DISCLAIMER: See first chapter.
A/N: Thanks to HPFanFicLuvr, who is beta-reading this story and to all my beautiful, beautiful reviewers!
Butterbeeraholic: Neville and Hermione are posing as twins.
Jade: I'm not saying anything.
Redmagic15: I wanted the Marauders to know that they were from the future and that was the way I chose to do it. Also, Hermione wasn't discreet! *gasp!*
arrow-card: I'll compromise, 'kay?
LythTaeraneth, Chocolate Taco, rachellah, bellezza, someonelse, Pistol: I'm glad I've earned you approval. It means a lot to me.
The common room was deserted apart from Neville, Ron and Hermione who occupied the red chairs close to the fire.
"You were going to tell me everything," Neville said, unsure whether or not they remembered. So they told him. They told him about Remus being a werewolf, about the Marauders becoming animagi, and how they used to taunt Snape, causing Snape to hate Harry. They told him about how Sirius had persuaded the Potters to use Peter as their Secret-Keeper, about how he had betrayed them, and about how Sirius was sent to Azkaban. They told him how Sirius escaped from there by transforming into a big black dog, about the confrontation in the Shrieking Shack, and how Peter had escaped and joined Voldemort. They did not, however, tell him about the Order, because the Order was supposed to be a great secret.
Neville was a wonderful audience. He never interrupted, but gasped at the right places, and laughed at the right places, not that it was a funny story, by no means. When Ron and Hermione had finished he just stared at the fire and said nothing for a long while. Finally he opened his mouth.
"I had no idea. Poor Harry."
"Don't tell anyone this, Neville. Not even your grandmother!" Hermione reminded him. She didn't know what to reply to Neville's comment, so she took the only way out she saw, and scolded. "Now, we have been up far too late. I don't know what our Professors would say if we were late our first day!" She marched up the stairs to her dorm.
"Ronald Blake! You're supposed to study!" Hermione reproached about a week later, grabbing Quidditch Through the Ages from his hands. She sat down at the table where he and Neville sat.
James eyed her curiously. She's different from the other girls, he thought. She doesn't care about how she looks or about boys.
Ron and Neville groaned.
" 'Mione, do you have to be such a goody-goody?"
"Yes. Now get to work. We have O.W.L.s to study for."
James stared at her. How could she worry about O.W.L.s? They were a long way into the future!
"I'll join you," he said before he could stop himself. Now what did I do? Me, James Potter, study willingly? He took a book and sat down next to Hermione. She smiled appreciatively at him.
"Now, I thought we were going to study History of Magic, since none of you bother to stay awake in that class."
Ron and Neville groaned again. It was all James could do to stop himself from doing the same. But he stopped himself, he didn't know why.
Hermione waved a hand at someone the other end of the room.
"Lily, come and join us?" she called.
Ah, Lily Evans, the perfect prefect and brain box. Hermione had taken to be with her quite a bit. James didn't know why, Evans was such a know-all. Lily put down her book and came over.
"Hey Hermie," she said and smiled at Hermione. She ignored James, Ron and Neville. "Have you read Third Time Lucky?" she asked, sitting down. "It's great. It's about this girl who wants to become an Auror, this was last century, and everybody thinks she's mad. You really want to read it, it's very deep."
Can't she talk about anything else than books? Really, she's getting on my last nerve. If she stays, I go, James promised himself. He did not keep that promise. Actually, he found it quite intriguing watching Hermione and Lily talk about books between revising the work. Hermione is so damn clever, he mused. I never could figure Arithmancy out. It's so hard. He stared transfixed at Hermione as she asked Lily an especially tricky question that they weren't supposed to do until seventh year.
"Hermione, I need to talk to you," he said suddenly. She was clever; she could help Peter become an animagus. James and Sirius had already mastered the art, but Peter was still struggling.
"Yeah sure. I'll be right back," she told Lily, Neville and Ron.
They walked along the lake.
"Hermione, I was would like to ask you for some help. What I'm going to tell you is a dead secret, remember. You're not to tell anyone. Remus …" he started, but Hermione interrupted.
"… is a werewolf?"
He stared at her.
"How d'you know?"
She laughed, a small, short laugh.
"I have my ways," she said mysteriously. She's too clever for her own good, James thought. She probably won't help Peter. It's against the laws, becoming animagi.
The sun started to set. They watched Remus being led towards the Whomping Willow by the nurse. Hermione stared after them.
"The full moon's tonight. We oughtn't be out here."
"He won't hurt us. He's locked in."
They walked silently until they couldn't see the Willow.
"Hermione, what's it like?" James asked suddenly.
"What?"
"The future, what's it like? Am I an Auror? I always wanted to be an Auror!" he said excitedly.
"No James, you're not an Auror." She stopped and looked out over the lake. "You are so like Harry," she said silently, more to herself. "He wants to be an Auror too."
"Who's Harry?" asked James.
Hermione didn't answer, just walked on. The full moon shone high above them. She shivered.
"It's so beautiful," she said.
Just then a loud scream was emitted from the Shrieking Shack.
Severus had been watching the Slytherin Quidditch team practice, and stayed behind. He walked towards the school alone, thinking about those foul Gryffindor boys. He really couldn't figure them out. Especially the one who always disappeared, Lupus, or something like that. Where did he go? He looked towards the lake. Two lone figures walked there, a boy and a girl. He sneered. A loving couple. Love was only an illusion, it didn't exist.
A black dog crossed his path. It looked at him with big, black eyes. He petted it absentmindedly. Usually animals kept their distance from him. The thought of having a friend, even if it was only a dog, appealed to Severus.
"You know that, right, doggie," he told the animal. "Love is an illusion."
He walked towards the front doors of the castle, but the dog pulled at his robes. Severus sighed. If the dog wanted to show him his bone, fair enough. It would certainly take his mind of things. The dog led him toward the great big, fighting tree that had been planted the year Severus started school.
"No, doggie, you can't go there, you'll hurt yourself." He tried to hold back, but the dog was stronger. It prodded a knot of the tree trunk. The tree froze. Severus only stared at it. They crept inside the tree. He could hear howls from the other end of the tunnel. Although he would never admit it, he was beginning to fell afraid.
"Where are we going," he asked the dog, but got no reply. He hadn't thought he would, either. The tunnel stopped abruptly, and he was face to face with a werewolf.
Severus could have sworn that the dog looked gleeful. He screamed.
The werewolf came nearer. It opened it's jaws and let out a howl. Severus froze. He was petrified by fear. He could see the saliva dripping from it's huge jaws. The pointed teeth glistened in the moonlight. He thought he could hear faint hooves pattering outside. The werewolf came nearer and nearer. It was on the alert, ready to bite any moment.
A/N: Evil me. A cliffy. Well review, and I might have the new chapter up pretty soon.