Hermione rubbed her eyes, yawned and abruptly looked at her watch.

Her eyes widened in mortification.

'2:15!' she exclaimed, groaning. 'Oh no, I've missed Transfiguration!'

Hermione sighed. All that business with the time-turner and so many lessons were really making her tired. Then she had a quick idea.

"I'll go back to just before Transfiguration started, and then I'll be able to do the lesson after all.'

She reached into her satchel and took out the gleaming, gold, interesting-looking time-turner and slung it carefully around her neck, removing her hair from underneath it.

She looked at the dials. One turn should do it…..

But then something went horribly wrong. After she tuned the dial once, it continued to spin around and around. Hermione's stomach lurched. What if she landed in the Middle Ages? Or at the beginning of time?! She had even forgotten her wand!

But to her relief and surprise, she opened her eyes to look around and saw that she was stationed in Hogwarts – and it didn't look too long ago, either.

'Looking for something?' a male voice said, coming from behind her.

She spun around to see a black-haired bespectacled boy whom she knew very well….

'Harry!' she cried uncertainly, and began to become more uncertain as the boy's eyebrows shot further up his forehead.

'What, me? Err…no…I'm James,' he said awkwardly, then adding, 'Nice to meet you. And you are?' before holding out his hand.

Hermione couldn't believe her eyes. Of all the time periods to land in, she had to find herself in that of the Marauders. Ah well, she thought, at least I'll know some people.

'Hermione,' she replied cautiously, reaching out and shaking James's hand. 'Hermione Granger.

Just as Hermione had predicted would probably happen, and extremely handsome, dark-haired boy, a plump, flushed boy with protruding teeth and a shy-looking, cute boy with an air of intelligence about him had appeared by James's side.

'Who's the girl?' Sirius inquired, his eyes roving over Hermione, as if deciding if she was worth any effort.

'This is Hermione Granger. Met her just now – look a bit lost, see. Are you new, Hermione? Because you're in Gryffindor,' he pointed to the crest on her robes, 'and I've never seen you before.'

'Yeah, I am. I used to go to Beauxbatons,' she said, improvising wildly.

'Oh,' Sirius said, speaking up and fixing his grey eyes on Hermione again, and she couldn't help gazing at him and noticing how different he was. He looked so much better, and more alive. Azkaban had really done horrors to him.

'Oh, well, yes, anyway,' Hermione interrupted the brewing silence, 'I was wondering where Professor Dumbledore was. I need a word with him.'

'Oh yeah, sure, we'll take you there,' said Sirius coolly, then he paused, 'what year are you in?'

'Fifth year,' she replied, deciding to tell the truth. The foursome nodded rather happily.

'That's great!' gabbled Peter, as the five of them walked down a corridor. 'We're ion that year too. You might be in our classes.'

Hermione smiled at him weakly, and couldn't help noticing that Remus remained rather quiet.

'So…who are you three?' she asked, then managed to stop herself saying, 'as if I don't already know.'

'Sirius Black,' said Sirius, grinning. Obviously, he had decided that Hermione seemed somewhat worthwhile.

'Peter Pettigrew,' stuttered Peter.

Hermione looked expectantly at Remus.

'Remus Lupin,' he mumbled. Hermione guessed from his tired, pale visage that it had been a full moon recently.

'Well, here we are,' said James, gesturing to the headmaster's office, after what seemed like not much time. 'We'll see you in the common room – if you haven't already got anywhere else to be, that is.' And with that, all four Marauders turned on their heels and marched down the hall.

'Thank you!' called Hermione, and Sirius looked round and grinned, showing off his pearly-white and suspiciously canine-looking teeth.

Hermione knocked nervously on the door.

'Come in,' came a serene reply, and Hermione swung open the heavy door and stepped in.

'How may I help you?' asked a remarkably younger-looking Dumbledore who was stroking Fawkes the phoenix.

'I've had a problem,' began Hermione, and Dumbledore continued to look at her intently whilst she explained her story.

'And your time-turner, Miss Granger?'

'Broken,' groaned Hermione, and as the horrible wave of realisation swept over her she felt hot, distracting tears begin to form in her eyes.

'Well, we must see to that immediately, so that we can get you back to your time in which you are loved, you have friends and family…' Hermione gulped, '…but in the meantime, you must stay here, in the Gryffindor girls' fifth-year common room.'

Hermione looked up. 'How long will that be?' she questioned hopefully.

'Oh, I cannot say,' replied Dumbledore quietly, 'but let us hope for the best.'

An hour later, Hermione found herself enter the common room. She stifled a laugh. After all these years, it still looked oddly the same.

'Hey, Hermione!' yelled James, and Hermione went over to join them.

'Hi,' she said, before taking a seat next to Remus, who was reading A History of Magic.

She gasped appreciatively, and Remus looked up.

'I absolutely love that book,' she exclaimed animatedly, letting her interests run away with her. Remus, who seemed rather astonished at this friendly greeting, surprised himself by feeling his exhausted face break into a warm smile, and his face getting hotter too – unfortunately.

'Me too,' he replied, forgetting his inhibitions for a few solitary seconds.

'I always admire how Bathilda Bagshot describes Hogwarts in it,' Hermione said, excitement rising in her voice. Then she added, 'Every time I read it.'

'How many times have you read it?'

'Umm….53.'

Remus gaped at her. 'Me too!' he laughed.

'I never had you down as the bookish type, Hermione,' interrupted Sirius, looking over at the gleeful pair.

'Well you had me down wrong, didn't you?' said Hermione, not insolently, but flushed with the merriment of finding somebody she could identify with.

Sirius blinked, but decided not to read into it, and went back to discussing his next prank of Snivellus with James and Peter as Hermione and Remus continued to talk books.