Hermione decided to bring Crookshanks with her, as he enjoyed Sirius and James's company immensely. As soon as Hermione and Peter entered the boy's compartment, everything went quiet.
"Oh it's just you Mina," Sirius said. "And Pete" he quickly added.
"We've decided that every trip on the train we all have to sit in this compartment at least for a bit" James said explaining. "Look Mione we've carved our names out behind the portrait."
He lifted up the frame of a Phoenix, and as he had said there were their names carved out with magic.
A hardly legible JP
A loopy SB
A presentable RL
An average PP
"Go on Mina do yours" Sirius prompted.
"That's vandalism!" Hermione exclaimed.
"They're aren't going to stop pestering Mione you might as well just do it" Remus said absentmindedly stroking Crookshanks in his lap.
Hermione sighed softly before pulling out her wand and making an extremely neat cursive HE underneath Peter.
"Happy?" She asked rolling her eyes.
"Joyous" James quipped.
Hermione sat next to Remus, and they began to chat about the Muggle book of fairytales she'd leant him.
"You'd think Snow should be more paranoid if a manic woman is trying to kill her. Or at least less naive!" he rolled his eyes. "And why are all the women so passive?"
"My thoughts exactly Rem. But that's just how muggles wrote women back then. This is quite an old book" Hermione chuckled, trying to keep a lid on the feminist rant inside her.
Time went on, and soon Lily poked her head through the doors. "Mione where were you? The trains nearly at Kings!"
Hermione laughed "oh sorry Lils didn't realise the time. I was telling the boys some of the Muggle tales and they were telling me some of their wizarding ones"
"Ooooh" Lily sat next to Peter and a deep blush went across his cheeks. "What was the one I interrupted?"
"The Deathly Hallows" James said sharing a smug grin with the rest of the Marauders. They'd all gone on midnight trips under James's cloak many times .
"Oh the one with the three brothers! Arty told me of it a while ago. Have you told them Aladdin Mi?" Lily said excitedly.
"No, but I've done Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Jack and the Beanstalk" Hermione replied counting them off on her fingers.
"That beanstalk one is pure rubbish. Giants don't live in clouds" James started, but Remus interrupted the upcoming tangent.
"What're you doing for the holidays, Lily?" He asked politely
"Oh just staying home mostly. Might have Alice, Trix and Arty round though so we can avoid Petunia eh Mione?" Lily replied rolling her eyes pretending as if it didn't hurt her sister had been sending many letters telling them to stay away.
"Yeah" Hermione said staring into space.
James sensed the tension. "Well you're always welcome at mine Evans, Mione. Sirius is coming round for most of the break and Remus is joining us after New Years. Pete can't come though"
"Well thank you Potter but I'm sure we'll be fine" Lily said at the same time Hermione responded "Sure that'd be fun James "
"Well it seems you need to confer" James said with a shrug.
"Our address if you want to owl us" Hermione gave them each a piece of parchment. "C'mon Lils let's get the girls"
Once the girls got off the Hogwarts express, the five of them ran to where all their parents were clustered together.
Lily gave her parents a huge hug whereas Hermione settled for a kiss on the cheek. It was still weird for these people to be her parents, but she still missed them.
"Mum this is Alice, that's Artemis and over there's Beatrix. Or Allie, Trixie and Arty. Whichever you like" Hermione introduced them.
After several nice to meet yous, the Evans decided to get back home seeing as Petunia had opted to stay behind. But before they could leave, someone asked "Hey Mina ain't you gonna introduce us to your folks?"
"One would think she was ashamed of us wouldn't they Sirius"
The family turned round to see two grinning boys and two embarrassed ones.
Hermione laughed at them and playfully rolled her eyes. "Ah yes, Mum Dad these are my other set of best friends Sirius James Remus and Peter" she gestured to each of them.
Mr Evans raised his eyebrow, but Mrs Evans laughed daintily and shook each of their hands.
"James are you causing trouble?" an older version of Lily Luna Potter except for ebony hair joined the group.
"No mum I'm introducing myself to Mione's parents. Being polite you know" he winked.
"Oh Hermione! I've heard much about you from James's letters. I hear you've been keeping these mischief makers in check?"
"If not me then who Mrs Potter?" Hermione replied with a smile.
"Oh it's Euphemia dear. And you must be Lily. You two are such beauties and I've heard you're always top of the class. You must be so proud" Euphemia turned to the Evans's.
"Well as much as a parent can be I hope" Mr Evans replied, looking at his girls fondly.
"Of course! Well we must be of James, Sirius we'll see you in a few days and Remus in a week or two. Hermione, Lily you must come round I do love having guests..."
"It would be a pleasure Euphemia" Hermione said sharing a grin with James.
"Petunia your sisters are home!" Mr Evans called up the stairs. If he'd expected thundering footsteps on the floorboards and rib taking hugs, he'd be disappointed.
"Why?" Was the reply
"Well it's Christmas"
"Don't they have weird people traditions?"
"Petunia come downstairs and greet your sisters like a good sister!"
"Ugh!"
Petunia emerged into the living room and Hermione and Lily did a double take at her appearance. She'd cut bangs, pierced her ears, had her hair shoulder length and had grown a few inches.
"Lily. Hermione. Welcome home. Can I go now?" She asked rolling her eyes and looking anywhere but at her family.
"We thought we'd let you know that Hermione and Lily's friends are spending next week with us." Mr Evans announced.
Petunia's face turned a ghastly purple and she screamed, before leaving the room and slamming the front door of the house.
"C'mon Mione let's unpack" Lily said with tears welling in the corners of her eyes.
Hermione and Lily had grown into their own personalities a little more, and so they no longer dressed the same. Lily wore a plaid green and grey skirt with a soft grey jumper and a green necklace Hermione gave her a few years ago. Her hair was put up in an intricate pull of pins and clips on the top of her head and she had lipgloss on. Whereas Hermione had her favourite Sex Pistols T-shirt she cropped and ripped jeans on, letting her now wild curls (it seems with age her old hair was coming back) run free. She was wearing chunky boots and mascara, with a choker she found in a charity shop.
The twins had decided to take the trip to Diagon Alley on the day the girls were supposed to arrive, so they could all head back to the Evans residence together. They got on the knight bus, and soon enough they got to the Leaky Cauldron. As soon as they entered, Lily spotted Trixie at a table scrawling something down on a piece of parchment and handing it to a boy with jet black curls and caramel skin.
"Trix!" She shouted over the hubbub of the pub.
Trixie sat up straight and winked to the boy before sauntering over to her friends. "Beatrix in front of... company, girlies" she laughed before sitting on a stool.
"Company?" Lily asked incredulously. "We're 11!"
"Well I'm twelve. Big difference you see. So how do you like my hair?" She tossed her own curls, which were now highlighted with a light brown that really brought out her chocolate eyes.
"Beautiful, Trix. Where're Art and Allie?" Hermione asked.
"Bathroom. Come to think of it they've been in there quite a while..."
As if they'd been summoned, Artemis carried a sickly looking Alice into the room.
"What's wrong ?" Lily said scrambling off of the chair to Alice's aid.
"Don't try the Bertie Botts icecream roulette " was all she supplied.
Artemis flicked her hair onto the other side of her shoulder and together she and Lily steered Alice out of the Leaky Cauldron.