A/N: I've just finished writing chapter 46, and I've only graduation left to write and then they're done with Hogwarts :O So only a couple years left to write, holy shit!

2nd June 1975
8am
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Gryffindor Tower

Hermione and Lily let the Marauders think they were safe, planning the revenge for their prank on Severus to a T and giving nothing away as the month passed.

The calm quiet of the Gryffindor common room was rent that morning by a loud, high-pitched scream coming from the boys' dormitories. The few students still in the common room and not yet at breakfast jolted and exchanged mildly horrified looks at the sound, though admittedly having both the Marauders and the Prewett twins in their House led to quite a lot of dramatic screams and terror along with laughter rather often.

The source of the screaming was revealed rather quickly when a bald and blue-skinned Sirius Black came running, shrieking, down the stairs. He was followed by an incredibly hairy James Potter, his normally unruly hair hanging to his knees, still just as messy, and flying out behind him as he ran after Sirius. He was also sporting unnaturally hairy arms and hands (and what was visible of his legs showed hair at least four inches long and still growing by the looks of it).

The students in the common room watched them rush past with wide eyes, unable to even laugh through their shock yet. Remus and Peter were not so hindered and were crying with laughter as they followed them out of the common room - presumably to the hospital wing - trying to get advice out past their hysterical laughter.

Lily and Hermione, yet to go down to breakfast, watched with satisfaction as the four left. "Job well done, I'd say." Lily said with a grin no one would expect to see on her normally kind face.

Hermione cackled, settling back into the sofa where the panicking Marauders hadn't even noticed them, "Four more mornings and I think they'll get the message, don't you?"

Lily joined her in her mirth, "I was thinking no eyebrows for them both tomorrow." She managed to get out past her laughter, waggling her own. Hermione grinned evilly, plotting out further misery for the boys who'd hexed their friend.

6th June 1975
10pm
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

"Oww, geroff!"

"Shhh!"

"Bend down, or our feet are gonna show!"

"All of you shut up. I hear Filch."

The Marauders all froze as one, eyes wide as the caretaker shuffled past them, keen eyes looking for trouble makers. The four boys were hunched over to try and fit under James' cloak, their feet peeking out if they moved too fast. After Filch had disappeared around the corner and started up the stairs to the Entrance Hall, the boys started shuffling further down their current corridor of choice.

"Wormtail, you should shift." James muttered. Peter nodded in agreement, and shifted down into his rat, scampering ahead of them down the rest of the stairs. They caught up with him quickly, and he shifted back whilst hidden in an alcove to the side of the large hallway.

For the last month they'd been mapping Hogwarts out, and Peter had suggested that for his birthday they should try and find the kitchens. They'd heard from the Prewett twins a year before that they were near the Hufflepuff dorms and in the basement. Their previous plans had been waylaid by the horrifying turn of events that the last week had been, though the pranks had stopped as soon as they started and the two were still none the wiser as to whom had actually hexed them five mornings in a row.

They'd been wandering around for what felt like hours through the basement trying to find the kitchens, when in reality it had not yet been an hour. They headed down one of the final corridors, pushing every odd looking brick along the walls, moving the suits of armour around, and fiddling with the portraits they passed - almost all of which were fruit portraits. Sirius felt kinda thankful for that as he'd hated how many portraits called them pervs as they tried to work out if there was some kind of secret passageway or room hidden behind them.

As Sirius, who was in the lead of their ragtag group, rounded the corner into another part of the hallway, he came to an abrupt stop. The rest of the Marauders bashed into him, not paying close enough attention. He frantically gestured for them to be quiet.

"What?" Remus whispered so quietly that no one without enhanced hearing would be able to hear. Sirius gestured ahead of them, and they all peered around him, surprised to see Hermione quietly meandering her way down the hall in front of them.

"Where's she going, you reckon?" Peter whispered, just as quiet.

"Let's find out." James had a wicked grin spreading on his face.

James pulled his cloak back out, and whilst Peter transformed again, the other three snuck below the cloak, and with quieting charms placed on their feet they crept down the hall as quick as possible to get closer to Hermione.

They got close just as she stopped in front of a seemingly random portrait of a bowl of fruit, and then glanced up and down the hall suspiciously. James held his breath as he watched her reach out and tickle the pear in the bowl. His eyes widened dramatically when the pear giggled, twitched, and suddenly turned into a door handle right in front of their eyes. He knew if he turned to look at his mates they'd look just as shocked as him.

Hermione grabbed the handle, turned it, and disappeared into the room that they caught a glimpse of before the door swung shut behind her. They all stood there in silence for a brief moment before James yanked the cloak off and turned open-mouthed to the other Marauders. "What the fuck?" He whisper-shouted, unable to articulate anything else.

"Was that the kitchens?" Remus whispered in awe, staring at the now-still bowl of fruit again.

"Fuck yeah!" Sirius exclaimed, his voice echoing loudly in the hall. The other three, Peter now human again, turned and stared at him in horror.

"Quieter, Pads!" James exclaimed back - quietly. Sirius winced, and shrugged awkwardly.

"I think that was the kitchens." Remus whispered, ignoring the argument between Sirius and James with the ease of someone experienced in ignoring bickering friends.

Peter nodded his agreement, staring at the fruit bowl, "Wonder if any of the other fruit do something." He whispered to Remus, both of them now ignoring the fight between their friends which had devolved into slapping each other quietly.

"Could try it out." Remus suggested with a shrug.

"What if that affects Hermione whilst she's in the kitchens though?"

"I wouldn't think it would, cause the house-elves are always in there, aren't they."

Peter nodded consideringly. "You try first." He offered, looking over the fruit, "Oranges are confusing."

At that sentence James and Sirius stopped slapping at each other and all three of the other Marauders turned and stared at Peter with identical befuddled expressions. Before Peter could explain himself the portrait started swinging open slowly.

"Shit!" James hissed, yanking Sirius and Remus towards himself and throwing the cloak back over them as Peter transformed. Thankfully Hermione was turned back into the kitchens, most likely conversing with a house-elf, so she didn't see or hear them as they slowly shuffled away.

Once out of the hallway, and the basement, the Marauders sped back up to the Seventh floor, not worrying about making noise so much anymore.

"That was fucking brilliant!" Sirius shouted when they reached the fat lady, turning quickly to provide the password to their frowning portrait. The four of them tumbled into the common room, laughing and crowing gleefully. Thankfully at this late hour the common room was empty so there was no one there to question them on where the hell they'd been.

"When are we going back?" James asked, dropping comfortably onto one of the sofas in front of the fire, dropping his cloak onto the seat beside him in a pile. The other Marauders took seats too, considering.

"We should go back soon." Remus said thoughtfully.

Sirius suddenly sat bolt upright, "I think I've got a plan!"

"For what?" Peter asked, sitting forward eagerly.

"A heist!"

13th June 1975
7pm
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Sixth-Floor Abandoned Classroom

The Marauders were all gathered around the in-progress Marauder's Map in a long abandoned classroom. The Map couldn't actually really show them anything yet, as they were still in the process of completing it and hadn't cast the Homonculous Charm yet.

"So wait, I'm still confused about this heist." Peter said again, looking up from the chicken-scratch scribbles that were Remus' handwriting to his friends. "Also, Moony, I can't bloody read this." He threw the parchment at his friend, and it just fluttered to the floor a scant few inches away from Peter.

"What about it?" Sirius asked with an irritable sigh. They'd been working on what they'd taken to dubbing 'The Heist' since Peter's birthday, but the rat animagus was still having trouble with parts of it.

"This plan seems complicated." He complained, grabbing up the untouched notes in Remus' hand and shaking the parchment at Sirius.

"To be fair, you said that about oranges last week." James pointed out with a laugh.

"They don't make any sense! Apples you eat their clothes, but oranges you don't?" Peter snapped, sitting up. The other three Marauders snickered.

"I mean he's not wrong." Remus said with a shrug. "Is it bad that he's making sense?"

"Oh fuck off, Moony." Peter said with no real heat, flicking his wand to turn the parchment still in his hand into a paper airplane and sending it careening into Remus' nose.

"Look it's simple really." James finally said, flicking a shield spell between the two when Remus went to retaliate. "Sirius is going to stealthily question Hermione about how she knew about the kitchens, and find out if she knows anything more."

"Right, and whilst I'm doing that, you lot are gonna sneak down to the kitchens and tickle that portrait all over until you've uncovered all its secrets."

"Don't really see how that's a heist." Peter commented, at which the other three all threw balled up parchment at him, "Alright, alright! Let's do it."

"It's just the bloody name for it." Sirius grumbled as they made their way back up to the Gryffindor common room. Remus and James made eye contact and rolled their eyes.

2nd July 1975
10am
Cokeworth
Lily Evans' House

Hermione was practically bouncing with excitement as she and her mother strolled up the short drive to the Evans' front door. Lily was coming to stay with them for the whole of July, and Dorcas and Alice would join them later on in the month. Hermione followed her mother to the front door, and swallowed a little nervously. She really hoped Lily's parents were more like her than her older sister, going on everything she knew about the future Mrs Dursley from Harry.

Iphemia smoothed down her beautiful acromantula silk robes before knocking sweetly on the door. Hermione had begged with her to wear Muggle clothes to pick Lily up, but her mother had just scoffed delicately and refused. So now they were both standing in the middle of a very Muggle, industrial neighborhood wearing stupidly expensive robes. Hermione's were a lovely dark red wine kind of colour, and a lot more modest than Iphemia's beautiful pale green and silver robes - a subtle nod to her Slytherin heritage that amused her because it made her Gryffindor husband and sons scowl a little.

There was a loud shout from within the house, and the front door was wrenched open by a sour-faced teenager. Petunia Evans looked utterly shocked at the two women standing on her front steps, her blue eyes assessed them sharply and then she sneered. She turned away from them and shouted back into the house, "Lily! Some of your freaks are here for you. Maybe they've finally come to take you away for good."

Iphemia's eyes widened, and her lips pursed tightly, "Well, I never." She muttered to her daughter. Hermione winced, and nodded in agreement. "Young lady, that is no way to comport yourself." Iphemia scolded the Muggle in front of them, just raising a sharp eyebrow that cowed the girl when she turned to scowl up at her.

Lily suddenly appeared beside Petunia, panting a little, "Oh, I'm so sorry, Mrs Prewett!" She exclaimed, shamefaced, "Hermione. Petunia doesn't know how to control her manners." She shot her sister a sour look that was returned tenfold. Petunia stalked away from the door further into the house, and Lily stepped back and gestured for them to come in, "It's not as impressive as Prewett Estate, but it's home." She said with a little shrug.

"It's lovely, Lily." Hermione reassured, stepping through before her mother.

A beautiful woman with dark auburn hair similar to Lily's came into the hallway from one of the rooms off the side with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry for Petunia. I'm really not sure what's gotten into her." Lily sighed slightly, but didn't say anything further. "Mrs Prewett, yes?" The woman asked, holding her hand out, "I'm Magnolia Evans." When she smiled she looked so like her daughter, and future grandson, that it was startling.

"Lovely to meet you." Iphemia said, coming properly into the house so Lily could close the door behind her.

"Can I get you both some tea before you take Lily off for her adventure?" Magnolia asked with a generous smile.

"That would be perfect, thank you." Iphemia murmured politely. She turned back to the girls as Magnolia gestured for her to follow into the kitchen, "Do you two want to make sure Lily has packed everything she'll need?" Hermione and Lily nodded eagerly. "Come down for some tea in a little bit, darlings." Iphemia said regally, turning to follow Magnolia into the kitchen like it was some parlour in the fancy manor house of one of her Pureblood friends. Hermione had always admired her mother's adaptability - a trait she'd noticed a lot of Purebloods didn't have.

Lily and Hermione hurried up the stairs to Lily's room. "Honestly, how does your mum always look so poised and polished?"

Hermione giggled a little as she flopped onto Lily's bed, rumpling her robes and not caring a jot, "She only looks like that now!" She exclaimed, watching as Lily rushed around her room, gathering a few other things. "You'll see how much she lets her hair down when we're at home soon. When the twins aggravate her you'll see she isn't always like this."

Lily grinned, "I'm so excited! We've got so much to catch up on." A sad look then settled over her face, "Also, I can't wait to get away from Petunia." She admitted quietly, looking guilty for saying that about her sister, "Even though mum tries to stop her sometimes, none of my family really understand me now, you know?"

"We've only been apart for not even two weeks, Lily." Hermione pointed out with a wry smile, and then stood to pull Lily into a tight hug, "I'm sorry about everything else though." They pulled away and Lily shrugged sadly, turning back to her packing and changing the subject back to the initial one.

"I know! But still. Also I cannot wait to take you back into Muggle London. We need to update your Muggle wardrobe." Lily looked pointedly at the beautiful robes Hermione was wearing so comfortably. Lily sometimes found herself so jealous that Hermione managed to comport herself so gracefully and comfortably in the Wizarding world, and wondered whether she would ever get to that level of comfort. She would have been very shocked to hear that Hermione had not truly been born to the Pureblood family she now belonged to.

Hermione sighed a little, recognising the look on Lily's face and wishing - not for the first time - that she could tell someone who she truly was (or had been before she came to this time at least) without breaking her cover too much. Only Fabian and Gideon knew the whole of her life up until she appeared in the Prewett's garden. Telling Lily might reassure her that one day she would feel more like she fit in properly, Hermione had been a part of the world for nine years longer after all. However, she wasn't even a Muggleborn anymore anyway - after the blood adoption she'd truly become Iphemia and Geraint's child. "I tried to convince mum to let me wear something Muggle, but she insisted."

Lily giggled, "Well, you look good at least." Hermione just rolled her eyes a little.

"Lily, darling! Tea's ready. Bring Hermione down." Lily's mother called up the stairs, and then, "Petunia! Come out of your room, apologise to Mrs Prewett and her daughter, and then join us for tea like a proper polite member of society." Magnolia smiled at Hermione and Lily as they came down the stairs where she was shouting from the base up to her elder daughter. Lily carefully dragged her trunk, all packed, with her. "Take Hermione through to the conservatory, love." She said quietly to Lily. "PETUNIA! Come downstairs NOW!"

The two teenagers hurried through to the conservatory and settled into a couple of the chairs arranged around a small table that Iphemia was already seated in front of, "Your mum seems lovely, Lily." Lily set her trunk down beside her chair, thanking Iphemia quietly when she shrunk Lily's trunk and slid it carefully into a pocket hidden in her robes.

"Indeed she does. I was just having the most fascinating discussion with her about your television thing." Iphemia waved her hand towards the living room, where a black boxy TV sat.

Magnolia entered the room then, a churlish Petunia following after her, her thin blonde hair - so different to her mother and sister's - was scraped into a high ponytail, and she was dressed in flared jeans and a crop top. She sneered slightly at Hermione and Lily as she took a seat as far away from them as possible.

Magnolia cheerfully ignored her eldest daughter's sullen face, and poured out the tea for everyone. They all acted like the shouting and casual insults hadn't happened earlier, and the whole affair was rather awkward whilst they drank their tea.

Hermione and Lily exchanged some amused looks and Lily had to bite her lip from giggling at the sneer permanently etched on Petunia's face. She leant over and whispered to Hermione, "Do you think her face will get stuck like that if she keeps it up for too long?" Hermione held her cup up to her lips delicately like she'd been taught by her mother - this time it was to cover her smile though, and the little giggles that wanted to slip out.

After a tense half-an-hour there was a loud knock on the front door that stopped the incredibly tedious conversation currently happening. Lily and Hermione exchanged relief filled looks as Magnolia hurried out the room to answer the door.

"We should be off soon girls." Iphemia said, taking a sip of her tea. "Twinky insisted that we put on a large lunch for Lily's arrival at the Manor, so we don't want to be late."

Hermione nodded, "Of course, mum."

"Manor?" Petunia sneered, obviously unable to stop her curiosity.

"Indeed." Iphemia said cooly, speaking like she was talking to one of the loathed Pureblood society ladies she had to interact with, someone like Druella Black or Arlena Lestrange. "It is House Prewett's ancestral mance."

Petunia's mouth dropped open, obviously having assumed that the Wizarding world was lacking compared to the Muggle world. Hermione hated the prejudice in the Wizarding world against Muggles, but whenever she met a Muggle like Petunia, she was reminded that unfortunately it went both ways.

Before anyone could say anything else Magnolia came back into the room, a fixed smile on her face as a large man with a small moustache, thick neck, and frown on his face followed her into the room, "Petunia, Vernon's here to pick you up for your date." She said, interrupted by Petunia's squeal of delight at the sight of the horrid young man.

Iphemia rose to her feet, delicately setting her cup down. She beckoned to Hermione and Lily, who both gratefully leapt to their feet. "Magnolia, it was so lovely to meet you." Iphemia said politely, holding her hand out and shaking Magnolia's with a smile. "Let's go girls."

"Bye mum," Lily said, hugging her mum tightly. "See you, Tuney." She said to Petunia who ignored her in favour of her boyfriend who sent a sneer at Lily, and an odd look at Hermione and Iphemia - obviously wondering why they were dressed as they were. Clearly Petunia hadn't told him yet then.

Iphemia led the two Gryffindors to a shadowy corner of the Evans' garden, and with a small pop - in a rather impressive feat of magic, considering Hermione knew how draining side-alonging two people was - apparated them to the edge of the wards on the Prewett Estate.