath when she arrived. "Ah, Ms. Rose, how nice of you to bless my company." Rosier smirked at her. She bit back a retort, sitting on a tree stump and retrieving her notebook out of her bag. Hagrid beamed. "Right. We're continuing with thestrals as Professor Kettleburn has come down with a nasty cold. Now, who can tell me what the difference is between a thestral and an abraxan. Ah yes, Ms. Rose" Hermione answered proudly "While the abraxan's wings are covered in feathers, the thestral's wings are more like a bat's. Additionally, while the abraxan drinks alcohol, the thestral consumes raw meat." Hagrid clapped his hands together. "Excellent. Now, how about we get more acquainted with 'em." There were murmurs in the crowd as Hagrid waved them towards an opening in the trees. There, tied to wooden posts, were eight thestrals. Hagrid continued talking, "Right, now just walk up to them and feed them. If they like it, you can start stroking their necks." There was more murmuring. Hermione rolled her eyes when she saw Luna get up from within the group of Slytherins and walk forward, take a piece of raw meat from Hagrid and throw it towards one of the thestrals. There were gasps when, to most of the students, it looked like the meat was stopped in the middle of air and quickly disappeared. Hermione tentatively stepped forward, holding the piece of meat with two fingers. She walked up to the winged creature, its hollow eyes looking back at her. The thestral gently tugged the piece out of her grip, swallowing it quickly. It nudged her hand, and she smiled. They were, in their own way, quite beautiful. As she looked into the thestral's eyes, she became lost in their depths.

There was a flash. There were cheers. Then there were screams. Two bodies lay on the ground, the maze casting dark shadows on them. "He's dead." the whispers turned into shouts. Then Amos' voice was heard above all else. "Cedric."

There were flashes of light as spells whizzed around like deadly firecrackers. There were shouts. There was laughter. Crazed laughter. "Come on, you can do better than that!" Then the expression of joyful madness froze on his face as he fell, disappearing into the veil. There was a brief silence of surprise. Then Harry's whispers turned to shouts. "Sirius"

There was a green flash. Above the tower, the dark mark shone, cast his falling body in a dark glow. There were whispers. There were shouts. They crowded around him. It couldn't be. It couldn't be. Then Minerva McGonagall's cry. "Albus"

There was no flash. There was no scream. There was nothing. They were sitting on the couch, comfortable, content. She was sipping tea; he was reading the newspaper. "Obliviate"

She was lost. Their faces swam in between memories. Someone touched her shoulder. She looked up, disorientated. Ginny's eyes were sparkling with unshed tears. "Did you see them too?" Hermione nodded. They embraced, standing there for a long time. The thestral let out a low, sorrowful note. The class ended and, as it was the last class of the day, Hermione and Ginny began walking the grounds.

"Do you think we'll ever see them again?" Ginny looked at Hermione. They were sitting on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. She was looking at the island on the Great Lake, "What do you mean?" Hermione tried to explain, "I mean… We didn't really know Cedric, but we see Sirius every day. We see Dumbledore every day. But we don't see them as we knew them. Sirius is happy, young, careless. Snape is full of hatred. Dumbledore doesn't have all the answers. He hasn't even come up with his theory about Voldemort having several horcruxes. And if we do it all… If we stop him before he can kill Lily and James. Before he can force Sirius into Azkaban. If we save the world... Great. Nobody dies. Except that… we never see Harry, Ron, Fred, George, anyone. My parents won't know me. You won't be a Weasley. I'll see my best friends grow up without ever knowing me." Tears were rolling down her face. "We'll be strangers to the people that we love." Ginny's vision was blurring. But she forced herself to refrain from crying again.

"We don't know that." She put an arm around Hermione and held her close. "We might not be strangers. Sure, I won't be Fred and George's little sister. And, sure, you won't be part of the 'Golden Trio'. But that doesn't mean that we'll be strangers. We're friends with Lily and James. For all we know you might be Harry's favorite aunt." Hermione snorted, but Ginny was glad to see that she had stopped crying. "And, besides," she added. "Do you really want to relive what you and the boys had to go through? It wasn't exactly a normal friendship. Think about it. If there had never been a troll in the girl's bathroom, would you three have become friends? And without Quirrell, and therefor Voldemort, the troll would have never entered Hogwarts. Without the diary, I would have never been possessed. We would have never met Sirius or Mad Eye or Tonks." Hermione thought this through. "We shouldn't forget the relationships we've had. But we shouldn't dwell on the past and forget to live." Hermione looked at her strangely. "Didn't Dumbledore say something like that?" Ginny winked. "I take all my ideas from old men." The remark was so absurd that Hermione burst into giggles. Ginny grinned. "That reminds me, it's your birthday tomorrow." Hermione's smile faltered. "Oh... I'd forgotten…" Ginny sighed. "Quite understandable. The question is, do you want the others to know?" Hermione shrugged. "I don't mind either way. James probably already knows." She noticed her friend's wicked grin. "Ginny… Please don't make a huge thing out of this." Ginny simply smirked. "I won't. But Jamesie might." Hermione groaned. "Come on. It's getting dark and it's almost full moon. Even if Remus only fully transforms on a complete full moon, I don't want to risk it." They stood and, with one last glance at the island, they made their way back up to the castle.

That night Hermione tried to sleep. Their faces kept on popping up in her mind. Cedric. Sirius. Albus. Her mother. Her father. Harry. Ron. Fred. George. Remus. Tonks. Mad Eye. It was a sequence repeating over and over again. Cedric. Sirius. Albus. Her mother. Her father. Harry. Ron. Fred. George. Remus. Tonks. Mad Eye. Cedric. Sirius Albus. Her mother. Her father. Harry. Ron. Harry and Ron. Her two best friends. She had never imagined that she could live without them. Yet here she was.

"Shh don't wake Lily" Hermione blearily opened her eyes. Her alarm showed that it was almost five thirty. Just then, the curtains of her four-poster bed were ripped open, revealing the grinning faces of Ginny and Luna. "What are you guys doi—" Ginny motioned to be quiet. Hermione frowned. They pulled her out of bed and towards her wardrobe-library. "What are you doing?" she half whispered at them. Luna pointed her wand at the wardrobe "Dessendium" She opened the doors to a set of stairs. Hermione gaped. She hadn't even thought of it, but she had to admit how genius the idea was. They slowly crept down the staircase, using their wands to light the way. Hermione gasped. It was like she had stepped into the living room of the burrow. The room was round, with a blazing fire in the fireplace and large pillows strewn across the floor. "It isn't much yet. We haven't had time to get any furniture, but we went to the Room of Requirement and got some pillows for now." Hermione blinked quickly. "It's amazing." Luna and Ginny beamed. They sat in front of the fireplace. "Now, presents."

Hermione smiled. "You guys didn't have to get me anything. This is enough, really—" "Don't be ridiculous, Hermione. Besides, this is mainly Luna's work," Ginny explained. She then handed Hermione two wrapped boxes. Hermione laughed when she had opened them. "It's time that you integrate yourself into Wizarding culture." Ginny noted. Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Isn't being a student at Hogwarts enough?" Ginny shook her head smirking. "We're purebloods, remember? If anyone asks you what kind of music you like, you can't start talking about that muggle stuff. These are the best of the best. The Weird Sisters, Spellbound, and the Death-cap A cappellas" Hermione studied the albums in her hands. "Well isn't it good that we already have a record player. And… a book. Thanks Gin, you always know exactly what to get me." Ginny hugged her, ignoring the sarcasm. "It's Curses and Counter-curses. I remember the first time you geeked out about that book." Hermione laughed. "True." She then turned to Luna, who passed her a present. Opening it, she smiled. "It only opens if you say 'Granger'. That way no one can steal information and even if you do tell someone the password, they won't be able to remember it," Luna explained. Hermione gently stroked the leather notebook. "It's beautiful. Thank you so much." Just then they heard Hermione's alarm go off. Ginny cursed. They all ran back up into the dormitory room, quickly jumping back into their beds. Lily groaned. "Hermione can you please turn that blasted thing off!" Hermione jumped. "Right sorry!"

As the girls got out of bed, Hermione ran over to Luna. "How do I close it?" Luna looked at her. "Close what?" Hermione pointed at the wardrobe. "How do I get the wardrobe back?" Realization dawned on Luna's face. "Sherbet Lemon" Hermione looked at her strangely. "Excuse me?" Luna rolled her eyes. "That's the password," she explained. Hermione rushed back to the wardrobe. Pointing her wand at it, she whispered the password. She was glad to see her books and clothes when she opened the doors again. They quickly changed and walked down to the Great Hall. Ginny yawned. "What do we have first again?" "Defense against the dark arts," Lily answered. Ginny groaned. "It's not THAT bad," Lily retorted. Ginny grabbed some toast and began spreading marmalade over it. "I know but it's just so easy," she looked from the surprised expression on Lily's face to the bemused expression on Hermione's. "It is! All we ever do is practice spells in different scenarios." She got an elbow in the side from Luna. "Oy! That hurt. Oh no. Here they come. When will they realize we're too cool for them" The girls all snickered into their breakfast as the Marauders approached. "What's so funny?" James asked as he sat down next to Lily, to her great annoyance. Ginny shook her head. "You wouldn't understand. Just girl talk." James appeared even more confused, wearing a similar expression to Goyle trying to do homework. Hermione looked down at her bowl of Porridge.

"Hey" his breath tickled her ear. She sighed internally. When would this boy finally leave her alone? "Morning" She didn't meet his gaze, instead looking up at the owls now entering the Great Hall. She was about to reach for her copy of the Daily Prophet when a western screech owl landed on the plate of apricots. Taking a closer look at the letter it was carrying, Hermione gave a start when it began smoking. "Oh no" Ginny laughed. "Hermione, who's sent you a howler?" Hermione continued to stare at it. "I—I—I don't know," she stuttered. Sirius grabbed the letter and handed it to her. "Enjoy" She looked at him and was about to ask him what he meant when the letter exploded, and four booming voices rang through the entire hall.

"HERMIONE BEATRICE ROSE, IT IS OUR PLEASURE AS THE GREATEST PRANKSTERS OF THIS SCHOOL TO WISH YOU A HAPPY BIRTHDAY" James voice became louder than the other three. "YOU, MY DEAR COUSIN, ARE AN ANNOYING GOODY TWO SHOES BUT I LOVE YOU ANYWAY." Peter's voice faded in "What is it my turn to talk now oh UH I DON'T REALLY KNOW YOU BUT YOU SEEM COOL" There was laughter throughout the hall. Remus' voice entered the chaos "HAPPY BIRTHDAY HERMIONE. PLEASE KNOW THAT THIS WAS NOT MY IDEA." Hermione smiled at Remus who was slightly pink, though that might be due to Ginny spewing tomato juice and laughing so hard she had to hold on to his shoulder. Now, Sirius' voice entered with a boom. "HAVE A GOOD ONE AND DON'T SNOG THEO TOO MUCH BECAUSE THEN JAMES WILL GET A HEART ATTACK." Hermione turned beet red and, looking further up the Gryffindor table she saw Theo staring determinedly at his bacon, his ears red. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY HERMIONE," the four voices chorused. The letter finished and tore itself to shreds. Someone coughed. A few students got up and clapped. The Marauders, of course, got up and bowed, waving at the amused Dumbledore and very perplexed McGonagall.

Then Hermione was tackled to the ground. "James. Stop. People are looking. Again." She tried slipping out of his grip but he hugged her tighter. "Happy Birthday, 'Mione." When she was able to sit down again, Lily looked at her accusatorially. "Why didn't you tell us?" Hermione felt guilty. "I'm sorry! I didn't want it to be a big deal. Forgot that James knows." Lily's expression softened. Hermione continued to feel guilty but, seeing as she hadn't expected James to do something like that, she couldn't have foreseen the big and obvious exclamation. From James she received several invisibility potions and a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans. From Remus, she received 'An encyclopedia of the laws regarding the proper use of various curses and enchantments'. He looked at her nervously and she smiled. "It's perfect. Thank you!" Sirius gave her a card pack for exploding snap and Theo, with a huge smile, told her she was getting a year-long subscription for the Daily Seeker. "To educate you," he explained jovially. Ginny stared at Theo openmouthed, asking Remus under her breath if Theo was "actually the biggest dunderhead on the planet." Hermione kissed Theo on the cheek and insisted that it was perfect but Lily looked dumbfounded and kept shaking her head at him.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. People she had barely ever spoken to before kept wishing her a happy birthday, something that thoroughly amused James and Sirius. By the last class, Hermione was ready to hex the two of them, but she didn't want to get another detention. She dreaded the coming week of detentions with Sirius. Her thoughts were interrupted by Professor McGonagall entering and, flicking her wand at the board, beginning her lecture on the importance of safety when attempting human transfiguration. "Now, you shall all be rather bad at these spells for a while, so we will be beginning with simple color changes. As you are aware, the color changing charm has already been taught to you by professor Flitwick, but you have only practiced on inanimate objects and animals. However, today, you will be practicing with facial features. Don't be surprised if you don't succeed. Split into pairs and practice on each other. And be careful. Five points will be removed for each unnecessary incident. begin!" The students eagerly began to work, the amusement in the air strange to their own ears.

"Right, well I guess we should start with hair first, as it's the most removed part of the facial features. Oh, really!" Lily's exasperation made Hermione turn to look at the commotion behind them. Sirius had pointed his wand and, muttering several color switching charms under his breath, changed James' hair to the same shade of auburn as Lily's. Both James and Ginny were laughing, while Lily glowered and Sirius smirked triumphantly. "Beat that!" he confidently announced to the room. Ginny, grinning mischievously, flicked her wand without muttering a word. The room exploded in laughter as James's eyes turned green and hair grew out of his head to perfectly match Lily's. And when James turned to Hermione, his hair slowly returning to black and his eyes a vibrant green, she didn't see him. She only saw him. Her eyes did not widen, her mouth did not tremble, her voice did not shake. But her heart ached. Like it or not, the girls were slowly getting better at hiding their emotions.

She forced a grin on her face. "The look suits you James" The latter was about the reply when McGonagall's voice rang out above the rest. "Ginevra Black, what in the world were you thinking?" Her gaze was hard and her nostrils flared. "You could have… You could have set his head on fire for heaven's sake! Ten points from Gryffindor! I am astounded, do not ever try that again." Ginny nodded, hiding a smirk behind her hand. As students began to return to their work, many snickering quietly, the Marauders turned to the redhead. "Ginny, how the hell did you do that?" Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Do what?" Sirius rolled his eyes, "quit playing stupid. How in Merlin's beard did you use nonverbal magic in the first class of human transfiguration?" Ginny grinned. "Like Minnie said," she adopted the voice of Professor McGonagall, "by being an utter dunderhead, what were you thinking!" The boys had to hold back their laughter as the woman in question was looking towards them with suspicion. Clearing her throat, McGonagall announced the end of class. "As homework, practice the color changing charm verbally. Be prepared to perform the spell correctly next class." The students, talking happily about the weekend, began to pack up. "Mr. Black, Ms. Granger, a word." Hermione glanced at Sirius. They walked towards the teacher's desk. "Don't forget that you have detention for the whole week starting tomorrow." Hermione inwardly groaned. "Professor is this really necessary?" she pleaded. McGonagall raised an eyebrow at her. "I think it is time that you and Mr. Black begin to act your age. Both of you are extremely talented and should set an example to the school. You are dismissed."

They left, Hermione digging her fingernails into the strap of her bag. Sirius chuckled. "What?" Hermione snapped, rounding on him. Since he had been walking, she crashed into him. They were suddenly both very aware of how close they were. His smell began to sink through the cracks of her resolution and she remembered the last time they had been this close. "What?" she repeated irritated. His breath tickled her nose. "Is spending time with me so difficult for you, Hermione?" Brown met grey. Then he had stepped around her and was walking down the hall. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? You're the most annoying twat I've ever met!" she shouted after him. "Keep telling yourself that" he called back to her, not turning around but disappearing behind corner.

She really did hate him. Leaning against the wall, Hermione tried to sort through the chaos in her mind. You're with Theo. A voice, sounding very much like Remus, echoed in her mind. He's Harry's godfather. There's a twenty-year age gap. Just then, a voice similar to Ginny's overrode those thoughts. Not anymore. You're the same age. He's interested. You're interested. Hermione immediately pushed the thought out of her mind. She was not interested in Sirius Black.

Her thoughts turned to Harry. Her research into dark magic was not encouraging. The truth was that the golden trio really hadn't had any idea of the real weight of Voldimort's revolution. For it was a revolution. It was not just a war. It was an attempt at completely reshaping the world, magical and non-magical. Hermione began walking. It had been important to them, especially to Harry. They had lost so many friends and family members. But when she began plotting Voldemort's future attacks, she could barely understand how they had survived the first wizarding war. How had Lily thought of that exact spell? She would have to look in the Restricted Section, maybe even sneak into Dumbledore's office. That spell could undo it all. She found herself in front of the Great Hall, but her appetite had vanished with all the morbid thoughts meandering through her head.

Frustrated, she turned around and began climbing the stairs. She seemed to be frustrated quite a lot these days. If she wasn't thinking about school, she was thinking about her friends. If she wasn't preoccupied by them, thoughts of shaggy black hair and a smirk bigger than Draco Malfoy's began to slip into her mind. She shook her head, annoyed for the umpteenth time at her thoughts for straying towards him. And under all that was the cold fear of suddenly being gripped by her past, paralyzed by seeing those who would die with a single green flash.

She muttered the password to the Fat Lady and entered the common room to, unsurprisingly, noise. Looking for her friends, she saw them gathered around their favorite sitting area, Sirius and Lily were sitting on the couch, the former stretching languidly across most of the sofa, Crookshanks nestled on his chest, and the latter scribbling on parchment. Marlene leaned against the sofa, thoroughly absorbed by her Witch Weekly magazine, while both James and Ginny were on the far side of the table, deeply absorbed in a game of wizard's chess. Pushing Sirius's legs off the sofa, Hermione sat down and picked up Crookshanks. The cat hissed, claws extended, but soon began purring again as she rubbed the spot between his ears. "I'm starting to think your cat likes Sirius more than you," James said, tearing a glance away from the chessboard to grin at his cousin. Hermione rolled her eyes. "Because what Sirius definitely needs right now is an ego boost," she half-whispered to Lily, who giggled. Sirius, who had propped his legs up on Lily's stack of textbooks on the table, yawned and glared at Hermione. "I heard that."

She met his gaze impassively, before reaching over and forcing his legs off of the stack of books. "Those are Lily's, and it really doesn't matter that you heard it because it's true." Sirius began to answer when Ginny groaned and flicked her wand at him. "Can't you two stop yapping for ten seconds? This is serious!" Sirius opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Irritated, he sunk lower into his seat and began sulking. Hermione shook her head, trying to keep her amusement from spilling over into more than a smile. He saw her expression and, even more irritated, grabbed Crookshanks. "Sirius! Stop, let him go!" But to her astonishment, Crookshanks did not even hiss, but continued purring. Sirius smirked at her. Exasperated, Hermione grabbed a book from the table and hit him over the head with it. "Idiot" Just then James jumped up triumphantly. "HA! Checkmate Black, pay up!" Ginny scowled but drew two galleons out of her robes and threw them at James, who caught them happily.

"Ooohhh is that the first time that you've beaten her?" they all looked up to see Luna floating towards them. Hermione saw the Marauders exchange glances. James cleared his throat. "Luna, why do you always sit with Snivellus?" Luna's eyebrows shot up. "Who? Is that what you call Nifflers in the 70s?" Hermione caught Ginny's eye and they both bit back grins. James looked dumbfounded so Sirius intervened. "Snape. Why do you always sit with the slimy git? And all of the other Slytherins? You spend more time with them than with us." "Sirius," Lily warned, but Sirius continued, "What? Do you think they're better company?" There was an edge in his voice and, when she looked at him, Hermione recognized something very dark in his eyes. Luna, however, simply smiled. "Not at all. But I find that you should give everyone a chance, no matter where they come from, don't you think?" Sirius bristled but James spoke up. "Well yes, Griffin, but they've gotten their chances. They're not good people, they use dark magic and think that people like Evans shouldn't even be allowed inside Hogwarts." "Oh please!" Ginny exclaimed. "It's not as if she talks to Snape for two minutes and immediately begins sabotaging the Gryffindor quidditch team with jinxed brooms!" The statement was so ridiculous that they all broke into laughter. The boys' suspicions of Luna were soon forgotten and James even joked with Luna about informing everyone about the Slytherins' secret Brunch meetings during the weekends.

It was very comfortable sitting by the fire with her friends and Hermione reflected that, for the fact that she had been shoved back in time and aged back to the age of fifteen (now sixteen) her situation wasn't all that bad. Sighing she pulled out her astronomy essay and, ignoring the exasperated look Sirius threw her, began to work. James, having again lost to Ginny, looked over. "Merlin's Beard 'Mione, why are you doing homework? It's your birthday!" Hermione raised an eyebrow at him. "So?" Sirius, who had finally charmed Marlene to reverse the silencing charm, asked "Do you ever relax?" Hermione rolled her eyes. "Yes," she replied shortly. There were several stifled snorts. Hermione looked up to see Ginny, Luna, James, and Sirius grinning at her. "What?! I do! Besides, it's good to get the work done early! Back me up here, Remus. Remus? Where is he?" Hermione looked around for the tall bookworm.

James scratched the back of his head. "He's visiting his sick mother. She gets sick loads and he gets to visit her once a month because…" Sirius jumped in for James "because he doesn't know how much time she still has." Hermione frowned. Then she remembered when Remus had explained everything in the shrieking shack during third year. About how he used his 'sick mother' as an excuse to leave discreetly once a month to safely turn into a werewolf. James must have noticed her sad expression. "But don't worry, 'Mione, I'm sure his mother's going to get better soon. The healers are trying everything." There was a long silence where Luna and Ginny exchanged looks and James nervously messed up his hair. Sirius was checking his watch every ten seconds and, sensing his anxiety, Crookshanks jumped onto Hermione's lap, leaving her incapable of continuing her essay. "Well, honestly, I think I'm going to go to bed." The group snickered as she tried to pack her things without moving Crookshanks. When James lost to Ginny again, the girls all stood and made their way up the stairs to their dormitories.

Cedric. Sirius. Albus. Her mother. Her father. Harry. Ron. Fred. George. Remus. Tonks. Mad Eye. Hermione turned, once again, in her bed. She couldn't sleep. She remembered her last sixteenth birthday. Harry and Ron had, unbeknownst to her, snuck down to the kitchens and gotten her a chocolate cake with a very realistic drawing of Crookshanks in orange icing. "We know you don't like getting food from the House Elves but it's your birthday, and we paid Dobby a few sickles so shut up and eat, 'Mione" Fred and George had jokingly given her a bottle of firewhiskey, as well as a pair of Extendable Ears. Mrs. Weasley had sent her a crimson sweater with a light lavender 'H' on it and Ginny had gotten her a box of sugar quills. She was sitting on the usual couches in the common room with the Weasleys and Harry, reading a book about Ancient Runes that Lupin had lent her over the summer holidays while the twins played Exploding Snap and Ron was making fun of her workaholic attitude. "Honestly, Hermione, it's Sunday night, your birthday, and your reading a book about Ancient Runes… by choice?"

Hermione got up and walked over to the window, leaning against the glass. She loved her new friends, she really did. It was exciting to be friends with the most renowned troublemakers in the history of Hogwarts, and Hermione couldn't help enjoying her familial relationship with James and her friendship with Lily and Marlene. But there were times where she wanted nothing more than to leave them, even Ginny and Luna, and just talk to Harry and Ron. The problem, of course, was that Harry and Ron weren't there.

Movement on the grounds caught her eye as the clouds parted to reveal the full moon. Hermione watched as the Whomping Willow suddenly stopped thrashing and, out of its shadows, three large figures appeared. She remembered how, in the Shrieking Shack, Professor Lupin had explained that the Marauders had often wandered the forest, and even parts of the castle, during the nights of his transformation. Hermione hadn't entirely believed him, but now, watching werewolf, stag, dog, and rat make their way over the grounds in the direction of the quidditch pitch, she couldn't believe the risk that the boys were taking.

"Crookshanks". The ginger kitten nuzzled her leg in response to her call. "Take care of them, will you?" Hermione had no idea whether the cat would understand. She had always had the suspicion that Crookshanks was part Kneazle, cat-like magical beasts that had all sorts of hidden powers and lived for at least a century, but the cat's intelligence and longevity now confirmed it. The kitten meowed quietly and then ran down the stairs to watch over the Marauders. With the knowledge that her friends were now protected by a tiny ball of ginger fur, Hermione got into bed and tried to sleep.

When Hermione woke up the next morning, Crookshanks was still gone. Sighing, she showered and began dressing for her date with Theo. She finally chose a berry-red sundress out of some light fabric that ended just above her knees and flowed around her with every step she took. She slipped on her black leather sandals and colored her lips the same deep red as her dress. She looked into the mirror and her hair stared back unabashed. She decided to braid the top but left the rest of it to fizz around her head. Lily's alarm went off and she and Luna stared blearily at Hermione. Lily raised an eyebrow. "Well, somebody's excited for detention." Hermione froze. "What? Oh, no! I forgot! I have a date with Theo today but McGonagall's detention…Damn it!" She added in frustration as she dropped her bag and neon jellybeans spilled across the floor. "Oh, I don't think Sirius will mind at all," Luna added absentmindedly and Lily snickered. Hermione glared at the two of them. "Haha, you're hilarious, Luna," she added sarcastically. She quickly shoved everything back into her bag, grabbed her wand, and exited the dormitory at top speed.

As she sat in the Common Room to finish homework, Hermione heard several yells and a yowl from the Boys Dormitory. A half-naked James stalked angrily towards her and shoved a hissing Crookshanks into her arms. "Hermione, darling, please tell your bloody cat to shove off. He's been following us all night and keeps scratching at Peter." Hermione quickly calmed the kitten and turned to James, annoyed. "He's a cat, I can't tell him what to do. Besides, what do you mean he's been following you all night? Do you four every sleep?" Seeing the slight panic in James's eyes she sighed resignedly. "Nevermind, I don't want to know." James grinned and kissed her on the forehead before quickly running up the stairs. Hermione gently stroked Crookshanks and the kitten purred contentedly in her arms. "Thank you." The cat nudged her knee before leaping out her embrace and stalking out of the Common Room. Smiling, she returned to her writing. She was, however, interrupted once again when her essay was pulled out of her grip. Standing in his usual tight black T-shirt and a pair of dark grey sweatpants that left little to the imagination, Sirius Black was smirking at her, his eyes smoldering. "Well, Rose, I know the competition is tough, but you don't have to put so much effort into looking good for me." Hermione glared, wrenched back her essay and turned around to pack her things. "This isn't for you, Black"

"Whatever you say, love" She turned back to see him still staring unashamedly at her. "You. Are. Gross." He grinned. "Come on, we'll be late for detention." As they walked down the moving staircases in silence, Hermione couldn't help but appreciate what Quidditch could do to the human body. "Oy, are you trying to set my pants on fire?" Sirius turned suddenly, feigning affront. Hermione chocked and the Marauder in front of her continued walking, guffawing. Trying to change the subject and recover her dignity, Hermione looking at the direction he was headed. "Ahem, Black."

"What?" Sirius glanced over his shoulder but kept walking. Hermione stopped halfway down the flight of stairs. "We passed McGonagall's office." "So?" Sirius asked. "So," Hermione answered slowly, "We have detention. Remember?" Sirius brushed her off with a wave of his hand. "Ah, I'm starving and, besides, Minnie won't mind if we're a bit late." Spluttering behind him forcing him to finally face her. Bloody Merlin she was going to be the death of him. Her legs seemed to go on for miles and the wine-colored dress left little to the imagination. "What's wrong, Rose? Is my backside too glorious for you?" Hermione felt a blush creep up her neck but ignored the comment. "When you say 'Minnie' do you mean-" Sirius chortled. "McGonagall? Yes. Dear old Minnie. Love her to death, that one." Hermione looked speechless but soon composed herself. "Accio toast," she flicked her wand and 6 pieces of toast came whizzing towards them, finally landing on Sirius's face with a soft fwaat. There was a muffled curse behind her but she smiled when she heard him follow her back up the stairs and towards the office.

They were only a few minutes late, Sirius stuffing the last bits of toast into his mouth, but Minerva McGonagall's lips were still thinner than usual and both students sensed trouble. Without saying a word, she led them to a classroom nearby. They entered it to find a tumult of objects and animals that had been mis-transfigured: mice that had wooden tails and buttons for ears, teapots with large eyes on the sides that blinked dazedly at them, and even an owl with a large doorknob as a beak. "Now that you two are finally here, you can begin. As you are being punished for constantly throwing caution to the wind when attempting to outdo one another," Hermione blushed and Sirius smirked, "your job is to clean up as many of these transfigurations that have gone wrong. Do be careful, some of the fire-breathing pincushions can be quite aggressive. You can go in three hours and will come back every day until Friday after classes end. Begin."

They began to work in silence, both unsure of how to handle the situation. They were alone and they couldn't leave. Sirius flicked his wand at a four-legged tissue-box only for it to grow larger and jump after him. Hermione couldn't stop the grin spreading across her face. "Immobulus," she whispered, and the tissue-box froze just a few inches away from Sirius's face before falling out of the air. For a moment they just stared at each other, then broke into laughter. Sirius had to steady himself on a chair with antlers before suggesting that they tackle the transfigurations together. Hermione nodded and, grinning, joined him in transfiguring the monstrous tissue-box into a regular tissue-box.

They continued through the room, joking around all the while. Hermione frowned at the dancing tea kettle in front of them. "Honestly, we weren't this bad when we were first starting out, were we?" Sirius chuckled and casually waved his wand at the kettle so that it began doing a complicated gymnastics routine. "Not everyone is as gorgeous as you and me, 'Mione." Hermione rolled her eyes at him but pointed her wand at the pincushion so that it began chasing the kettle in circles around them. Sirius smiled and feigned fear. "No, it's too soon, what if it turns to larger prey? The tissue-box was brutal enough, but a pincushion? Merlin's beard, how will I survive?" Hermione laughed, throwing her head back and almost losing her balance. She grabbed his shoulder to steady herself and the two of them were suddenly aware of how close they were. They were alone and shouldn't leave.

Hermione bit her lip and stepped away. "But, really, who even tries to transfigure umbrella stands and handkerchiefs and tissue-boxes?" Sirius shrugged. Hermione sighed and looked at the clock above the door. It read 1:12 pm. She cursed. Sirius looked up from the leopard print handbag trying to eat his fingers. "What's wrong?" She was frantically packing up her things. "I'm late for my date with Theo," she explained, missing his sour expression or the way his eyes had darkened at the mention of Theo. "Cover for me?" she flashed him a grin and rushed out of the classroom.

She was out of breath when she reached the quidditch pitch but smiled when she saw Theo running laps. She waved and he sped up to join her in the middle. "Hey," he panted. "Hey," she replied lightly. He pecked her lightly on the lips. She smiled into the kiss and beamed up at him. "I thought we were flying, Mr. Wood." Theo chuckled and pulled her close to him. "Why, yes, we are Ms. Rose, but I'm suddenly quite distracted." Hermione looked up at him smirking, "Is that so? Well, we really can't have that, can we?"

"No," said Theo, "We really can't." He picked up two brooms lying on the ground. "I promised you lessons, and lessons you will get. Besides," he added slyly, "I'm still getting compensation, right?" Hermione giggled and grabbed her broom. "Sure, Theo." She made to kick off but Theo shook his head. "Ah, but we're not quite there yet. See, you've got quite a sloppy kick-off." Hermione blinked and realized he wasn't flirting anymore. Wood continued, "You obviously have adequate ability in the air but your control over your broom is well below satisfactory." Hermione frowned a little and felt her shoulders droop. "But, you're not bad," Theo quickly said, realizing he might have gone too far. "just… Here, look." He positioned his broom to match her. "You're sitting like this when you should be kicking off like this," he slid forward a few inches on his broom and crouched lower. He then kicked off the ground and whirled into the air, flailing.

Hermione started to laugh but soon realized that something was wrong. Theo was shouting and his broom was carrying him farther and farther into the air. Recognizing it as a jinxed broom, she searched the stands for the perpetrator. Finally, she found them. At the top of one of the towers, a group of green-clad Slytherins was huddled around two figures, one with black hair and one with long, wavy blond hair. Pointing her wand at them, she shouted, "Confundo!" The spell was blocked, but it was enough to break the connection. Theo, still yelling, changed directions and was soon plummeting to the ground. "Arresto Momentum," Hermione cried, waving her wand frantically at his falling figure. Theo slowed in the air and came to rest gently on the ground a few feet away from her. She ran up to him.

"Are you alright? Morgana's mane I'll curse them bloody," she ranted, checking his body for bruises. "Hermione, I'm alright, relax. You… you were brilliant!" Theo stammered, breathing heavily. Hermione smiled shyly, "Thanks." He kissed her and pulled her onto him. She sighed into his kiss and ran her hands through his hair. When she finally pulled away, they stared at each other. "Hermione," Theo started, "will you be my girlfriend?" Hermione smiled. "yes." Theo grinned stupidly. "Alright then."

They continued to lay there for a moment but soon got up and left when the Hufflepuff quidditch team arrived. Upon entering the Common Room, Theo announced that the rivalry with Slytherin had come to a new level importance in Gryffindor House. "Hermione," groaned James, "you're supposed to give him less pent-up energy, not more. Merlin, cousin, do you even know how to-" Ginny threw a cushion at him and looked annoyedly at the couple. "What did they do now, oh captain, my captain?" Wood began to recount the events of the afternoon, leaving out the more intimate details. Fellow Gryffindors gathered around him and scoffed at their rivals' tactics.

"And then Hermione basically broke the jinx and saved me from falling and breaking my neck," Theo finished. Uncomfortable with everyone's eyes on her, Hermione smiled and leaned into Theo, insisting that "it was nothing, really." Theo smiled and squeezed her hand. Just then Luna, who had entered with Sirius halfway through Theo's story, clapped her hands together, beaming. "Oh, does this mean that you're official now?" Hermione frowned at her, confused, but Theo laughed nervously, as more than half of Gryffindor house had now gathered in the Common Room to listen. "Well, yes." Cheers and claps erupted from around them and the two blushed crimson.

Hermione moved away from Theo and sat down next to Ginny, who, noticing her friend's next skin color, stood and shouted, "All right, show's over. Lesson of the day is: Slytherins are evil brats and everyone should support their amazing quidditch team at the first game of the season. Good day and goodbye!" The crowd dispersed and Theo, winking at Hermione, left to join his group of friends. Sirius, who had been staring at the two, turned and walked out of the Common Room. The awkward silence that followed was broken only when James peered at Ginny, grinning evilly. "I know you're secret, Ginevra Black" Ginny, who had been lazily burning her potions essay from last class, looked at him nervously. "And?" James cleared his throat. "You, my ginger friend, are. A. Seer." The rest of the group began laughing and Ginny, who was close to tears, shook her head. "Oh please, James! The day that I start diving into the hidden threads of time is the day Hogwarts is destroyed by a bunch of trolls."

There you go! Hope it wasn't too bad. Sorry, again, for being on hiatus for such a long time!

-GoldenClockwork