Random Information you didn't need disguised as an Author's Note: Speaking of non-canon ships…there's a fanvid on YouTube for Sirius and Remus and it said "Closer". I assumed they meant NIN's "Closer". Boy was I surprised.

For the first time in her life, Hermione felt like a giant as she towered over the ickle firsties. They kept stealing glances at her and she could feel her cheeks turning pink. She tried to ignore them, and began reciting arithmantic formulae in her head to occupy herself. She nibbled on her lower lip and watched them one after the other as they were called forward to be Sorted. She would be Sorted after the first years, which made her even more nervous. She knew everyone would be staring at her, but she dreaded it. None of that mattered she told herself as her eyes sought his. He was watching her, as usual.

"The first years are Sorted, but we are not quite through," Dumbledore said with a benevolent smile at everyone. "After many years, one of our own returns to us. I hope that into whatever House she is Sorted, we all attempt to make her feel welcome."

Hermione could feel the confusion of the Great Hall wash over her. What on earth was Dumbledore talking about? Someone was returning? How could someone return if they'd never been to Hogwarts? Hermione heard the whispers and tried to ignore them. She turned to him again, drawing strength from his presence. He nodded at her encouragingly and her shoulders automatically went back, and her chin lifted.

"Lupin, Hermione!"

Now the Great Hall was buzzing loudly and Hermione saw the three Marauders almost give themselves whiplash as their gazes moved from Remus to her to Remus. She moved forward confidently and perched delicately on the stool. The hat was placed on her head and soon it was muttering to itself.

"Hermione Lupin…well, that explains a lot. I wondered you know, back then, or, in the future I will wonder, or, Merlin, time travel makes everything confusing, doesn't it? You are going to Sort me today, right? Yes, yes, keep your tie on. Hmmm, you're smart, just like your brother, but what you've done is incredibly brave and/or foolhardy as well. Better be…GRYFFINDOR!"

The Marauders rose and started whistling and clapping and the rest of the table followed. Hermione hurried to her brother's side, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders automatically. She leaned against him for a moment of comfort and then pulled away reluctantly to sit down. A small note appeared at her place sitting. She picked it up and recognized the handwriting immediately. Her lips tightened in displeasure. Remus frowned at the note and then nudged her. She sighed and opened it.

"He wants to see me after dinner," she muttered to Remus. He growled low in his throat, more of a rumble in his chest.

"I'm coming with you," he insisted. In this case, Hermione didn't mind. She thought it might be a very good idea for the Lupins to present a united front.

"Fine," she said absently, and then flipped the note so that it caught flame and disintegrated. The Marauders stared at her for a moment.

"Er," Remus said, staring at the small pile of ash on the table. Hermione was calmly eating her dinner.

"Hmm?" She turned to him curiously. He gestured to the ash. "What?"

"What do you mean, what?" Sirius leaned across the table to whisper at her. "You set the note on fire."

"You can't do that?" Hermione asked innocently, taking a sip of her pumpkin juice. Sirius frowned at her.

"We don't learn nonverbal spells until this year," he pointed out flatly.

"Hmm," Hermione said noncommittally.

"This is her then?" James asked Remus quietly. Remus' arm snaked around her again and gave her a one-armed hug.

"Yeah," he said quietly.

"Welcome to Hogwarts and all that," James said sincerely, with a warm smile. He reminded her of Harry for just a moment, but the way he held himself was completely different and his hazel eyes were too direct, too…something…to be like Harry.

"Thank you," she murmured, flushing slightly under his gaze. She continued to eat quietly and let the chatter of the Marauders wash over her without touching her. She noticed the way Remus' eyes kept sliding toward her, as if to assure himself that she really was there. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from giggling at him. She knew how he felt, and his feelings were completely valid. If she giggled at him it would only hurt him.

After the welcoming feast, Remus took her elbow and directed her to Dumbledore's office. He gave the password to the gargoyle and then he shifted so that he was in front of her. Hermione rolled her eyes behind his back. Did he think she wouldn't know what he was doing? Why was it that people, or rather men, operated under the belief that she needed to be protected? She had told him most of what had happened before. He knew that she'd fought in battles, in a war.

"Ah, Mr. and Miss Lupin, please come in and sit down," Dumbledore said quietly. He appeared very somber and serious. Hermione sat down nervously, and felt grateful for Remus' presence. He calmed her, centered her.

"Why did you want to see me, Professor?" Hermione asked cautiously. He sighed heavily and looked at her over his glasses.

"Your parents loved you both very much," Dumbledore said quietly. Remus snorted and Dumbledore turned his gaze to her brother. "They were devastated when you were hurt, Remus, but they were absolutely terrified when they though Greyback might come back for Hermione. Apparently he threatened as much."

"If that was the plan, then sending me to the future, where Greyback also exists, by the way, might not have been the smartest choice in the world," Hermione said tartly. Remus snarled, his eyes turning as his wolf surged in him.

"He came after you?" Remus growled at her. Hermione swallowed nervously.

"He appeared, er, interested in me," she said faintly. A low growl filled Dumbledore's office.

"It appeared to be the only option available at the time," Dumbledore said sadly. "I regret that we were not fully successful."

"I regret not growing up with my brother," Hermione snapped irritably.

"Your parents made that decision, not me," Dumbledore said quietly, his eyes focused on Remus who was still struggling for control. She put a hand on his arm and watched him shudder for a moment and then come back to himself.

"Yes, not your fault, we understand," Hermione said tartly. She rose to her feet. "Is that all?"

"I am sorry," Dumbledore said softly. "I never meant to hurt either one of you."

"You see Professor," Hermione said coldly, her eyes narrowing, "that's the problem with doing everything for the 'greater good'. When you make people's decisions for them, you remove free will. That is not your right, nor is it your prerogative. That, sir, is how you ensure that many more people die than ever should have and they do so without ever knowing the true reason why."

"I see," Dumbledore said sadly.

"Come, Remus," Hermione said icily. She turned and swept out of his office, stalking toward Gryffindor tower. Remus raced after her, and caught up to her quickly.

"What were you talking about, back there?" He demanded. Hermione sighed.

"You don't want to know, Remus," she said softly. "It's not going to happen."

"Hermione," he tried again and she shook her head.

"No," she muttered. "I'm not going to talk about it."

"Fine," he said quietly. "Let's get you to your dorm."

Lily Evans, the other sixth-year prefect had waited in the commons area to show her to her bed. The other girls seemed polite, but cool. Hermione supposed it was because they hadn't had five previous years to become friends or at least dorm-mates. She put her things away mechanically and then grabbed one of the books she was currently reading. This one was about transfiguration and animagi.

"So, your brother is Remus Lupin?" One of the girls, Marlene, Hermione thought her name was, asked curiously.

"Yes," Hermione said absently as she noted the page she was on and closed her book. "Why?"

"What's he like?" She asked eagerly.

"Bossy and overprotective," Hermione said flatly. Lily made a scoffing noise, and Hermione turned to look at her. "You disagree?"

"Remus is one of the nicest, most mild-mannered boys at Hogwarts," Lily said in a tone of voice that Hermione found she didn't care for at all.

"Try asking me out in front of him," Hermione said drily. The other girls giggled and Lily flushed.

"But I'm a girl!" Lily protested. Hermione snorted.

"And your point would be?" She asked flatly.

"Girls can't ask girls out," Lily stated emphatically. Hermione picked her book up again and opened it. The other girls shifted their attention elsewhere. Lily looked around the room and frowned. "Well, they can't, can they?"

"You know, dear," Hermione said absently from behind her book, "I highly suggest you check out some of the books on bondings in the library."

"Listen," Lily began heatedly, her cheeks flushing, but Marlene put her hand on Lily's arm and shook her head. The girls were quiet for the rest of the night. Hermione finally fell asleep, her book on her chest.

/\/\/\/\/\

Over the next few days, Hermione realized that most of what she thought she knew about this era and the Marauders was dead wrong. She had assumed that Remus was shy and didn't date a lot because of his 'condition', but apparently he did date quite a bit. He was what Ginny would have called serially monogamous. He dated one girl at a time, but he changed them out fairly often. He wasn't as bad as Sirius, but he was a flirt. James was just as bad as Remus. For some reason, Hermione had always had the impression that poor James was sitting up in his ivory tower, pining after his precious, sainted Lily-flower and that he never even dreamed about looking at another girl. She snorted to herself. That idea had been completely blown out of the water, 'blown' being the operative phrase there. Note to self: empty classrooms were NOT safe to study in. Even Peter had a girlfriend. She shuddered at the thought, but she supposed that there was no accounting for taste.

"Prongs," she heard somebody mutter and her eyes widened in shock. She knew that voice fairly well.

"Merlin, Padfoot," came the answering murmur and her eyebrows shot up to her hairline. She snuck a peek around the corner and her jaw dropped open. Holy Nimue! She turned and fled, her cheeks flaming.

"Hermione?" Sirius poked her in Transfiguration. She ducked her head down, and doodled on her parchment.

"Yeah?" She muttered.

"I've been trying to talk to you for five minutes, why won't you look at me?" Sirius wheedled shamelessly.

"Haven't I?" She asked as she drew a tiny wolf who was racing through the woods.

"No, you haven't," James said from her other side. "You ought to give in to him, or he'll just get a complex."

"Yes, what is it?" Hermione said, looking straight into his grey eyes and trying not to think about what he'd been doing earlier with the boy that was standing right behind her.

"So who do you think is the cutest boy at Hogwarts?" Sirius asked, waggling his eyebrows at her. She blinked. He shook a finger at her. "No fair saying Remus. He doesn't count because you can't date him."

"You can't be, er, you must be joking," Hermione said with a small frown. He shook his head and then tossed his hair. She felt like rolling her eyes, but restrained herself.

"He means it," James said firmly from behind her. She risked a glance over her shoulder and found him watching her. Right. Okay then, handsomest boy at Hogwarts.

"I really wouldn't know. I've barely been here a week," Hermione protested.

"Come on, Hermione," Sirius said and gave her puppy dog eyes. She did roll her eyes at that point.

"Look, that sort of thing has never interested me," Hermione said with a shrug. "I don't really pay attention to the outside. I pay attention to what's inside."

"That's just something people say when they aren't confident about themselves," Sirius said arrogantly tossing his hair again.

"No," Hermione contradicted him with a shake of her head. "I've met men who were beautiful, I mean really, really beautiful, but they were cruel and vicious. I can never see just the outside of anyone without wondering what lies beneath the skin."

"More beautiful than me?" Sirius asked cockily, daring her to tell him no. She smiled then, a slow, wicked grin that made Sirius blink.

"Yes, actually," she said, yanking his chain just because he'd pushed her. "They were gorgeous."

"She answered your question, Sirius, now leave her alone," Remus snapped from behind her. She smirked at Sirius and he frowned slightly. Then Remus was sliding into the seat next to her. "Arrogant prat."

"He wasn't trying to get into my pants," Hermione soothed him with a pat on the knee. "I think with him it's just practice flirting, like the way he behaves with Professor McGonagall."

"That's because he's suicidal," Remus muttered darkly. Hermione giggled and shook her head at her brother.

A week later, Hermione dragged Remus off to an extra potions lab that she had received permission to borrow and use for a private project. He stared at the smoking goblet with some trepidation, but when Hermione explained what it was, and what the Wolfsbane potion would offer him, he swallowed it down easily. He gagged slightly at the taste, but then he whooped and picked Hermione up and twirled her around. She laughed and let him twirl her. He seemed so free and relaxed. She'd never seen him like this before. Never. It made her happy to see her brother this way. Several days later, she was sitting in the common room of Gryffindor when Remus walked into the tower, scooped her up in his arms and carried her up to his dorm. He sat on his bed with her cuddled in his lap and sniffed her all over. He sniffed her hair a lot. She sat there patiently and let him sniff for the most part.

"Tell me this isn't going to happen every single full moon, Remus," she asked quietly.

"Don't know," he muttered. "Need to make sure you're okay, you're safe. Don't want to leave you alone."

"Oh, you big silly wolf, you don't have to," Hermione informed him with a smile. He frowned at her.

"What does that mean?" He asked. She climbed out of his lap, despite his wolfy whine and stood in front of him. Then she was on all fours, but still standing. She was delicate, graceful—a female black wolf. He knelt down and gently touched her ruff. "You're beautiful."

"So you'll let me come play with you, big brother?" She asked curiously after she shifted back, her head cocked in a manner that reminded Remus of wolves. He grinned at her.

That night Moony was pacing anxiously, waiting for something. Wormtail, Prongs and Padfoot watched him nervously, and then they heard it. A howl that brought Moony's head up and had him giving an answering howl. Then there was an excited yip and Moony was racing off toward the direction from which the howl had issued. They saw the dainty little black wolf that was wiggling in anticipation and was then racing in circles around Moony, her jaws open in the wolf equivalent of laughter. He growled at her and she stopped. She danced in front of him, tail wagging energetically and she licked his muzzle. He snorted and nuzzled her back. The little black wolf took off like a shot, racing across the grounds toward the Forbidden Forest. Moony took off after her, and the others followed. By morning, they were all exhausted, but the little black wolf was still dancing around Moony. She licked Moony's muzzle one last time and then she was scampering off as the boys headed toward the Shrieking Shack.

"Merlin, Moony, when did you pick up a wolf girlfriend?" Peter asked as he stretched.

"What are you complaining about?" James snorted as he tried to pop his back. "You weren't the one who was chasing them all over hell and back."

"I think my paws are sore," Sirius grumbled.

"I feel fabulous!" Remus said exultantly. The others threw their shoes at him.

/\/\/\/\/\

"I read the books you suggested," a very subdued Lily Evans said quietly. Hermione glanced up from the treatise Of Arithmantic Expressions by John Dee and blinked at the redhead for a moment.

"Oh?" She said mildly.

"I keep thinking I know all there is to know about the wizarding world, and then I find out I'm wrong," Lily muttered darkly. "It's very annoying."

"True, it is. So, do you want to ask me out in front of my brother and see the boy you think of as mild and sweet turn into an over-protective git?" Hermione asked curiously. Lily flushed.

"No, I believe you," she muttered. Hermione frowned slightly and looked closer at Lily Evans.

"You like him!" She exclaimed in surprise, her eyes widening. Lily squeaked and looked at her in horror.

"I do not!" She shrieked.

"You do," Hermione insisted, knowing that she was right. Lily gave another indignant shriek and ran from their dorm room. Lily liked Remus. Lily liked her brother. She groaned in irritation. Nothing was the way it was supposed to be. She felt a world class migraine coming on. Honestly, it wouldn't surprise her if Bellatrix showed up trying to raise money to save orphaned Centaurs or something.

It was that sense of disorientation, the up and down of everything that Hermione blamed for that first Hogsmeade weekend. She convinced Remus that she was going to Hogsmeade with the girls from her dorm and she snuck off by herself to her favorite used bookstore with several galleons burning a hole in her pocket. She was wearing her black boots, her favorite jeans and a scoop-necked jumper because the weather was turning chillier. She quickly worked her way to the back corner, where the out-of-print and rare books were piled and picked up one that looked promising.

"I hate to interrupt a fellow bibliophile, but I really need that particular volume," said a smooth, silky voice at her elbow. She looked up in surprise to be ensnared by brooding, black eyes that seemed to be assessing her. She smirked at him, genuinely amused.

"You need this particular volume," she drawled, looking him up and down with her own little assessing gaze. She knew who he was, who else could he possibly be with that nose and that hair? He looked much better now. The years would apparently not be overly kind to Severus Snape.

"Yes," he said firmly, staring at her mouth. He moved a little closer to her, perhaps closer than was necessary. His chest brushed her arm.

"Of Witches- The Power of the Female Magic Wielder?" Hermione asked curiously. He blinked and then looked at the volume in her hand.

"Oh, well, maybe it was a different volume," he recovered quickly, giving her a slightly shy smile. She giggled at him, and he quirked a brow at her. "Would you care to join me for a beverage?"

"I'm honored at the invitation," she said with a smile, "but my brother would have a fit if I went flitting off with strange men."

"Your brother," Snape's lips twisted slightly and then he sighed. "I suppose he's the best of the lot, which isn't saying much, to be honest."

"You don't rescue kittens, or anything, do you?" Hermione demanded suddenly. Snape frowned slightly.

"I beg your pardon?" He asked politely.

"Do you do charity work?" Hermione asked. His face cleared and he gave her a smirk.

"I tutor students who need extra help. Does that count?" He asked curiously

"Why are you talking to me? I know you can't stand my brother or his friends," Hermione asked suspiciously. He shrugged.

"You seem to be an intelligent, pretty girl and there are few enough who happen to be both," he muttered in that voice that seemed to caress her nerve endings.

"I see," she murmured, looking up at him and thinking. The bell tinkled over the door and suddenly she could feel her brother behind her.

"I thought you were coming with the girls," he said flatly. She shrugged.

"I wanted to go to the used bookstore," she tried to explain.

"And you have," Remus agreed as calmly as he could while glaring at Snape.

"Remus, you have to relax," she said as calmly as she could. "You can't rip people's heads off for talking to me."

"But," Remus said helplessly, trying to convey the almost over-whelming desire to ensure her safety. Hermione turned to him and brushed his hair out of his face and touched his cheek lightly.

"I'm tougher than I look, big brother," she said gently.

"I'll leave you now," Snape said calmly with a small bow for Hermione. She smiled at him, and elbowed her brother when she heard the low growl emanating from his chest.

"For Merlin's sake, Remus, it's not like he's trying to have his way with me here in the stacks," Hermione muttered irritably as she made her way to the register.

"He was thinking about it," Remus muttered darkly. Hermione grinned at him, a slow, wicked smile that made him worry.

"Was he really?" She said slowly, looking after his retreating form. Remus frowned darkly at her. She paid for her purchases and headed towards the street. The crisp fall air made her glad she'd worn a jersey under her jumper.

"You cannot date Snape," he said flatly. Hermione snorted at him.

"You wanna bet?" She asked archly.

"Ooh, are we betting?" Sirius asked cheerfully as he came up behind them.

"What are we betting on?" Peter asked curiously.

"Snape's lifespan," Remus snapped. James laughed.

"That's a wager I'd back any day. What can we do to shorten it?" James asked curiously.

"Hermione," Remus said warningly. Hermione glared at him.

"You don't want to have this conversation, Remus," Hermione told him flatly. "You won't like it at all."

"You cannot-," Remus began again, and Hermione made a slashing motion with her hand, her eyes almost glowing with rage.

"You love me, I get it," she hissed in his face. "I love you, too, but that gives neither of us control over the other. Do not push me, big brother. You won't like it, I promise you."

"What did we miss?" James asked quietly as Hermione stalked back toward Hogwarts.

"Snape was hitting on her," Remus muttered, trying to control himself.

"He what?" James and Sirius both squawked angrily. Remus sighed.

"And she seemed interested," he said disgustedly.

"Um, Remus, have you considered that Hermione may be suffering from debilitating brain damage?" Sirius asked with concern lacing his voice.

"Debilitating? Wow, that's a five galleon word, Black. You all must be so proud of him," Lily Evans tossed over her shoulder as her group of friends passed.

The Marauders all glared at her and she blinked in surprise. She wasn't used to that sort of behavior from them. James Potter had publicly declared his affections for her at least once a year since their first year, and it seemed to provide a certain layer of protection. Lily Evans was an Untouchable. She glided through the halls of Hogwarts, tossing her auburn hair and flashing her green eyes and she received appreciative glances from the Marauders, and through them the rest of Hogwarts. She was the Gryffindor Princess. She dated selectively, but no one ever treated her with anything but respect. Lily saw those glares and the protective bubble around her world cracked just a little. She frowned and decided to seek out the one person who seemed to know more than she did.

"Hermione?" Lily asked uncertainly. The girl was sitting in an unused tower, staring out over the grounds of the castle. Her brown curls spilled over her shoulders and down her back. It was a darker shade than Remus' sandy brown, Lily thought absently. Her eyes weren't like his, either. His were brown with little flecks of grey in them. Hermione's eyes were a rich cinnamon color with threads of a strange golden amber.

"Hmm?" She turned to Lily and cocked her head curiously.

"I have a question," Lily said quietly, and she outlined her situation as she knew it. Hermione frowned thoughtfully and then shook her head and snorted.

"Were you picked on, in your first year?" Hermione asked quietly. Lily tried to remember back that far.

"Yes," she said with a start of realization. "Because I was a muggleborn. No one in Gryffindor, of course."

"It's an old pureblood custom," Hermione said quietly. "I only know about it because I had friends who had nothing better to do than sit around and talk to a curious girl. Anyway, the Marauders as a group are made up of some fairly influential families, and they offered you public protection through James. The Potters are an Ancient and Noble House. If anyone hurt you after he declared for you, it's his duty to exact retribution. If he does not, his honor comes into question."

"What if I don't want his protection?" Lily asked in a subdued voice.

"It can be removed, of course," Hermione said mildly with a shrug. "It's not as if it's permanent. I would imagine he renews his protection every so often."

"Er, yes," Lily acknowledged.

"Well, you could ask him to stop. Or deeply offend him so that he withdraws it," Hermione suggested.

"I think maybe I already have," Lily muttered. Hermione sat up suddenly and frowned at her.

"What did you do?" She demanded in a cold, furious voice that shocked Lily. Hermione had only been here for a couple of months, but she was very close to her brother and seemed to be close to the other Marauders as a matter of course. Lily blushed with embarrassment.

"I insulted Black," she muttered. Hermione sighed.

"That would definitely upset James," she agreed. Lily frowned slightly. The way Hermione said it, it was as though she meant something more, something deeper.

"What do you mean?" Lily asked. Hermione looked at Lily for a moment and then shook her head.

"If you insult any one of them, you insult all of them," Hermione said, but Lily had the feeling that she was being evasive. "Besides, I don't know if you've noticed, but all of them are actually quite bright. Maybe not Peter, but the other three are frighteningly intelligent. It's a shame they don't apply themselves."

"Er, yes," Lily said blankly, her mind suddenly filled with the concept of Marauders who applied themselves. She shuddered slightly and pushed that thought away.

"Be careful, Lily," Hermione murmured. "You may think that you don't want Potter's protection, but you may not care for the alternative either."

/\/\/\/\/\

The Great Hall was the stage upon which many of the Marauders best pranks were perpetrated because really, what good was a prank if no one ever saw it? Severus Snape dreaded the Great Hall on a regular basis because he knew that he was the focus of far too many of the Marauders pranks. It also made him mistrust gifts from unnamed sources. He knew that Lupin was going to have a fit after he'd dared to talk to his sister, but he hadn't cared. Severus could tell that she was brilliant, he could see the intelligence in her eyes. She was also very pretty, and he found himself wondering what it would be like to tangle his hands in those wild curls and kiss those full lips. So he wasn't surprised when a complex jinx was cast on him that made him misquote Shakespeare at a loud volume declaring that he would give his kingdom for shampoo. His face burned with humiliation, and he thought of several fun ways to eviscerate all four of them. Suddenly, she was at his side, those golden brown eyes furious staring up at him. She grabbed his arm and dragged him from the Great Hall as he continued to misquote Shakespeare to his own embarrassment. She cast a quick spell on him and the compulsions were gone. She dragged him into an empty classroom and frowned at him.

"Are you all right?" She asked flatly. He looked himself over.

"I believe so," he said austerely.

"I'm sorry about that," she said with a sigh. "He's incredibly overprotective."

"I think I understand," he said quietly. "If I had a sister, I would worry about her safety as well."

"Are you a risk to my safety?" Hermione asked curiously. He shrugged.

"I could be," he said finally. Hermione smirked at him.

"Would you like to threaten my safety right now?" She asked him with a wicked little smile that did odd things to his innards.

"I beg your pardon?" He asked faintly.

"Remus said that he could tell that you wanted me," she said slowly and smirked at his flush. "So do you?"

"No," he muttered desperately. "Not at all."

"Liar," Hermione said fondly.

"I think I should leave now," Severus said nervously, and edged toward the door. Hermione followed him, that wicked little smile curving her mouth.

"You're not afraid of me, are you Severus?" she cooed at him, her voice caressing his name. He stopped and frowned at her.

"Of course not," his said coldly. She gave a little shiver.

"Could you do me a favor?" She asked thoughtfully.

"It would depend," he replied suspiciously. She grinned at him.

"Could you say: turn to page 394?" She asked.

"What?" He said in surprise, completely non-plussed.

"Or you could just kiss me," she continued appearing to consider both options. "I suppose it's up to you in the end."

He would never know what possessed him that night, but he grabbed her by the arms and pulled her roughly against him. He frowned down at her, his black eyes boring into hers before he lowered his mouth to hers. His lips moved over hers expertly, and she responded enthusiastically, her tongue teasing his, but he pulled back with a frown.

"No spark for you either?" Hermione asked curiously. He blinked at her in surprise.

"Your technique is excellent," he said coolly. "You are skilled and enthusiastic, but…yes."

"Ditto, here," Hermione agreed. He blinked again. She sighed.

"What's the matter?" He asked curiously.

"I wanted to want you," she said at last.

"I beg your pardon?" He asked faintly. She grinned at him.

"You do that a lot. Beg for my pardon. I wanted to want you. You were safe. Er, I don't mean that in an insulting way. I meant it more in an 'I believe you to be a trustworthy, honorable man' way," Hermione explained. He stared at her.

"You think me an honorable man," he said slowly. She nodded. "But I'm in Slytherin. They're all evil. Hadn't you heard?"

"Oh, don't be silly," she said with a light laugh. "A person's House doesn't dictate their nature. It only suggests tendencies in their nature."

"You are an odd woman," he said finally. She laughed again, a low, throaty noise that teased his senses.

"You don't know the half of it, Severus Snape," she told him with a smile. Then she turned and left him alone in the classroom. He stared at the empty room and thought about the woman who'd just left.

/\/\/\/\/\

Hermione walked toward Gryffindor tower, frowning slightly. Perhaps Regulus? She knew that he was good and decent, well, except for the whole racial purity thing. She was musing through her options when she was suddenly pressed against a wall by a large, well-muscled body. James was glaring at her. Those hazel eyes looked furious. Then his lips were on hers, punishing her. He stole the very breath from her body and left her gasping for air. When her mouth opened he plundered it, his tongue touching and probing her mouth's secret recesses. The spark that had been absent only minutes before was like a raging inferno rushing through her veins. She felt the fire roaring in her ears. She struggled, pulling back from him. He was glaring at her still.

"Stay away from Snape," he rasped at her, his harsh breathing echoing in her ears.

"Or what? You'll snog me to death?" Hermione demanded tartly. He flushed and pulled back from her.

"I'm sorry," he muttered finally. "I have no idea why I did that."

"I don't either," Hermione snapped, "and I'm certainly not impressed. You keep your hands to yourself."

"Look, I am sorry," he said quietly, running an absent hand through his hair. "It won't happen again."

"See that it doesn't," Hermione said coldly. She felt a sudden presence at her back and restrained herself from banging her head against the stone walls of Hogwarts.

"James," Remus' voice was slightly strangled sounding. James had the grace to look utterly embarrassed.

"It was an accident," he said in a small voice.

"What was an accident?" Sirius asked as he came to stand next to them. His nostrils flared and he looked between Hermione and James before turning to glare at James. "An accident?"

"Hermione?" Remus said in voice that she recognized as dangerous.

"He just sort of pounced me, snogged me silly and then told me stay away from Snape," Hermione said flatly, knowing when to pick her battles. Sirius and Remus both glared at James, but for vastly different reasons.

"Right," Sirius snapped furiously.

This night might go on record as the oddest night of my entire life, Hermione thought absently as Sirius grabbed her and kissed her. His lips were seductive, teasing and flirting, nipping and licking. She found herself sighing and melting against him. Her arms wound around his neck and let him tease her with his tongue and his lips and his teeth. She could feel the slow burn building in her and could feel her body responding to his before her brother ripped her out of Sirius' arms. Sirius looked surprised to find his arms empty and then frowned at Remus.

"I wasn't finished yet," Sirius snapped. Remus growled furiously.

"Yes, you were," he argued. "Everyone is finished. Come on, Hermione."

He stalked toward Gryffindor tower, dragging her along behind him. Then he spent the next two hours ranting and raving in the common room. Hermione sat there and listened to it because she didn't have a choice, but she did shoot a rather pointed look in Lily Evans' direction. The redhead looked shocked at this side of Remus. He went on for some time about how none of the boys in Hogwarts could be trusted, with a furious glare toward his friends. Hermione sighed loudly and rolled her eyes at several points, but she listened until he finally ran out of things to complain about. She stood up, turned on her heel, and marched up to her bedroom. Remus scowled at everyone in the common room and left. James and Sirius looked at one another, sighed, and followed their friend.