AN: ooop - totally forgot to mention it until now but i made a pinterst board with like who i picture as well as vibes for the fic in general - its called The Repeat and is by MSAO3 if any of y'all want to check it out - ty!

TW: Violence

November 1976

Remus looked terrible at breakfast. His skin having adopted a distinctly grey sheen that betrayed his efforts to look like he didn't wish he were still in bed. James didn't know why he had refused to go to the Hospital Wing. It wasn't as if they had classes, and for all he understood the desire to escape down to Hogsmeade, it was clear that was the last thing Remus should be doing.

Instead of spending the day resting under the doting attentions of Madam Pomfrey his friend was half asleep over his eggs, valiantly trying to deny quite how bad he felt. The day before the full moon though, there was little he could do to hide quite how much he was suffering.

Despite how unwell Remus was clearly feeling he had outright refused to go to the infirmary when James had suggested it. He was, therefore, relieved when Hermione appeared in the Great Hall as she was always better at reasoning with her brother than he was. Even if Moony insisted on being a stubborn arse, Hermione could usually get through to him.

"Remus, what on earth are you doing here? Why aren't you in the Hospital Wing?" As she questioned him, Hermione looked over the rest of the Marauders as if they should have known better than to let her brother drag himself anywhere when he was looking this bad.

James supposed she was right; they did know better. Still, Remus had insisted and sometimes it was better not to smother him too much lest he begin to feel like a burden; something that only made his friend withdraw into himself.

"Hermione, I'm fine." Remus's voice cut off any further questioning, but his tone suggested differently.

"Oh really, you're fine?" Hermione sounded disbelieving, and James didn't blame her, nothing about Moony looked well, "And I suppose you have no plans of going to the infirmary today do you? Fancy a quick trip to Hogsmeade while you're at it?"

Remus growled at her questioning. Moony was always a little closer to the surface with the transformation this close. "Actually yes - I feel plenty well enough to go to the village."

The rest of the table broke out into protests at his statement, but once again, Hermione's voice broke through them.

"Remus, you must be joking. There's no way you're making it out today. I'm sorry you're missing the trip, but this is ridiculous. Do you want me to come to the Hospital Wing with you? I'm sure Kingsley would understand."

James saw remorse flash across Remus's face. He knew his friend hated how Hermione worried over him, even if he did the same over her. He would never want her to cancel something on his behalf, but James also knew he appreciated the offer all the same.

"No, Hermione. But I've got to go anyway. It's the Gryffindor prefect's turn to monitor the trip."

Suddenly the cause of Remus's behaviour became apparent. He hated admitting his lycanthropy prevented him from doing anything, but the tasks that came along with his position as prefect were particularly sensitive. James knew part of his friend questioned whether he should have received the badge, so it only made sense he would be in denial over his ability to do this particular duty.

"Oh, come on Moony, there's got to be someone who could cover for you. You can't actually be thinking about going like this are you?" For once it was Sirius who was the voice of reason, though Remus was already shaking his head.

"They all have plans already. Plus, they already had to cover for me twice this term, it's not fair to ask them to give up their Hogsmeade trip for me. I'll be fine. We just sit in the Three Broomsticks all afternoon anyway. I'll be as good there as I would be here."

Nobody looked convinced. They all knew it was a lie, the pub was always loud and busy in a way that would only irritate Remus's moon-heightened senses, but he also seemed to be daring them to contradict him.

Hermione was already shaking her head, unintimidated "Remus there must be another option, surely someone could cover for you. I can tell how bad you feel just by looking at you."

"There isn't. All the other prefects are busy."

Suddenly James had a burst of inspiration, "Well, the prefects may be busy, but I'm not."

"No, but you're not a Prefect either."

"Of course not," he laughed, "but I am Quidditch Captain."

Remus still didn't look convinced, but Hermione's face was slowly brightening as she was reassured her brother wouldn't be forced down to the village, so James continued, "Look, you'll be with Evans, right?"

Remus nodded

"Well, she doesn't actively hate me anymore and taking one look at you should be enough to convince her she doesn't want to risk catching whatever you have."

"Nice Prongs, thanks."

James laughed at his friend before finishing his plan ", and then Hermione can work her magic on Shacklebolt, and it'll all work out great."

The rest of the Marauders had stayed quiet through his explanation but were all nodding in agreement, save for Remus who looked reluctant to admit defeat.

"It could work. Plus, Prongs gets to spend the whole afternoon mooning over Evans with good reason" Sirius replied snickering at his choice of words before he smirked and turned to Hermione, "Well then Kitten, how confident are you in your ability to convince Shacklebolt?"

While his tone was teasing, James could tell there was more to his question. Something that confused him as he didn't know what Sirius could be referring to.

"Perfectly fine, thank you, Sirius," again Hermione's voice was sharp and told more than her answer suggested.

But none of the others reacted, leaving James to question if he was imagining things. The nickname was new though, Hermione usually protested at least a couple of times to any new monikers, but she voiced no objections to this one.

Eventually, Peter spoke up, "so Moony's staying here, right? And Prongs will be spending the afternoon with Evans? What about Sirius and I?"

At this, Sirius looked sheepish, "Uh, actually Wormtail, it'll just be you - I've got myself a date with Hestia Jones."

While who Sirius would be bestowing his attention on was news to James the fact Sirius had a date was hardly shocking. He was well known within the walls of Hogwarts for rarely being alone but always being single, despite many of the girls' best efforts. Hestia Jones was new. Though James secretly doubted it would last long after this Hogsmeade trip.

Even though he too was familiar with Sirius's reputation, Peter still looked surprised by the information, "Oh, okay."

James felt bad that he was going to be left alone, even if it was Remus that was being abandoned in the castle. "I'm sure you could come to Broomsticks with Evans and me," he tried.

"No - it's okay Prongs. Enjoy some time with Evans. I'll just grab some stuff and head back up to the castle to join Moony."

Despite his answer, James thought Peter looked angered by the change of plans. He quickly dismissed the thought as unfair though. Wormtail had said he would come back and keep Remus company after all.

To all of their surprise, Lily put up very little fight regarding James covering Remus's Prefect duties. Although to be fair, Remus did look as if a strong wind could blow him over so James couldn't exactly fault her for not wanting to spend the afternoon in close proximity to the boy.

Shacklebolt too, had taken little convincing after Hermione told him she was worried about her brother. So, even though his position as Quidditch Captain meant little in terms of authority off the pitch, the Heads still agreed to the switch. Meaning for once in his life, James was responsible for enforcing the rules rather than breaking them.

In reality, the prefects didn't have much to do during school trips to the village; responsible only for sitting in the Three Broomsticks in case of emergencies. It would have been a dull task were it not for the promise of spending a whole afternoon with Lily, so instead, James was greatly looking forward to it.

Scouting a table in the crowded pub, the pair shed their heavy outerwear, winter already holding the Highlands firmly in its grasp.

"Right then Evans, I'm going to get a butterbeer. Want anything?"

"Potter, you don't have to buy me anything, this is just because Remus is sick remember?" she sounded exasperated as she said it, clearly fearing a return to the old way of things.

"I know. I promised, didn't I? No asking you out, and I haven't. This is just payment for putting up with me this afternoon."

Lily reluctantly agreed with his explanation, but she was smiling slightly, "Well then, I guess, I'll have a hot chocolate. Thank you."

Nodding sharply, James abandoned her at the table to hunt down Madame Rosemerta. Finally returning with their drinks, he found he didn't know what to say. He had imagined this scenario so many times over the past year. Finally getting to share a table in the pub with her, both of them huddled tightly around a table.

The reality was different, though. It was not a date, and she was only really there because she had to be, but things were going better this term. The two of them worked well together in potions, and without his weekly displays of affection, he found they got along far better than expected - even if they still had the occasional petty argument.

Still, seeing Lily sitting there waiting for him, words almost left him. "So, tell me. How does this go? As usual, you're the expert here, Evans."

"Honestly, we usually just sit here waiting for something to happen. Sometimes a third year will make themselves sick off Honeydukes, but that's about as exciting as it gets."

"Sounds thrilling. Um, thanks again for agreeing to let me cover for Remus, I honestly didn't think he'd make it through breakfast."

"Don't worry about it, Potter. He looked like he could use the rest. Plus, I thought Hermione might actually hex me if I disagreed." He chuckled at that, it was true. Hermione had been somewhat forceful regarding the switch.

"Yeah, they can be quite protective over each other. Though, I am at least 80% certain she wouldn't have gone through with it."

Lily laughed at his reply, and James felt something flutter in his chest that she was comfortable enough to laugh at his jokes now, even if she did still insist on calling him Potter.

As he was contemplating their relationship, though, they were both distracted by the sounds of explosions ringing through the village.

Hermione had worried Kingsley finding her and Sirius in the abandoned classroom would ruin their date. She wasn't sure how she would have felt about coming across a similar scene, but he took it remarkably well and didn't mention it beyond telling her the beauty sleep had paid off.

Instead, they skipped lunch and spent the time touring the shops, passing a large portion of the afternoon in Tomes and Scrolls satisfying their more academic interests. It was something Hermione appreciated. That Kingsley too shared her intellectual enthusiasm. That he didn't undervalue her pursuits and instead questioned her on them, challenging her in new ways that she had grown to enjoy over the month since their last trip into the village.

Still, even as she enjoyed the afternoon with Kingsley, she couldn't stop her thoughts from drifting to her brother trapped up in the castle. Two moons in a row had fallen over the weekend, meaning they had only claimed Remus was sick since no one was in classes to notice his absence otherwise.

Those months meant he was alone more, though, without her there as a constant distraction. She still visited him as much as possible, but it wasn't the same. Madam Pomfrey would only let her or the other Marauders stay so long, which meant Remus had hours alone to stew on his more self-deprecating thoughts.

He was always more withdrawn around the moon. Some of it was the side effects; the sickness and pain that came with lycanthropy, but Hermione also knew he questioned himself every time the moon came around. Questioned whether he should be at Hogwarts; why he had been offered the chance to get an education when so many other lycanthropes were denied; whether he was becoming the danger he always feared he was.

She felt guilty about leaving him alone with his thoughts but also knew he would only grow more withdrawn if he thought she denied herself things for his sake so, instead she resolved to bring him something back from the village.

"Can we go to Honeydukes? I want to get Remus something."

Kingsley was already nodding when he replied, "Of course, worried about him?"

"Hmm, not really. I'm sure he's fine. Probably driving Madam Pomfrey mad actually. I just feel bad he won't be able to replenish his chocolate stash, he is quite serious about it."

Chuckling at her reply, he nodded again, "Ahh - to Honeydukes then."

The shop was crowded as ever when they entered. Third years who were still enthralled by the multitude of options filled the aisles along with older students all intent on hunting down their favourite snack. It would have been difficult to move, but Kingsley held her close and used his height advantage to navigate them quickly through the chaos.

She was collecting chocolate frogs for Remus when it happened. One moment she was debating how much chocolate it would take to make up the missed trip to her brother, and the next glass was shattering around her.

The screaming started immediately. Cries of pain and fear filled the air around her, but that wasn't what Hermione was focused on. Instead, she felt her surroundings fade away as she stared out onto the street, horrified.

There dressed all in black were the robes she recognised all too well from her other memories. She had never seen them before here, but the masks were distinctive, and Hermione knew they could be nothing else. Death Eaters.

With that thought, her mind snapped back into focus. Making eye contact with Kingsley, they both knew how bad this was. The village was filled with students, few of whom would be equipped to fight adult attackers, and there were even fewer Professors on duty to help.

Around her, she could see the older students were trying desperately to reassure the younger years, but they all knew there was little they could do. And the initial cries of surprise were growing increasingly louder with their distress.

"Get back to the castle!" Kingsley's voice roared over the noise as he adopted a stance that made him resemble his older self more than ever before.

He was looking back at her now, and she realised they both knew what they needed to do. There was only one entrance into the shop, one that the masked figures were rapidly approaching. They wouldn't be any safer on the open streets, but at least they wouldn't be trapped - especially as she didn't know what their attackers were planning.

Nodding to each other they advanced on the door. Neither of them was adequately trained, and despite the other memories experience, they did little to help her here. Here she was throwing playground hexes and stupefies at adults trained in the Dark Arts, and she had never felt more helpless.

Somehow, they made it out onto the street. The whole town was in chaos. The Death Eater's had apparated into the village and immediately started throwing bombardas in the directions of shops, trying to destroy as much of the picturesque scene as possible.

She had no time to contemplate what they wanted, focused only on holding up her shield charms while children ran in the direction of the castle. Behind her, she heard more screaming and suddenly felt white-hot flames burst into existence as the store they had just evacuated was set ablaze.

The sickly scent of burning sugar filled the air as flames enveloped the sweet shop, but it was soon drowned out by the thick black smoke emanating from the other stores that had been attacked.

She was surrounded by smoke, and flames, and the flashing of spells that were being fired off in all directions. She didn't know where the Professors were, or any of her other friends. She had even lost Kingsley in the madness of ensuring everyone was out of Honeydukes. Alone she could only throw protego after protego and pray.

In the distance, she caught a glimpse of James and Lily fighting side by side. The two of them working so naturally together you never would have known it was the first time they were casting hexes together rather than at each other.

She still could not see Pandora, or Sirius, or Kingsley but was thanking Merlin that Remus was safe in the castle. She was terrified, of course, but the idea of her brother being trapped in this when he was vulnerable was so much worse. She knew he was good at defence, better than her even, but so much of that depended on him not being too exhausted to fight and she dreaded to think what would have happened had he been there.

Most of the younger years had fled towards the gates of Hogwarts, but the older students were still trying valiantly to fight. It brought up images of the last battle Hermione had fought in, but she shoved them aside. There was no time for reminiscing on memories that weren't entirely hers. Not when she could still feel the heat radiating from Honeydukes and smell sulphur mixing into the thick smoke as people fired off stunning charms.

Instead, she focused on making her way towards James and Lily, hoping there truly was safety in numbers. For all she, and the rest of the students, were trying to fight though, the Death Eaters seemed more intent on destroying the village. At least until she heard a familiar cackling laugh and that chilling voice screech,

"Oh, this one's a mudblood! We've heard all about her."

For a moment, Hermione thought Bellatrix was referring to her and felt fear grip even tighter around her chest. But then she heard James shout out "LILY!" followed by a cry of pain.

Spinning in their direction, Hermione had the strangest moment of deja vu. The whole attack had felt reminiscent of the Battle of Hogwarts, but this moment was so stark she barely noticed as the robed figures disapparated.

Instead, she looked on in horror at the familiar image of Harry dead on the floor of the Great Hall, with a sobbing redhead leant over his body. She was taken back for a second but then had a sudden moment of realisation.

That was not Harry, and the snow beneath the body was rapidly turning red.