CHAPTER 1

Hermione Granger had black curls that she always tied into a messy bun on her head, meaning strands of hair were constantly slipping into her eyes. Her angular cheekbones and button nose were covered with a smattering of freckles and her rosy cheeks were the same colour as her plump lips. Even though she was young, only eleven years old, it wasn't doubted that she would grow into a great beauty. She had her mother's whiskey coloured eyes and was prettier than most girls. She could be jaunty and scintillating, but sometimes she came off as brooding and preferring solitude, especially if she didn't like someone. It was undeniable that she was the smartest person at school. She had mastered algebraic equations that an adult would struggle with at the age of six, could speak three languages and always had her nose stuck in her book. Hermione Granger didn't like people and didn't crave popularity the way others did, but she tried her best to be sociable, even if it didn't always work out the way she intended.

She was always a little different from the other children. Certainly unnaturally smarter, unnaturally prettier, but odd things just seemed to occur when she was around. Like when Betty Goodwin had tried to push her over and Hermione had always ended up an inch out of reach, meaning Betty slipped in the mud and ruined her pastel pink dress. Or when she didn't like a haircut her mother had given her and the next day it had grown back exactly the way it had before. Or the way she could make flowers sprout around her and butterflies land on her nose and birds whistle above her.

Still, it surprised her parents when a fierce Scottish woman with the name Professor McGonagall came bearing a letter, an owl and the news that their darling daughter was a witch.

Hermione was even more of a shock to Professor McGonagall, however. When she asked if Hermione was surprised, she just shook her head and said she had dreamt this moment the night before. Before McGonagall could ask what she meant, her parents had begun to bombard her with more questions, about supplies and money and transport. She mentioned it briefly to Albus, who seemed to ponder it for a while before thanking McGonagall and turning back to his food.

They had bought Hermione's supplies on a relatively quiet day in Diagon Alley, more shocked by Hermione's vast knowledge. She seemed to know where everything was, who everyone was, what she needed barely checking her letter.

The only place where she had even seemed vaguely shocked was in Ollivander's. She had been given an 11" wand, made of holly and phoenix feather that the man had described as 'nice and supple'. The only thing that really disturbed her parents about the incident was that the man kept uttering the word 'curious' after she had bought it, especially since it had been on a plush purple cushion in the window, the only thing in the window, collecting dust, unlike the other wands which had been in shelves behind the counter.

They saw their baby off from the station, waving to her avidly and making sure she promised she'd write. They heard a few people call them 'muggles' with sneers on their faces, but the Grangers collectively ignored them. They kissed her on the cheek and watched the train drive away, just as Albus Dumbledore received a letter about the Miss Hermione Granger, who had been consuming his thoughts with her dream about McGonagall's visit, and the wand that had chosen her, a twin to Riddle himself.

These were certainly going to be interesting years.

—

Hermione walked up the corridors quietly, her fingers tracing the mahogany wood gently. She found an empty compartment at the very end and pulled out her book. It was a familiar reminder, Hogwarts; A History, and she relished in the words as she took them in. The door to the compartment opened and she looked up suddenly.

"Hi, can we sit here? Everywhere else is full, you see." Said an excitable boy. He almost reminded her of a puppy, with eyes that were a steely bluish-grey that she remembered clearly from a dream she had had a short time ago, although they were filled with a mirth she had never seen. His hair was long and black, a wide grin taking precedence of his face.

"That's fine." She said gently, moving her bag onto the floor to give the two boys more space. The other was tall, with black hair that seemed to stick up in every direction. He had hazel eyes, hidden by round glasses. He was tall and lanky already, and would certainly tower above her. He seemed to be missing something on his forehead, though, but she couldn't work out what it was.

"I'm Hermione Granger." She said politely, sticking out her hand. James moved to shake it and she gave him a soft smile.

"I'm James Potter, this is—"

"Sirius Black, most humbly at your service." He kissed her hand and she blushed slightly. "What house do you want to go into, then?" He asked eagerly.

"I only learned about Hogwarts a few days ago. I'm afraid I don't know much about the houses, except what I've read." She said, holding up her book. The boys grinned and began to explain each house in extreme detail, doing dramatic reenactments that made her laugh. "Which house do you two want to be in, then?"

"Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart, like my dad." Said James excitedly, puffing out his chest and beaming at Hermione.

"My whole family's been in Slytherin." He said dejectedly, a sad look overtaking his face.

"Blimey, and I thought you were alright." Said James, laughing slightly as Hermione kicked him softly.

"You aren't your family, Sirius." She said, sitting up and putting her book away, feeling as though she wasn't going to get to read much more. "I asked where you wanted to go, not where you were expected to." A large grin overtook his face and he looked her up and down.

"You're less stuck-up than I expected you to be, Granger." He said.

"You sure know how to make a girl feel good, Black." James snorted and burst into laughter, as did Sirius. "I'm assuming that was supposed to be a compliment."

"Yeah. And in answer to your question, I think I would like to be in Gryffindor, even if it means putting up with this tosser." He pointed at James. Hermione laughed at the affronted look on his face and smiled at the two of them.

"So far, you two do seem to be the only negative about Gryffindor." She laughed again at the shocked looks on their faces as the door to their compartment opened again.

There was a boy covered with scars. He had sandy brown hair and amber eyes. His clothes looked cared for, if a little shabby. He was much taller than her and seemed extremely awkward.

"Do you mind if I sit here? Everywhere else is full." He said quietly.

"God, yes. Then when I won't be annoyed to death by these two. I will warn you, they have, in the fifteen minutes I've known them, proven themselves to be public menaces."

"Love you, Granger." Said Sirius, batting his eyelashes at her. He smiled as he sat down and stuck out his hand to her.

"Remus Lupin." He said, his bright amber eyes showing awkwardness and almost fear of rejection. She shook his hand gently and introduced herself.

"Hermione Granger. This is —"

"Sirius Black, at your service." He shook Remus's hand so enthusiastically it looked as though he were about to rip his arm off.

"I'm James Potter. What house do you want to be in?" He said, just as energetic and enthusiastic as Sirius.

It turned out he wanted to be in Gryffindor too, although he didn't think Ravenclaw would be too bad. They had just broached the subject of Hermione being stuck-up again, thanks to her defending her bookish tendencies, when James spoke up.

"I know. If you're not stuck-up, Granger, you'll hang upside down until the next person comes into our compartment." Sirius fake 'ooohed' and Hermione laughed.

"Why don't we make it a real competition, Potter? Whoever is the first out of us two to chicken out owes the other a knut."

"A sickle."

"A galleon."

"Deal." Both of them scrambled to sit upside down, Hermione's legs hooked into the luggage holder, since she didn't trust that James wouldn't try to sabotage her. She glared at him from where she was lying and he glared back. She just heard Remus sigh and Sirius laugh, until the conversation went on as it had been.

She had immediately loved these three boys. Remus was quiet and reserved, but he was funny and kind-hearted and had given Hermione a couple of his Chocolate Frog cards when she hadn't known what they were. They had a really fascinating conversation about books that the others had interrupted, much to Remus's annoyance. He was a little awkward and often seemed as though he couldn't believe that he was their new friend. James, however, was very brash and bold and it was obvious he was going to be a Gryffindor. He was messy and noisy, but reminded her of something like home and she instantly liked him more for that. He was funny, too, and she would be getting a galleon from him soon, which made her like him more. Sirius was in a whole different league to James, although they were as crazy as each other. He was funny, although some of his jokes were a lot wittier than James's were. He was kind and good, although he hid a certain brokenness behind his eyes. He made funny faces and told her jokes as they walked around and she found herself making just as many back. All three of them were seemingly intent on making each other happy and less nervous and she loved that about them.

The door to the carriage opened and James looked over.

There was a girl with pin-straight red hair and bright green eyes, who was fairly pretty. Behind her was a boy with greasy black hair and a hook nose. Both of them seemed to survey the carriage; the boy seemed to want to hold back and go somewhere else but the girl bounced in, bright eyes.

"Hello, I'm Lily Evans. This is Severus Snape. Can we sit in here? Everywhere else is full." James immediately scrambled up and ran his hands through his hair, trying to look suave.

"Yeah, that's cool." He said, putting on a slightly deeper voice. Hermione dropped back down, trying to stifle her laugh at James, burying her face into her sleeve to try and cease her frantic giggles. Sirius was doing the same thing, although he wasn't trying to hide them.

"Sorry about these three, Hermione and James have been hanging upside down for the last hour and a half and Sirius is well… Sirius." That made Hermione laugh harder and she noticed Snape's inquisitive, but also disapproving face. James just watched Lily

"Oh, could you be anymore obvious, Jamie?" She whispered so that Lily didn't hear them. He just scowled at her and made a rude hand gesture, which made the three of them burst into laughter.

"So, Hermione, what house do you want to be in?" Asked Lily from where she was sat on the other side of the compartment.

"I'm thinking Gryffindor, like the rest of these idiots. Ravenclaw doesn't seem too bad though." She said lightly. "How about you?"

"Well, my mum was in Ravenclaw. My dad's a muggle, which is, obviously, why I have a muggle surname. But, Sev wants us to go into Slytherin." James and Sirius recoiled slightly, but Hermione kicked them both discreetly.

"I'm sure that'll be great. I'm not nearly sneaky enough to get into Slytherin, I must be the clumsiest person on the earth. But I've heard the common room is beautiful." She said to Lily, a bright smile on her face.

"Really?" Asked Lily, her eyes lit up.

"Well, it's meant to be in the Dungeon, next to the Black Lake, which must be gorgeous. And you're meant to be able to see the Merpeople and the Giant Squid and the Grindylows that all live there." She barely knew how she knew that, it wasn't in any of her books. It was like a distant memory from a dream.

"That should be awesome." Lily said, eyes bright. Snape gave her a look, although it was less imbued with hatred and more with wonder. "Mum told be about the Ravenclaw common room. You have to answer a riddle to get in."

"Must be a pain, though, if it's late or you're tired." Hermione said nonchalantly. The boys were all looking on with confusion at how well the two girls were getting on. "Ah, well now I hope you're in Gryffindor with me. These lot'll all be bunking together and I'll be all alone." She said, pretending to faint onto Remus, who laughed at her antics along with Lily, James and Sirius. Snape sent her another dirty look at that comment and spoke for perhaps the first time.

"What did you say your name was again?" He asked coldly.

"Hermione Granger. A pleasure to make your acquaintance." She said, a voice just as cold as his was. She could hear her boys silently laughing at her sudden change in demeanour.

"Granger. Not a wizarding name, is it? You're a halfblood like Lily and I?" He asked.

"No, both of my parents are muggles. They're dentists. They're like healers for your teeth." She said to James and Sirius, who both looked confused.

"A muggleborn? You don't get many of them these days." All three boys stopped watching the conversation and moved closer to Hermione, as if to protect her. Lily looked shocked and furrowed her eyebrows at him.

"Something wrong with that, Snape?" She asked nonchalantly, though her eyes were flashing dangerously.

"I just find it funny that a Black is consorting with someone who, in his eyes, has such low birth status." Her eyes flickered to Sirius, an almost hurt look in her eyes, until she turned back to Snape.

"I'm not surprised you can't keep your nose out of other people's business when you have one as large as that." James guffawed behind her and she narrowed her eyes further at Snape, a hand resting on the wand in her pocket. "Say one word about my parents, my blood or my 'low birth status' again and I'll make sure you never speak again."

"I'd watch your back, Granger. Some people won't have your best interests at heart." Said Snape, a cold sneer on his face.

"Is that a threat, Snape?"

"Merely an observation." He said, turning his back and grabbing Lily's hand, pulling her out of the carriage and beginning to walk away.

"Yeah, you know what I'm observing, Snape? You're a huge git." She shouted down the corridor to Snape and Lily's retreating figures. She slammed the door behind her and sat down in one of the seats, silently fuming.

"Hermione, you know I don't believe what my family —" Began Sirius, a worried look on his face.

"You know, Sirius, if you really hated muggleborns, you'd have left by now. It's fine." She said, a small smile on her face as she saw the relief wash over all of the boys faces.

"Bloody hell, Granger, you really aren't stuck up." Said James, now beginning to laugh, which they all eventually joined in on.

"Speaking of, Jamie, you owe me a galleon." He tossed one over and she caught it, kissing the coin. "I'll frame this. The first of many times I've ever beaten the almighty James Potter in a bet."

"First and only time you'll ever beat me."

"Alright, whoever wins more bets by the end of the year gets —"

"Bloody hell, will you two be like this all year?" Asked Remus, massaging his head.

"I'd bet on it, Remus." Said Sirius, which made all four of them descend into laughter.

And just like that, the Marauders were formed.

—

"The start of term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room.

'The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.

'The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." She said, giving a pointed look to James and Sirius, who had managed to smear chocolate all over each other during an impromptu fight on the train.

"Are you okay, 'Mione?" Asked Sirius quietly after McGonagall had left. She jumped at the sound of his voice, but nodded nonetheless.

"I'm just tired. Are you okay?" She saw him chew his lip slightly before nodding, although his eyes looked a little downcast. She decided changing the topic would be her best chance at distracting him before the sorting ceremony. "How did you and Jamie meet? You two seemed thick as thieves."

"We're cousins. Although we'd never met before. Maybe being best friends is in our blood." She laughed, but his words were playing on her head.

Maybe it's in our blood.

"Follow me." Said McGonagall sharply. Sirius grabbed Hermione as James grabbed Remus and they walked into the hall. Her eyes kept straying to the ceiling, which was like a galaxy, smothered with stars.

There was an old hat sat on the chair, but Hermione didn't feel herself looking at it in surprise. Not even when the brim of the hat opened and it began to sing.

"So you want to know where you belong,

Well I can tell you that,

To find your house for future years

Just wear the Sorting Hat

You may belong in Gryffindor

Where dwell the brave and daring

Their loyalty and chivalry

Are traits they find worth sharing

Or perhaps in Ravenclaw

Where knowledge is their yearning

Wit and creativity

Is their true path for learning

Or maybe being Hufflepuff

Is best suited to your toils

Their dedication and compassion

Shall bring many spoils

Or finally in Slytherin

Could be where you are placed

Their cunning and ambition

Shall vanquish dangers they may face

But whatever house you're placed in,

No matter your role there

Don't allow old rivalries

To bring pain and despair

There may be evil rising,

And there may be hatred brewing

But falling apart instead of working together

Shall be your undoing

So put me on! Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

There were cheers and shouts among the younger students, but the older students and the teachers seemed to be sharing worried glances. It seemed that messages like that weren't often given out, especially not by the Sorting Hat. Hermione looked to her friends and saw Remus and James laughing, but Sirius seemed distracted with the floor.

"Abbot, Darcy." Said McGonagall. The hat was placed onto the girl's head and it immediately shouted out 'HUFFLEPUFF!' A few more people went up and she could feel Sirius get tenser and tenser beside her.

"You aren't your family, Sirius. And even if you get put in Slytherin, you aren't evil. And you won't be getting rid of me that easily." He reached for her hand after she finished talking and squeezed it.

"Thanks, 'Mione." He whispered back. "And if you get tossed in the snake pit, you won't get rid of me either." She smiled affectionately and he took a deep breath, as if trying to calm himself.

"Black, Sirius." Whispers immediately broke out within the hall, mainly from the Slytherin table, who were looking excited to gain another Black.

"You aren't your family." She whispered again in his ear, squeezing his hand gently. He gave her a winning smile and sauntered up to the stool, smiling confidently at her. The hat, unlike with the others, sat on his head for a couple of minutes. Sirius looked more and more relaxed as time went on until suddenly the hat shouted out 'GRYFFINDOR!' Everyone was suspended in silence for a few moments until she, James and Remus started clapping and whistling loudly. The other Gryffindors soon caught on and Sirius winked at Hermione as he swaggered past, who smiled widely at him.

"Evans, Lily." James seemed to perk up at the mention of her name and she flounced up, red hair billowing around her. Hermione subconsciously checked her skirt length, as Lily's looked a lot longer than hers, but watched as the hat got placed on her head. After a couple more minutes, the hat shouted 'GRYFFINDOR', which made both James and Hermione very happy, though for very different reasons. After a few more people, Hermione knew she was next.

"Granger, Hermione." She walked up, placing the hat onto her head gently.

"Hello, Miss Granger." Crooned the hat into her ear, "Such a pretty mind. I've not seen one like this in a long time. Greater than Riddle himself. Perhaps even rivalling Dumbledore's. A lot of answers hidden in here, waiting for the right moment to reveal themselves. You have a great destiny." The hat seemed to chuckle and she tried to remove the inquisitive expression from her face. "Now, where to put you? Heart of a Gryffindor, mind of a Ravenclaw, ambition of a Slytherin and compassion of a Hufflepuff. I've not seen a mind like this in a long time."

'So it's my choice?' She thought. The hat chuckled.

"You'd fit in well anywhere. You're suited to any house. So, yes, you choose." She looked up and saw Sirius grinning at her and making a big show of crossing his fingers. Her eyes flickered over to James and Remus, who she knew would be getting into Gryffindor too, no doubt about it. They were whispering to each other, smiling and laughing.

'Gryffindor.' The hat chuckled again.

"Are you sure? You'd do well in Slytherin. Perhaps Ravenclaw is a better choice."

'I'm positive. 100%. I want to be in Gryffindor.' The old hat chuckled into her ear again.

"I knew you'd choose Gryffindor. When it happens, come and speak to me again. It does get boring during the year." She nodded very slightly and the hat looked up, stopped whispering in her ears. "Well, better be GRYFFINDOR!" There were avid cheers from the Gryffindor table as she took off the Sorting Hat. She turned around to put the hat on the stool and saw Dumbledore raise his glass and wink at her. She smiled back before walking past James and Remus, grinning at their cheering faces as she made her way towards Sirius, who was whistling really loudly.

"Bloody hell, Granger, that was nearly ten minutes." Said Sirius, still laughing.

"What can I say, Black, I'm a complex girl." He snorted and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"I'm glad you're here." He whispered in her ear.

"I'm glad you're here too. Anyway, we're halfway there now. Two down, two to go." They looked at Remus and James and grinned at them.

"Lupin, Remus." Announced McGonagall after a few names. She and Sirius had a competition of crossing more fingers for Remus to get into Gryffindor (Sirius won because he managed to cross his index finger, middle finger and ring finger in one). She saw Remus smile a few times, but looked worried the rest of the time, until he muttered something that was indistinguishable. The hat seemed to straighten up and shout 'GRYFFINDOR', which Remus seemed immensely proud about. He patted James on the shoulder lightly as he sat down on the other side of Hermione, who instantly pulled him into a tight hug. He seemed shocked, but hugged her back anyway.

"Pettigrew, Peter." Also became a Gryffindor and offered Hermione a timid smile as she congratulated him on getting in. He was a small boy, fairly attractive, but nothing to write home about. He seemed a little mousy and a little scared, but still he had managed to get into Gryffindor, so Hermione was kind to him.

"Potter, James." Was the next name. James swaggered up, winking to McGonagall and placed the hat on his head. It had barely touched one of his hairs before it announced he was in 'GRYFFINDOR'. Lily groaned slightly, but Sirius, who had spent the last few cheers working out how to wolf-whistle, managed to execute it this time. James swaggered over and sat beside Sirius, opposite Hermione. He grinned at her and she grinned back.

"Snape, Severus." Was shouted and the hat had barely touched his greasy hair before it shouted 'SLYTHERIN'. He gave Lily an almost repentant look and walked over to the house of cheering snakes.

As Zabini, Kyle was finally sorted into Ravenclaw, Dumbledore stood up, a kind smile on his face.

"Well, welcome back to another glorious year at Hogwarts. May I take some time to go over the items banned by Mister Filch, our caretaker." What seemed like hours later he finished and looked at the four of them sat together on the Gryffindor table. "Now, may I remind some of our… newer students and older, of course, that the Forbidden Forest is strictly off-limits to students." He looked to the rest of the hall and smiled. "Now, we have a new DADA professor this year, Mister Prewett." He gestured to his side and a boy with messy red hair that really reminded Hermione of someone she couldn't put her finger on stood up and waved. "Let me remind you to have fun, to learn as much as you can and leave you with these words. Salmon, carjack, efficacy and emotions. Let the feast begin."

Food materialised on the plates before them and she scoffed at James and Sirius, who already had food loaded onto their plates. Lily was making conversation with some of the other girls a bit further down the table, which left Hermione with the three boys. They were just laughing about James's eating habits when a head popped up out of the table, making Peter next to her choke on his bit of chicken. She patted him on the back gently and looked up to the transparent figure before her.

"Hullo. I'm Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, Gryffindor house ghost." He said, giving a polite bow to Hermione. She curtsied back slightly, which made the other boys laugh, when James clicked his fingers.

"Of course! You're Nearly Headless Nick!" He exclaimed. The ghost sighed and seemed to sag down slightly muttering something along the lines of 'one year, can someone not mention that for one year'.

"Nearly headless? How can you be nearly headless?" Asked Peter loudly, the first real words she had heard him say. He sighed, grabbing his left ear and pulling it sharply. His head fell completely to one side, held on only by a little sinew. Peter looked like he was going to be sick and Hermione tried to stop Sirius and James from getting a better look by standing on the benches.

"Anyway, I hope you earn us lots of points for Gryffindor. Slytherin have been ahead of us for a while. The Bloody Baron's been rubbing it in for ages now. Goodbye and have a lovely first night."

"Goodbye, Sir Nicholas. I hope you have a lovely night too." The ghost grinned back at her as he began to float away to the rest of the first year girls.

"Are you gonna make friends with everyone you meet?" Asked Sirius exasperatedly, although the fondness was evident in his tone.

"More people to testify your innocence or to work with you if you want to cause trouble." She said, taking a sip of pumpkin juice, which made Remus laugh. The four fell back into easy conversation, with Peter looking like he wanted to join in but was too afraid, so he ended up talking to some second years.

"First year Gryffindors with me, please." Said a prefect loudly. She grabbed Remus and followed him out, James and Sirius trailing behind them. She was looking at the portraits, who waved at her as she walked past them, when they came to a sudden halt. "This is the portrait of the Fat Lady. Now, you give her the password and she lets you in to the Gryffindor common room. Do try to keep this a secret or Slytherin'll fill it with Dungbombs again. It didn't stop smelling for two months. Anyway, the password is 'Bowtruckles'. The portrait swung open and the small group wandered in.

Hermione couldn't help feeling very much at home in the red and gold mess, with the roaring fireplace in the background. She smiled very slightly.

"Boys are on the right, girls on the left. Trunks'll be in there. You have to be in your dorms by ten tonight and it's nine-thirty now. Have a nice night." Shouted the prefect, disappearing back out of the portrait hole. The four of them claimed some seats right next to the fire and Hermione sighed as the heat wrapped around her.

"You okay, Hermione?" Asked Remus softly.

"I'm good." She lied, which she knew he detected.

"Tell me." He whispered gently.

"It was just something the hat said to me. I'm trying to work out what it meant." She said lowly, glancing to where Sirius and James were bugging Lily Evans.

"You can trust me, 'Mione." She looked up into his amber eyes and sighed.

"He said I have a lot of answers hidden in my head. That I have a great destiny. What the hell did he mean?" Remus gave her a one-armed hug.

"Well I don't doubt it for a minute. You're bloody amazing, so it's only natural that you'd have a great destiny. And it's not necessarily a bad thing. Your destiny could be like, I don't know, finding a cure for some disease." She smiled fondly and leaned into him more.

"Thank you, Remus." She missed the ecstatic look on his face as she leaned into him, obviously shocked at her blind trust and appreciation of him. They were quickly interrupted by James and Sirius's arrival.

"You'll never guess what James did, 'Mione." Said Sirius, eyes bright with child-like amusement.

"Do I want to know?" James's ears were flushed and Sirius was on the verge of cackling.

"Definitely. He asked out Evans." Remus groaned but Hermione grinned.

"And she said?"

"That he was an arrogant toe-rag." Hermione snorted, which made Sirius burst back into laughter. James looked like he was about to storm away, but she stood up and tried to wrap her arm around his shoulder, which was hard because she was so short and he was already much taller than her. Sirius continued giggling to himself and she sighed.

"Don't worry, Jamie. She'll come around. And if she doesn't, I'm sure you'll find some other pretty girl to sweep you off your feet. Like Sirius." She murmured the last part so that only James heard and he fell onto the couch in laughter. Sirius grinned up at her from where he was sitting on another couch and she fell onto it beside him.

"Well done. He'd have been moping around for ages." He whispered lowly in her ear. She smiled at him and the four of them fell back into conversation, laughing about what tomorrow would bring.

"You better not spend an hour on your hair tomorrow, Sirius, I want to get to breakfast relatively early." This made Sirius look affronted, making the others laugh.

"I'll forgive you for that, 'Mione, you're obviously delirious from exhaustion."

"Are you sure, Sirius?" Asked James, still laughing.

"Hermione, you coming up to bed?" Shouted Lily. She stood up, ruffling Sirius's hair, which made him scowl, as she grabbed her jacket from on the couch.

"Night, 'Mione." Said Sirius.

"Sleep tight." Said Remus, breathless from laughter.

"And don't let the Pygmy Puffs bite." Said James between giggles.

"Thanks for the warning. Night." She said, winking at the three of them as she linked arms with Lily and giggled as they walked up the stairs.

"She's gonna be the death of us." Said Remus with a smile on his face.

They didn't know that, in truth, it would be the exact opposite.