DISCLAIMER: See first chapter.
A/N: Thanks again to my fabulous beta-reader HPFanFicLuvr and to all my reviewers.
Arrow-card: Oh, you'll see…
Jade: Yeah, I know. Mean, ain't it?
yaminy-grint4eva: Yes, I do, but everyone has to get some.
pan weasley kent, HarryGryffinGirl, LythTaeraneth, Phnx: Thank you so much. It really means a lot to me.
"Now would be a good time to transform," Hermione told James panicking a little.
"Why?"
"Because that wasn't a werewolf howl. Somebody, somebody human, is in there!"
"Probably Snivellus," James said, not caring. "It would actually be an improvement if he was bitten."
Hermione stared at him. God, he's just as arrogant as Professor Snape told Harry he was, she though, disgusted.
"Well, if you won't help me, I'll go alone," she said and started to walk away, knowing that he would give in to this. He might be arrogant, but Sirius and Remus, in her time, had told her that he was loyal to his friends.
"Fine," he grumbled. Where he had been standing there now stood a beautiful stag. Hermione climbed up on its back and it galloped towards the Whomping Willow. She took a stick and prodded the knot. They made their way along the tunnel. It was a nightmarish travel to Hermione. Every jolt made her slip, and she was terrified of falling off. She was even more terrified of arriving their goal. What have I gotten myself into? I'll have to face a full-fledged werewolf when we get there. I'll just tell James to go back. He wouldn't mind, she thought, but a more sensible side of her interrupted. No! There are human lives at stake here. We need to save the person involved.
They reached their goal. She could see Remus posed, ready to strike a frozen Snape.
"Severus!" she yelled, not realizing she used his first name. "Severus, jump on here!" The black dog she knew to be Sirius growled at her, but she didn't mind. She grabbed Snape's arm and hoisted him up behind her.
"Hold tight!" she commanded him, and the stag turned and ran out, followed by the dog. The werewolf couldn't get out, because the lock was made of silver.
When they came out in the open, Hermione climbed down. Snape was still to shaken to do anything, so James rose on his hind legs and shook him off. He fell with a loud thump on the ground.
That hurt, thought Severus and stood up. "What was that good for," he asked the stag irritably.
"I didn't want you polluting my back!" Severus turned around. He couldn't believe his eyes. Where the stag and the dog had been stood his two mortal enemies, Potter and Black. He couldn't get over his surprise. So the dog was working for Black and Potter… He couldn't believe them.
"You…" he snarled, for once lost for words.
The Granger girl, however, didn't seemed to be surprised at all. She walked right over to Black and slapped him hard across the face.
"YOU MINDLESS, NASTY, BIG-HEADED PIG!" she screamed. He backed away from her. "WHAT IF SOMETHING HAPPENED? WHAT IF SNAPE GOT KILLED?"
James eyed her again. Her eyes sparkled angrily and she pressed her lips tightly together, making them look blood red. God, she's pretty when she's angry, thought James.
"Hermione, it was just a joke," Sirius said defensively.
"JUST A JOKE? JUST A JOKE? WHAT IF I HADN'T BEEN THERE, WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED THEN? REMUS AND YOU WOULD PROBALY END UP IN AZKABAN FOR ATTEMPTED MANSLAUGHTER! DIDN'T THIN KABOUT THAT, DID YOU? "
"James would still go after us," said Sirius, uncertainly. Hermione snorted.
"You really think that? Oh god, Black, you're stupider than I thought."
She started to walk away.
"Hermie!" shouted James after her. She turned around and stormed up to him.
"And as for you, Potter," she said and slapped him to. "YOU ARROGANT BASTARD!"
She stormed away. The three boys looked after her.
"Ouch," said Sirius at last. "She's fiery."
Severus couldn't believe what Black and Potter just had done.
"You put me up against a werewolf," he said quietly, but his voice had a dangerous edge to it.
"Serves you right," snapped Potter. "Trying to figure out where we went every month. Well, now you know. And I'd advise you not to go after us again, or else you'll have a very angry werewolf after you."
Severus paled and turned and stormed up the castle. Death alone wasn't a good enough punishment for them. But then, what about the werewolf? You can't kill a werewolf except with a silver bullet, don't even try, a voice said in his head. But that didn't bother him. He'd get a silver bullet, even if he had to turn to the Dark Side to get one… He had to get his revenge.
Remus woke the next morning in the Shrieking Shack. Fragments of the night before fluttered past his eyes. Padfoot, Snape… Snape! What had Snape been doing there? Oh my God, what did Sirius do? God dammit, I'm a werewolf! You can't just invite people to tea and a little with me during the full moon. He tried feebly to stand up. He had to see Snape, he had to apoligize. Remus couldn't believe what he had nearly done. I could have killed Snape!
He concentrated, trying to rmember more of what had happened. He remembered Prongs, and a shrill voice calling Snape's first name. He thought hard, and managed to place a face to the voice. Hermione Granger, from the future, or, according to the belief of the rest of the school, the Beauxbatons transfer student. Oh, God, she'll never speak to me again. She'll probably tell the whole school. I'll be expelled. Of course the students will write home and the parents will write to Professor Dumbledore and he'll have to expel me. So, Remus Lupin, say goodbye to your happy life. From now on it will be misery and nothing else. He let out a bitter laugh. Time to see what Hermione was really like, if she was as loyal and good as her brother claimed her to be.
Madam Pomfrey came into the Shack.
"Time to get you back to the Hospital Wing, I think, Mr. Lupin," she said cheerfully. Remus groaned. He'd have to face real life soon. He'd have to face Hermione… and Snape.
"I can't believe you would endanger another student's life," Hermione said to them, later that evening. The only people left in the common room were her, Ron, Neville, James and Sirius. Remus hadn't returned from the Hospital Wing, and Hermione had made it through the day without a single word to James or Sirius, completely ignoring them.
James looked at Sirius.
"Hey, don't blame us. It was Ron's idea!" James put in. Ron turned a Gryffindor red.
"Ron?" Hermione demanded dangerously turning to him and squinting her eyes.
"It wasn't changing the past," he defended himself. "You know the older Remus told us that was why Snape hated him."
"Yeah, and I'm sure Harry will also be really pleased to know just made Snape hate him," Hermione said sarcastically.
"I didn't think about that," he murmured.
"You didn't think at all." Hermione responded. "Night Neville, Blake, Black, Potter." She stormed up the stairs.
"Great. I'm back to last name basis with 'Mione. She'll never do my homework for me again." Ron groaned. Remus entered the common room.
"Moony!" James exclaimed. "How are you?"
"Leave me alone," Remus said. "I know what you did, and I don't want anything o do with you."
He also walked up the stairs. The four remaining boys stared at each other.
"I think we can safely say that that was a stupid thing to do," James said finally. "I'm going to bed now."
Remus saw Hermione coming down the stairs for breakfast, followed by Lily Evans. This was it. He had to face her.
"Hermione, can I speak to you," he said quietly.
"Yeah, sure, you go on Lily," she told her friend. She didn't smile. "I'll meet you in the Great Hall, 'kay?"
She and Remus found an empty classroom to chat in.
"Look, Hermione, I know what you're thinking…" Remus blurted out fiddling with his wand.
"No you don't."
Remus stopped fiddling and stared at her.
"Didn't you think I new about your condition? Didn't you think I knew it wasn't you in the Shack, not really. Didn't you think that I knew you had no part in it?"
Remus stared at her lost for words. This was one possibility he hadn't considered. He had thought to threaten her, bribe her, do anything to keep her silent, but he hadn't thought she knew.
"You … you're not going to tell?"
"No," she said simply. "I'm not. Now, care for breakfast? I'm starving."
Their first class that day was Muggle Studies, with the Slytherins. All three of them now took Muggle Studies. They had been very surprise to find out that Ron's dad, Arthur Weasley, taught this class.
"Barely out of Hogwarts, and a damn good prank victim. He never tells Dumbledore. It was hilarious we put a hiccupping jinx on him, he didn't get to teach any classes, hiccupped every time he opened his mouth" Peter had laughed when they first found out who their Professor was. Neville, Ron and Hermione glared at him.
"Well, pardon me if I don't see the joke," Ron said coldly. His reaction had startled the four Marauders.
"But I thought you were a fan of our pranks?" Sirius had asked.
"I don't like hitting a guy when he's down," said Ron simply, and glared a bit extra at Peter. Peter had shrunk back under their gazes. Ever since the trio had come, they had been glaring at him, or acting as if he didn't exist. It was as htough the new something he didn't. Which they probably do, he thought. They're from the future, remember? He had tried to shut his thoughts out, but failed. He wondered what it was he had done, though, to earn their dislike.
Professor Weasley entered the room and glanced around nervously. He could see the seating arrangements were different. Miss Granger, who usually took a seat with her brother and his friends, was now seated in front with Miss Evans. He smiled at them. They were probably the only nice students he had.
Sirius raised his arm.
"Professor, might I ask something?" he asked sweetly.
"Y-yes of course Mr. Black," Professor Weasley replied nervously. He had graduated only a year before they had come.
"About your robes … Are those the only robes you have? 'Cause you've been wearing them a long time. Did you inherit them from your grandfather?"
Professor Weasley did the Weasley blush and turned away. Hermione glared at the boys at the back, and especially at Ron who also had blushed, but didn't say anything. Why didn't Ron stand up for his own father? Hermione wondered, but then reality hit her. He's afraid that they'll laugh at him. She shook her head pityingly at him.
"Do they have to be so mean?" Lily asked Hermione later in the class, after several comments from the back of the room about Professor Weasley. It sounded as if they were whispered, but the entire class could hear them, and sniggered. Of course, this was the desired effect.
"I know," Hermione replied. "I'll have a little chat with them later."
After class Hermione and Lily approached Professor Weasley.
"I think this class is wonderful, Professor," Hermione told him smiling.
"Professor, you've got to stand up for yourself," Lily said. "You're a wonderful target as it is."
"Take away points, give detentions, anything."
Professor Weasley looked down and mumbled something.
"And don't mumble so much, nobody can hear you when you do that."
"I-I'll try," said Professor Weasley.
"It's a real shame, you're a great Professor, and I hate to see your talents wasted because you can't stand up for yourself. I'd hate to see you working at the Ministry in an office that was smaller than a broom cupboard," Hermione said.
"Thank you, girls," Professor Weasley practically beamed at them.
Lily and Hermione walked out through the door.
"I hope he'll listen to us," said Lily.
"Yeah," Hermione sighed. "So do I."
She wondered why Professor Weasley had quit teaching. The Mr. Weasley she knew hadn't gotten any better at standing up for herself.
"Hermione's not here," was the first thing James notices as they came into the Great Hall to eat.
"What good will it do us if she is, she doesn't speak to us," replied Peter dejectedly. "Just as I was beginning to improve in Charms."
The six boys sat down as Hermione walked past.
"Hello Hermione," said James friendlily.
She tuned her head and nodded.
"Hello Remus, Neville," she said pleasantly, and swept past the other four boys.
God, she's graceful when she does that, James thought.
He stood up and left abruptly. Sirius did the same.
"Don't follow us. I'll take care of James," he told the remaining boys.
Amelia Diggory walked slowly along the corridor. She could hear voices coming from around the corner.
"Don't think about her, Prongs. She'll come round soon. It wasn't as if we killed Snape," one voice said.
"No, I wish we had," said another voice bitterly. Amelia stood rooted to the ground. She knew those two voices. They belonged to her two worst tormentors.
They were coming closer. They rounded the corner. They walked straight towards her. Potter pulled out a wand. Amelia trembled. She wanted to run away, away from everything, fly over the moon…
"Well, well, well, if it isn't our favourite Hufflepuff here," said a drawling voice.
"What is a little young lady like you doing out in the corridors…"
"All alone…"
"Where anybody can hex you?"
She didn't say anything, she was petrified.
"Well Diggory, say, has your brother handed in his resignation from the Hufflepuff Quidditch team like we told him?" asked Black slowly. She shook her head slowly. There was no point in lying. This was it. They would turn her face green and her hair pink. They would summon a hundred wizard water balloons. They would put her under the full body-bind and leave her in a broom cupboard. They would…
"Potter! Black! What are you doing!"
A Professor! Amelia turned around to face her saviour. It wasn't a Professor. It was two girls, dressed in Gryffindor robes. She ran up to them.
"Save me, they were going to hex me," she begged.
They narrowed their eyes at the boys.
"Potter, Black. Explain yourselves!" said the one with red hair.
"We were only having a little fun…" Potter tried to excuse himself, his eyes not leaving Amelia.
"Fun?" spat the other one. "Fun? This won't do, Potter. You have to get a grip on yourself. Fun is not torturing other people. Fun is not making other cry. Get that intp your thick skull!"
"Sorry Hermione, we were just seeing if Amos Diggory is still on the Quidditch team."
"What has that got to do with anything?"
"See, Diggory is the only one who has ever beaten James. We wouldn't want Gryffindor to lose the House or Quidditch Cup, would we?"
Potter and Black walked past them.
Amelia looked up at the two girls. They had just stopped Potter and Black from hexing her, even Amos couldn't do that. They just saved my life, she thought staring at them in awe. I want to be just like that when I grow up. Kind, brave, powerful.