"Please come in." Dumbledore's calm voice said from inside.

Feeling awkward, the Marauders strode in, keeping the invisible girl in front of them. Moony set her down in a chair.

"Professor…" he stopped, seeing Dumbledore's slight frown.

"What," Dumbledore whispered, "is that?"

Though Moony felt Dumbledore already knew he said weakly, "One Hermione Granger." Remus caught Dumbledore's slightly disappointed face, and he felt his stomach drop. Seeing his friends' quietness, Sirius stepped forward.

"We found her in the Room of Requirement." Sirius began babbling, "She was cursing the...err… stuffing out of this dummy. She used tons of defense magic and even some Dark Magic. We had been following her movements using… something and knew she would be there tonight. She goes there every night for six hours. Before that she runs around the Quidditch Pitch for four hours and never talks to anyone and isn't in any House and-um." Dumbledore cut him off with a raise of an old hand.

"It seems to me that you boys have been spying on someone who shouldn't be spied on. I also knew that Miss Granger doesn't belong to a House. She is my personal guest at this castle and I would prefer if you boys would untie her." James ran over and took off the Invisibility Cloak. He untied the bonds and sat down in the chair next to her.

"Mr. Lupin, Mr. Potter, and Mr. Black. You have just discovered a secret that was meant to be kept a secret." Dumbledore said in a very serious voice, "I will allow you to continue to visit Miss Granger because I know she is lonely, though she will never admit it. You must promise not to pry into her life or reasons for being here. I would be grateful of you would take her back to her dorm. It is behind the portrait of the First Phoenix and the password is 'Coca-Cola.' I will be by tomorrow to talk with Miss Granger to make sure this is alright with her. Goodbye." The Marauders got ashamedly to their feet. "And Mr. Lupin. I think it would be best if you tied her up again until she is safe in her dorms."

With a slightly relieved sigh, Moony retied the girl's wrists and feet. Prongs recovered her with his cloak and they set off without another word.

Once they had gotten into the secret dormitories, they set the unconscious witch on the sofa in front of them. James untied her and removed the cloak. Suddenly, Sirius, whom Moony had expected to speak long before this, spoke. "I can't believe it."

He didn't have to explain. None of the Marauders had really expected Dumbledore to know her. It must also be a shock to them that they got off the hook. Remus supposed the witch was too secret for even most teachers to know of. The Marauders then got into an amazed discussion on her wand techniques.

Hermione awoke to the sound of excited voices. She groggily tried to remember what had happened. She had been training when the boys had come. Hermione gasped silently. Those boys had been the Marauders! She had immediately recognized Sirius, Lupin and Harry's look-a-like James. The trained battle witch took stock of her surroundings. She recognized the voice of the one who had tried to disarm her. What an idiot. She then discreetly, eyes still closed, reached down to her robe pocket for her wand.

"Looking for this?" The voice was very nearby. She mentally cursed herself. Of course they would have set someone to watch her. Dreading what she would see, Hermione opened her eyes. Her hard eyes looked from side to side quickly, trying to discover where she was. It seemed as though she was in her dormitory common room. That meant they had taken her to Dumbledore and he had set them straight. She concluded all of this in half a second. She let her eyes roll over to the Marauder who had spoken to her. 'Oh no.' her mind screeched. She just had to be stuck with the most temperamental and playful Marauder. Stupid Sirius Black.

Hermione sat up straight and realized she had been tied up recently. She never took her eyes off the boy in front of her. He was tall, with dark gray eyes that sparkled with smoothness and mischief. Lavender and Parvati would have called this youth handsome, yet Hermione had lost her sense of humor and love when her best friends had died before her eyes.

"Now, we couldn't have you hexing us, could we love?" Sirius drawled. Hermione heard a gasp of surprise and worry from behind the Marauder. She guessed that must have been the intelligent Lupin. Sirius continued twirling her wand expertly between his fingers.

"Bad idea, boy." Hermione smiled humorlessly, "Never flirt with an enemy." The witch smiled and punched the grinning Padfoot squarely in the nose. She stood up to beat him up when she felt a spell on her. It restrained her from moving and she got angry at herself. She should have made sure the others were distracted. She didn't bother struggling. She decided to wait for the jinx to wear off. Hermione was frozen, glaring at the laughing James who had gotten her.

"Nice one Prongs." A calm voice said from behind the hazel eyed wizard. Sirius got up fuming. James laughed harder at the sight of Sirius' nosebleed.

"Today is a momentous day," he guffawed. "The day the famous Sirius Black is floored by a girl."

"I shoulda knoweb," said the injured Sirius.

"That you should of," chuckled the calm voice of Lupin. Hermione moved her eyes to watch him. He was tall, as tall as even the lanky Ron. He had short flaxen colored hair and dark blue eyes. He watched the motionless girl for a moment and turned back to his friends. "Sirius, let me get that." He performed a minute long healing spell and Sirius was soon blood free.

"Stupid Granger," he growled, "No one punches Sirius Black, not even some one protected by Dumbledore." He approached with his wand raised. Unfortunately for him, Hermione's imprisonment had long since worn off. She had stayed still, looking for the opportune time to move. She lunged forward and pushed him to the ground, followed by punch to the jaw. She grabbed her wand from his limp grasp and quickly backed up after giving him a kick in the ribs. She didn't want to kill him now, knowing if her plan went wrong, Harry should still get his godfather. In outnumbered duels, always keep your back to something solid so no one can sneak up on you. Hermione chose the scarlet wall. Lupin and Potter stepped in front of their twice wounded friend.

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