When they got up the next day, Hermione and Lily headed down to breakfast with their new dorm mates:
- Alice Fortescue (a thinly built girl with shoulder length mousy hair. Hermione had instantly recognised Neville's warm brown eyes looking at her nervously)
- Artemis Creevey ( a tall girl with long blonde hair and striking blue eyes who Hermione assumed was Colin's relation)
- Beatrix Wood ( a girl who greatly resembled the twins, except her hair was ebony and her skin was a slightly darker shade)
The five of them sat at the Gryffindor table, shovelling sausages and eggs onto their plates. All was peaceful until Sirius and James barrelled into the room with a tired Remus and a nervous Peter following them.
"Oi Mione!" Sirius yelled across the hall. Luckily it was still quite early, so they weren't disturbing too many people.
"Ugh they were being extremely horrid to Severus on the train I do hope they sit somewhere else" Lily whispered to Hermione.
"Don't judge on first meetings Lils" Hermione said with a smile and waved them over.
Sirius sat next to Hermione and Remus sat next to Lily. Lily blushed slightly but Remus seemed oblivious as he poured honey into his porridge.
Soon Lily's owl Athene soured into the great hall with everyone else's owls and dropped two envelopes into each of the twins laps. Hermione opened the first:
๐ท๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐,
๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข ๐๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐บ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐๐๐. ๐ป๐๐ค ๐ค๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ก ๐๐๐โ๐ก, ๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐ฃ๐?. ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ค ๐๐๐ก๐ข๐๐๐๐ โ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ข๐๐ก ๐ก๐๐๐ ๐ค๐๐กโ๐๐ข๐ก ๐ฆ๐๐ข, ๐๐ข๐ก โ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ก ๐ก๐๐๐. ๐ป๐๐ค ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฃ?
๐ฟ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ท๐๐
๐๐ ๐๐๐'๐ก ๐๐๐๐๐๐ก ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ค๐ ๐๐๐๐ค ๐ฆ๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐ ๐ก๐ ๐กโ๐๐๐ค ๐ฆ๐๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ ๐ค๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ฅ
Hermione then turned to open the other that she noticed had her older sister's writing on the front, dreading the response.
๐๐๐ง๐ข๐๐ค๐ฃ๐,
๐๐ช๐ข ๐๐ฃ๐จ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฌ๐ง๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ, ๐๐ช๐ฉ ๐ ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐ ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐๐ฎ ๐๐ข ๐๐ซ๐๐ฃ ๐ฌ๐ง๐๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐จ๐ช๐๐ ๐๐ง๐๐๐ ๐จ. ๐ ๐๐ค๐ฅ๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐๐ฃ๐๐ค๐ฎ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐ฉ๐๐ข๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ง๐, ๐จ๐ค ๐ข๐ช๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐ฌ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ค๐ข๐ ๐๐ค๐ข๐. ๐๐ค๐ง๐ข๐๐ก ๐ฅ๐๐ค๐ฅ๐ก๐ ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐ฃ๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ค๐ช๐ฃ๐ ๐จ๐ช๐๐ ๐ค๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐จ๐๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐จ ๐๐ฃ ๐ข๐ฎ ๐ค๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐๐ค๐ฃ. ๐ผ๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐๐ค ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ค๐ข๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ "๐๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ช๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐ฅ๐ง๐๐จ๐๐ฃ๐๐" ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ข๐ ๐ค๐ง ๐๐๐ง๐ฃ๐ค๐ฃ ๐ค๐ง ๐๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ค๐ง ๐๐ฃ๐ฎ ๐ค๐ ๐ข๐ฎ ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฃ๐๐จ. ๐๐ค๐ช๐ง๐ ๐ ๐๐๐จ๐๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐๐๐ข๐๐ก๐ฎ.
๐๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ฃ๐๐
Hermione swept the traitorous tear off her cheek and looked up at everyone else. Lily was being consoled by Alice and Remus looked extremely uncomfortable. James was happily munching on some bacon with Peter and Sirius looked like a ghost.
"Wanna swap? " Hermione said softly to him.
He passed the letter to her absentmindedly and took hers stiffly as though he was being controlled. Together they swept their eyes over the horrid words of their family. Hermione's heart broke for Sirius and only now truly understood what it would've been like for him to be stuck in Grimmauld Place in the now nonexistent future. Nonexistent? Or was it just the same but Harry had two aunts? Would he have parents? Would -
Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a clammy hand grasp her own and a wet grin appeared on her face. James and Peter had now noticed the sadness that had enveloped the group. James was trying to make Lily laugh by hexing a boys hair green, but she scrunched her face up at him and looked away with her nose in the air.
"Lils?" Hermione asked softly.
Her sister looked up at her, and Hermione's heart broke again looking at the pain in Lily's eyes.
"Let's get to lesson"
Artemis, Beatrix and Alice picked up their bags and they left the great hall with the twins, but not before Hermione dropped a note in Sirius's lap.
"Friends are the family you get to choose. We're your family now"
The day flew by, with Hermione and Lily excelling immediately in all their subjects. They finished so early they often just sat and chatted with their friends, and helped them through the tasks.
Over the term Hermione grew extremely close with the Marauders.
โข She proofed their pranks so that they weren't too dangerous:
"No James you cannot tip millions of marbles down the stairs!"
"But whyyyy Mione?" He pouted.
"Well because what if someone needs to use the hospital wing and it's overwhelmed by your marble victims? I suggest a cushioning charm though? That would be more safe"
Sirius snorted from his place hanging upside down on the sofa so his head was level with Hermione's. "C'mon Mi! That's just getting them down the stairs quicker! Boring"
"I agree with Mione" Remus said without removing his nose from his book.
"The nerds have spoken Sirius!" James said doing a mocking bow from his seat on the floor.
โข She sat with Sirius through his nightmares
Hermione awoke to a floating note just infront of her nose. It said Common Room on it in Sirius's loopy writing. She tiptoed down the stairs and saw him in his silky pajamas sitting infront of the fire, staring into it as if it was the bane of his existence.
"What was it this time Sirius?" Hermione asked plopping down next to him with the box of muggle sweets she always brought to these meetings. They cheered the both of them up.
"Was sorted into bloody Slytherin again. Then I was an adult and I" he stopped and his eyes welled up with tears. The brave Sirius Black never cried infront of anyone, but Hermione . And she felt utterly privileged.
"I betrayed James and Remus and Peter. I was locked in Azkaban and everyone in my family were proud. Proud" he whispered the last word.
Hermione felt the hair on her arms stand up. His dream was so close to the old future that she couldn't help but hug him. Tight. She felt Sirius stiffen at the contact and half expected him to push her off, but then he hugged her with the same enthusiasm. Or maybe the enthusiasm to fill the sad dreams with happiness, even if it was only a second. The rest of the night, the pair ate the remainder of the sweets and Hermione told him stories of camping on the woods for a year, flying on dragons, a chamber with basilisks inside...
โข She went through the homework with Peter when no one else would.
"C'mon Hermione I'm useless at this. Or just magic in general. Maybe I'm a squib" Peter said, dejected.
"No you aren't" she replied swiftly "now try again. Twist and flick!"
The feather flew feebly into the air before floating back down the 3 inches and onto the table.
"See. Could a squib do that ? No. Now practise I need to exchange some books I'm out of light reading material.
โขShe secretly brewed Wolfsbane for Remus
This had soon become one of the highlights of her month. Hermione had been brewing the dangerous potion for Remus for weeks perfecting it, before giving it to him. She would pour it into different coloured vials and put it in a box along with Honeydukes finest and some Muggle sweets too. Then she'd wrap it in tissue papers on top of a book from the library she thought he'd like. Remus never found out who gave them to him, but he was eternally grateful to his mysterious saviour.
โข She defended them to her friends
At lunch one day Lily was going off on a huge rant about the Marauders.
"Arty they pushed Sev into the lake! The lake!"
"It was a bit funny though Lils?" Artemis replied calmly.
"He was frozen! Do they not know it's November? And what has he ever done to them?Mi you don't know do you ?"
Hermione raised her eyebrow slightly. "Lily you've seen the people Sev hangs out with. Just recently Mulciber charmed Trixie to puke slugs. I'm not saying Sev's like that, but they think he is similar because he's always at the scene. They think what they do is justified"
Lily looked at Alice. "Well? What do you think of this?"
Lily had chucked Alice into the deep end, and she knew it, but she needed someone on her side. "I don't like Severus Lily. He creeps me out. But if he's so important to you then there must be some good in him. Even if he never shows it"
Alice looked at her nervously, but Lily was looking at Hermione with a certain hurt in her eye.
"These boys are horrid and you're not sticking up for you're best friend? You've known Sev for... for..."
"4 months give or take" Hermione supplied
"Exactly! And you've been friends with them for?"
"3 months give or take. I hardly see the difference of a few weeks, but I'm not saying they are correct, merely stating their side seeing as they aren't here" Hermione replied. She hated fighting with her twin, and the same for Lily, but they couldn't always agree on anything. And unfortunately Trixie, Arty and Allie were caught in the crossfire (though they secretly agreed with Hermione in this case).
โข She told them off after defending them
"The lake?!?" Hermione exploded into the boys dormitory.
"Jesus Mina we could've been getting dressed. He could've been naked!" Sirius said casually, using the nickname only he used.
Hermione waved a hand in dismissal to the comment, before continuing "The lake? What were you doing pushing my friend into the lake? Remus, I expect this this this irrationality from these three but you? Where were you?"
Remus had the decency to look guilty. "I helped him out..." he practically whispered.
"Why? What did he do to deserve it this time? Did he answer a question correctly in potions? Or did just simply exist?" Hermione said with pink cheeks.
"No actually Mione he was with Mulciber and Avery. They were picking on some Hufflepuff girls" James rolled his eyes, still mad at being accused of things he would usually do.
"Oh. Well I suggest you tell Lily that because she's helping him to Madam Pomfrey" Hermione said spinning on her heel and leaving the room.
"What's her problem?" Peter asked when the door slammed.
"She thought we were out of order and she called us up on it mate. We do need it sometimes..." James said slowly, as though he was trying to comprehend it himself.
But with getting close with the Marauders, maintaining strong friendships with the girls and the homework she'd already done, Hermione felt herself dreading going back home for Christmas. Petunia clearly didn't want them there, and she would miss Hogwarts terribly. But she boarded the train anyway and stepped into a warm compartment with Trixie, Allie, Arty and Lily.
They were playing a game of exploding snap and munching on their trolley treats, when Peter poked his head into the compartment. Although she often tried to avoid the boy, Hermione was growing fonder of him.
"The boys wanted to know if you could come to our compartment for a bit Mione" he squeaked. When Peter saw the girls raised eyebrows, he quickly added "and if you wanna come..." Peter was always sweaty and awkward around girls except Hermione and it was painfully obvious.
"No we've spent enough time with James and Sirius this term Peter" Lily said while she dealt out the cards again. "Though do ask Remus for his copy of To Kill A Mockingbird I lost mine Mione" she added as an afterthought.