Hermione nestled herself in a far off region of the castle, a blank piece of parchment lying in front of her, her hand poised with an inked quill. Though this was a typical position to find her in, something seemed a little...off about Hermione. It was her eyes, brown eyes whirling with such a mixture of emotions as she gazed down at the parchment.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no" Hermione cried to herself as her eyes started to glow along with her mouth, and her body started to levitate slightly off the chair. "No!" but her cry went shrill at the end, like a bird song, as the white light poured out of her and she was flooded again with the misery of her past.

An hour later, Hermione shaking and pale faced, exited the room of requirement. Swiftly, she made her way through the candle lit hallways, her footsteps silenced with a spell and a disillusionment charm on herself in case someone else was roaming the halls. She'd also taken the precaution of putting an untraceable charm on herself so the marauders map wouldn't detect her late night endeavors.

Wordlessly, Hermione entered the Headmaster's office. It no longer came as a surprise to her to find the wizard always ready and expecting her with pastry treats and tea.

"Good evening to you Hermione. I daresay you have prepared for me another riveting riddle to unlock?" The headmaster asked redundantly as Hermione placed her parchment on his desk.

"Yes professor," she said before rubbing her throbbing temples. "I think you'll find this information tonight to be most useful."

When her words warranted no response, Hermione raised her gaze to her headmaster and was startled by the expression on his face. Forlorn with a mixture of grief.

"Headmaster?" Hermione asked uncertainly as Dumbledore held her gaze.

"I am sorry Hermione. It is just disheartening that the wizarding youth such as yourself hold such heavy burdens. I had only hoped when I took the headmaster's position that my students would not have to face the heavy exhaustion I just saw on your face. I wished that they would enjoy the feelings of youth while they roamed these halls before they faced the cruelty of the world..." Dumbledore replied with a face full of sincerity.

For a moment, Hermione was blown by the emotion Dumbledore was showing her. It was something she was most certainly not used to, and it made her feel a little uncomfortable, but then her compassion took hold her and she knew she couldn't leave Dumbledore with a feeling a failure.

"Headmaster, your students now, in this timeline, don't wear the faces of exhaustion and it is my sole purpose to ensure that they never will. It is the only reason why I am here and I know that together we will change the future for the better." Hermione replied as Dumbledore's blue eyes turned faintly glassy. Looking away, Hermione allowed Dumbledore his moment.

"Thank you." He said as Hermione smiled and turned back to look into twinkling blue eyes. "You are truly a kind girl." he said making Hermione puff with the praise before a small sliver of guilt trickled through her.

"Professor, I'm afraid that the vision isn't the only reason I came here tonight." Hermione said grimly as Dumbledore sat straighter in his chair and peered at her over his half moon glasses.

"Oh?" he started curiously as Hermione looked away and bit her lip "And what is this news?"

"In my vision, I saw one of the seven Riddle's and it was here, in Hogwarts castle in the Room of Requirement." Hermione started knowing Dumbledore knew full well what one of the seven Riddle's meant from his serious almost vehement expression. "So I went, of course, to see if it was truly there and received quite a shock when it wasn't," Hermione said, clasping her hands in front of her to stop their shaking.

"What could that mean Headmaster? It wasn't there! I scoured all over the place and went through everything I could touch and it wasn't there! Does it then mean that all the others aren't where they're supposed to be either?" feeling her panic rise, Dumbledore quickly stood up and went over to lay a hand on Hermione's shoulder as she shook like a leaf.

"Hermione-" Dumbledore started only to be caught off as Hermione stood and started pacing around his office with frantic eyes.

"You don't understand professor... If it's not there then that could only mean that everything has changed! It means that all my knowledge of the future and my being here is for naught because nothing is the way it was before I went back in time! What if they aren't even what they were in the future? Or what if his plans have changed and he hasn't made them but is doing something else entirely? What if-"

"Hermione," Dumbledore spoke but this time in a voice that was entirely different than before. It made Hermione freeze entirely and commanded her attention. "I believe that your distraught is the only thing for naught. I have it on good authority that your being here is not a downfall but a matter of fate even if it has changed the future that you come from. I am sure just as you said earlier that it will be you and I together that will keep Voldemort from rising any further. If the seven Riddles prove to be nothing than you and I will find out what other games he plays this time." he said with such conviction it stunned Hermione.

With a shaky breath, Hermione sat back down and tried to quell her stretched tight nerves.

"You're right... I-I have to learn to not lose my head so much...It's just I thought that we finally had the upper hand-"

"We might still, Hermione. Your information has not proven false or true just yet, there are still arrangements that need to be made and luckily time is on our side."

"But I need to know now Professor! I should infiltrate-" Hermione started, raising her head to gaze at Dumbledore who immediately shut her down with his piercing gaze.

"I will not have you do that just yet, Hermione. You are not yet prepared and I'm afraid I am not even ready for you to do that quite yet. The order needs a stronger foundation to assemble. I will also need extensive information before we even dare set a toe into those ranks." he said in a tone that left absolutely no room for argument.

"But I will infiltrate, right?" Hermione said, eyeing the wizard with a probing observant gaze, and taking in his reluctant and protective air. "You know it can only be me! I am the only one who can go in and put an end to everything! I'm the only one who knows what to look for and you can't tell anyone else or that will definitely screw everything up! I need to do this Dumbledore!" she said relentlessly, not liking the indecipherable look in Dumbledore's eyes.

"I assure you that I am aware, Hermione." Dumbledore said in a way that was meant to put the subject at rest.

At least for now.

Hermione's body felt heavy as she blinked her sleeping eyes in the light of day. She wondered why she felt like a million pounds before she remembered the previous night in Dumbledore's office where she revealed the disturbing news of the missing horocrux. She had no doubts that despite Dumbledore assuring words that the diadem not being in the Room of Requirement meant that all was to hell in that respect.

Through her panic, however, she knew what she would do. If at first you don't succeed... then try and try again. There was no time for thoughts of failure, her current and future friends relied on her pulling herself together. She had a backup plan, no matter how dangerous it was.

She will just have to infiltrate Voldemort's ranks and she will use her brilliance to find the new horocrux's and then she could finally take him down, because she knew that no matter what, Riddle had still had to have made horocurx's. Her appearance in the past might have changed some things that she thought were definite but it would not have changed that, it was just a matter of finding out what and where they were.

She couldn't care less if Dumbledore agreed with her or not, though it helped when he had. When it came to protecting her friends anyone who stood in her way, the minister, the teachers and even Dumbledore could all just snuff it.

Hermione sighed and moved to get up from her bed... but her body didn't even budge a millimeter.

"What?" Hermione mumbled as she pulled and pulled, her head a confused jumble as she went cross eyed trying to see what was restraining her to her bed; a futile effort.

Panicking, Hermione struggled even fiercer to get up to no avail, managing to only make strange little huffing sounds as she exerted herself.

"Lily!" Hermione hissed in hopes to catch the attention of her redheaded friend through their bed curtains. "Lily! Lily! Help me!" she called as she could hear her friend's confused, sleep ridden mumbles.

Moaning, Hermione struggled again before sucking in a deep breath.

"LILY GET UP!" She hollered, successfully startling all her dorm mates into wakefulness.

"Huh, Hermione? Are you- what the..." Lily's drowsy voice started before turning sharp with surprise.

"What in the world?" Maggie, their other roommate, cried over her friend Emma's "Huh? Huh? Huh? What is going on?"

"Hermione, I'm stuck to my bed!" Lily cried as Hermione gasped.

"Me too! How in the world did this happen?" she asked over the loud panic shrieking of their other two roommates that woke up their third roommate, Abby.

"Okay, I'm going to try not to panic." Lily said with a shaking voice as she took a breath so loud it was audible to Hermione.

"It's okay Lily, I think I can undo this..." Hermione responded as her rational nature took over. Taking a breath, Hermione focused her mind on her wand, its color, design and the weight of it in her hands and thought Accio! in her mind.

Not a heartbeat later she could hear the rustling of the bed curtain, and then the smooth wood of her wand was in her hand.

She knew it was a sticking charm so she tried the counter curse, and was terribly disappointed.

"Lily, I don't know why but the counter curse to the sticking charm isn't working!" Hermione cried; a loud moan was Lily's response.

"What the bleeding hell!" her spit-fire friend retorted angrily. "I just don't get how this is happening!"

"I don't kn-" Hermione started to say before a loud boom cut her off making Maggie and Emma scream with the sound.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Lily cried as Hermione strained her hand to peek her wand through the curtains.

The next second the door to their room opened, much to Hermione's horror. Fear made her breath come in shallow gasps but she mentally prepared herself for a fight, thinking of spell, but it was all for naught when the next second an unexpected voice spoke.

"It worked! I can't believe it worked!"

"James?!" Hermione called with relief.

"POTTER?" Lily hollered.

"Er, Hi Lily! Oof!" James nervous till was cut off as the sound of him hitting the floor reached Hermione's ears.

"Oh sorry James." Sirius's voice said sounding anything but sorry.

"Bloody hell Sirius!"

"Sirius?" Hermione called in confusion.

"BLACK!" Lily cried with rage.

"Hey there Lily flower!" Sirius responded merrily as a scuffle sounded with Sirius mumbling 'I said I was sorry mate!' to an irate sounding James.

"GET OUT!" Lily screamed instantly making the two boys stop whatever they were doing. "GET THE BLOODY HELL OUT OF MY ROOM!"

"But Lily!-"

"DON'T SAY ANOTHER WORD POTTER!" Lily screamed and Hermione could imagine his flinch.

"Now Lily, there's no need-"

"SHUT UP AND GET OUT AND GET US SOME HELP YOU BLOODY USE-"

"Actually Lily luv, we're your help..."

"-LESS!...Wait, what?"

"Yeah, we heard you ladies screaming and decided to help you since everybody else is already in the Great Hall for breakfast."

Hermione chose this moment to intervene before Lily started yelling again.

"Well, there is just one problem. We're stuck to the bed and I have no idea how because it's obviously not a sticking charm since I tried the counter curse. It's gotta be something else that somehow is making us stick to our beds like possibly a sticking substance-" Hermione started, her rambling musings

"Hermione, you think too much." Sirius said as he grandly shoved her curtains aside and smiled down at her with a self-satisfied beaming grin.

Hermione cringed on the inside as her face flamed with the heat of her embarrassment. She knew she was definitely not a sight for sore eyes in her mussed up state. Her hair was a bushy mess all around her and her hands thrown over her head in her sleep, her legs all tangled. It was far from a delicate sleeping pose.

She could barely hear Lily screaming her head off at James from the bed beside hers as Sirius's gaze ran over her. Her heart pounded furiously in her chest, making her chest rise and fall rapidly as he simply smirked from above her.

"I now declare this my favorite spot in Hogwarts, seeing you here like this is way better than sneaking down to the kitchens." he said with a cat caught the canary grin that made her heart try to escape from her chest.

"Sirius-"

"You really sleep quite interesting Buttons, like you're trying to do a pirouette." Sirius said, cocking his head to the side as he examined her, making his black hair fall into his eyes.

"Sirius! Stop messing around!" Hermione cried with anger and embarrassment. "I need to get to class some time today! You have no idea the amount of work I will have to-"

"Oh pipe it down Buttons. I'm only playing with you. Though, if you'd like we can both just say to hell with class today and stay right here in this bed mak-"

"Sirius Black! You're like what? Fourteen! Don't say things like that or I'll hex you!" Hermione cried mortified as Sirius threw back his head and laughed his barking laugh.

"You know, you're fourteen too, and last I checked you're the one trapped to the bed, I was just offering friendly company-" Sirius started as Hermione glared at him.

"Oh what a feisty look you got there Buttons...are you sure you wanna be giving glares like that when you're in such a position?"

"Are you sure you wanna go making threats when there's a lion at your back?" Hermione retorted hotly as Sirius gave her an amused confused face.

"Wha-"

"Let her up Sirius." Lily's deadly voice said as she trained her wand directly behind his head.

"Ah, blast! It's Lily! Why did that fool have to undo you first?" Sirius huffed as Lily glared at him with an evil smile.

"I think you have something else you should be worrying about, like my wand and all the horrifying spells I'm envisioning casting on you if you don't get Hermione out of that bed in five seconds." she hissed.

"Are you sure Lily, cause I'm thinking the three of us could have some fun-"

"Black, I wouldn't say another word if I were you. I'm furious enough as it is and I don't fancy going to Azkaban for murdering you before I at least get a full education." she retorted, pressing her wand to the back of his head as he gulped and hastily reached into his pocket.

"Right then. There you are. Your free Buttons. All is well when ends well... Or something like that, right Lily? So no murdering me alright!" Sirius said as he flicked his wand and mumbled something underneath his breath making Hermione free.

"I made no such promises Black. You and Potter have some explaining to do." she said with her wand still trained on Sirius as Hermione happily stood up from her bed, her wand still in her hand as she realized the conclusion Lily had drawn. Immediately she too trained her wand onto Sirius who gulped and took a step back, almost falling on Hermione's bed.

"Buttons? Et tu?" he asked dramatically as she rolled her eyes.

"Oh hush! Do you honestly believe that we would fall for your lies, Sirius? It's so obvious that you and James planned this especially since you guys talked about doing this very same thing in front of me only three days ago." Hermione said as Lily trained her wand on James who had just finished getting the rest of the girls in the dorm off the bed.

"Er..."

"What do you say Hermione? Should we hex their hair off? Oh! No! How about we douse them with honey and then set a whole bunch of Pixie's on them!"

"Oh You are just too cruel!" James cried as Sirius ran to James and cowered behind him with feigning sobs. Emma her head at their childish antics.

"Actually Lily, I have a perfect idea." Hermione said before turning sharply and flicking her wand at the horrified boys.

"Brilliant!" Lily cried as the two shot up into the air by their ankles.

"Buttons! Let us down!"

"Hermione! Please!"

Enjoying the malicious thrill of revenge, Hermione smirked in their direction and let lose a flock of canaries at them as they screamed.

"Oh wow!" Lily breathed at Hermione's impressive display of magic as she watched the birds attack the two as they cried and begged for help. Wide eyed, Lily turned to her with an awed look and a little bit of mischievousness. "Promise you'll teach me that."

"Of course!" Hermione responded as she ignored James and Sirius desperate apologetic cries and gathered her belongings to get ready for the day.

"That will teach you, Potter! Black!" Lily taunted making Hermione smile at her spit-fire frien. "Let's see if you ever try to pull a fast one on us again! And that is a total misuse of school brooms! You aren't supposed to go up the girls stair cases on them! Honestly, Potter, I thought you of all people would have more respect, but who am I kidding? James Potter have respect for anyone other than himself? Impossible! You no-good-tosser-"

Shutting the bathroom door on Lily's ranting, Hermione brushed her teeth and changed her clothes. A few seconds later she let down the red faced boys with Lily still lecturing them even as they hurried away from the room with their tails tucked between their legs.

Because of the marauders little prank, Hermione and Lily started the day without breakfast and late to class much to their chagrin. Besides this hiccup, the day passed relatively without any issues. The prank obviously had gained much attention and the marauders drank it all up even with the glares Lily shot at them. Of course, the marauder pranks were nothing new to the school, a more memorable one being when they pranked the entire Slytherin table to make animal sounds whenever they tried to speak.

However, for James and Sirius to prank Hermione and receive punishment for it had the two boys...subdued slightly around her. Sure, she had mildly punished them when they did their usual annoying pranks like when they took the time to vandalize all her books with various pictures or doodles that showed the four flying on the quidditch field or when they obnoxiously pulled the many pranks that involved her hair but this... sticking the girls onto their beds just so they could go into the girls dorms? It was rude, even for them.

Hermione shook her head at their audacity and then giggled as she remembered Sirius and Jame's faces as they hung from their ankles.

"What a self-satisfied smirk you got there, Hermione." Remus said playfully as he suddenly appeared next to her. Looking up at the rather tall skinny boy, Hermione couldn't help but smile.

"Just relishing in justice being served." Hermione responded as Remus nodded his head in understanding.

"Ah, yes! Heard all about that from Lily in Divination today. Wouldn't stop laughing at how red James face was. I do believe this is the second time you've done that to the pitiful chap." Remus said as Hermione huffed.

"Well if he wasn't such a prat..." Hermione trailed off with a shrug. "I can only ignore so much."

"Can't say I blame you... Merlin knows if he pulled half the things he does to your lot what I would do... Oh wait, actually he has done that to me..." Remus responded as Hermione smiled.

"I just can't understand why you put up with them Remus!" she said making a rather uncharacteristic smirk form on the wolf's face. It made Hermione's heart skip a beat at the mischievous glint in his eyes.

"I never said I was entirely innocent... I do like to get even in very creative ways." he responded as Hermione blushed slightly.

"I'll have to remember that Remus... and here I thought thinking you and Peter were innocents in all this!" Hermione said as Remus ducked his head down at her as his grin deepened.

"You should know better than to judge a book by its cover Hermione. I'm rather surprised myself at your rather creative way of extracting justice. I mean a flock of ravenous canaries...who would have thought!" Remus said with a laugh as he pushed open the Great Hall doors for her.

"It warrants a fast and efficient response, very gratifying." Hermione stated matter of factly making Remus laugh as they walked to the Gryffindor table. Enjoying the refreshed look on Remus's face, Hermione just smiled at him. She had been worried for the werewolf after the full moon but it seemed like he was alright, a little too skinny but alright. It relieved her.

"Oi! What's so funny over there!" Sirius cried from the table, earning a few curious looks from those sitting around them as Hermione plopped down at a seat diagonal to his and Remus took one next to her.

"Your ugly mug, you mangy mutt!" Remus retorted quickly as Sirius pouted and grabbed his heart dramatically.

"How could you Remus, all the times you whispered to me at night how beaut-" Sirius started as Remus threw a chicken leg at him, Hermione rolled her eyes, and the others around them chuckled at his antics.

"Eh! I've told you before Sirius to keep your fantasies to yourself! Especially when they're involving me!" Remus said as Sirius flipped him off.

"Screw you Moony! I'll remember this the next time you ask me to hold you under the romantic full moon sky-" But with a growl Remus launched a spoonful of mashed potatoes right into Sirius's face and hair.

"Go bald, Black!"

"Oi! That's a low blow, Moony! You know how I feel about my hair!" Sirius cried indignantly as he picked out the food in his hair and Remus laughed a rather evil cackle. His laugh was cut off however when Sirius launched some artichoke into his laughing mouth making the wolf choke and spit out the stuff with a disgusted look on his face. Sirius howled with laughter, that barking laugh filling the hall.

With rising apprehension, Hermione narrowed her eyes on the two boys.

"You two bet-" but her words were lost as Moony wiped out his wand still coughing up the food and levitated a whole bowl of sauteed carrots over Sirius's head.

"Oh no! Oh no! Okay, this needs to sto-" Hermione started before Sirius stood hazardously from his seat.

"Oh, it is on!" He cried picking up his half eaten plate and feigning throwing it at Remus before launching it at James on his opposite side. The chaser, not expecting a face full of half eaten chicken and potatoes choked and spluttered before immediately turning to grab the nearest object which happened to be a jug of grape juice and poured it over the undeserving Peter.

"FOOD FIGHT!" He screamed.

And havoc ensued marauder style.

Hermione, horrified, immediately threw up a shield charm to protect herself from the fray and scrambled out of harm's way, screaming at the stupid boys as all around them people started throwing food. Teachers started yelling and standing from their spots and Dumbledore just sat with that merry look on his face before with a laugh, he popped a lemon drop into his mouth, leaned back and watched the madness unfold.

The chaos lasted for maybe two minutes but it was enough. Most were standing and throwing food laughing with joy, while prissy girls like the M&M coward underneath the table and cried about getting gravy in their hair. Hermione and Lily were screaming at the marauders but unfortunately Lily hadn't thought of a shield charm so when Sirius squashed a handful of sweet potatoes into her face she was powerless to stop it... and of course, she then joined in for some reason targeting James instead.

But, as epically as a villain in a Disney film, Professor McGonagall flew in from her spot at the teacher's table and brought it all to a crashing halt.

"NOW THAT IS ENOUGH! ALL OF YOU WILL CEASE THIS MADNESS AT ONCE!" She bellowed with the help of a charm, making all the students and staff stop and hold their ears in pain with the loud shrillness of her voice. All except for Dumbledore of course, who just popped another lemon drop merrily into his mouth. "I WANT YOU ALL TO RETURN TO YOUR DORMITORIES AT ONCE! EXCEPT FOR YOU POTTER, LUPIN, PETER AND BLACK!" she hollered, completely red in the face as she aggressively pointed an impressive finger at them.

Without an ounce of pity for the four, Hermione left the Great Hall and headed straight to the dorms. She was more than relieved that she didn't have to wait in the long line to shower and was able to just work on her school work.

She couldn't help but recall during her studies the vindictive look on Lily's face as she launched great heaps of vegetables down James shirt, or Sirius's beaming face as he threw his head back in evil laughter completely covered in food as mayhem in the form of side dishes soared around him. Remus's dangerous smile was quite a joy to recall as well as he launched a slew of sliced turkey at a Slytherin, even Peter, all red faced from laughter was funny and then she recalled faintly the sour look on Severus's face as they exited the hall, green peas still caught in his black hair and promptly fell into giggles.

Such fond new memories. She couldn't help but secret gratitude to the marauders for at least making her laugh even when it had seemed just last night that she would never laugh again.

A/N: Okay, so I'm cutting it off here so I can give you guys another update! Sorry it's taken me a little longer than I expect to post! I did edit my last two chapters so it wasn't due to complete laziness!

I want to quickly thank you all who wished me luck on my exams! I think it actually did me well since I passed everything yay! I'm so relieved that the stress of that is over with! Can I get an amen for those you who feel me! lol

Let me know how you feel about the snippet of darkness I put in here... i'm sure you all have questions so don't be shy! I did manage to private message most of you for chapter twelve and some of you for thirteen in response to your reviews so please check to see if you got it!

I'd like to say a quick shout out to SINGASONGORTWO! You made me smile!

Thanks again for the reviews! I think that pretty much covers all I have to say! My goal as a special holiday treat to you guys is to post at least two more chapters within this month! I definitely wont let you guys go without at least one more I promise!