When the Marauders' vision cleared the first thing they saw was Hermione. She wasn't beautiful like Lily or the other girls they knew, but she was awe-inspiring. Power rolled off her in waves and the white she wore was a sharp contrast to her dark hair. She hovered calmly in the air as wind billowed her cloak impressively out behind her, seeming to not notice the hurricane around her. She was no ordinary witch.

Hermione landed, still charged from her casting, and knelt down to brush a hole in the sand circle. The magick concealed within broke. The flames sizzled out and the wind disappeared. When she straightened again she put a hand to her forehead and tried not to hyperventilate.

"I thought this spell was to bring back the Founders," Ron said absently.

Hermione huffed at him and kicked the scrolls' book shut with her foot. "Not exactly. But the translation said seven warriors joined through time. I figured the Founders would be four, but I didn't know the other three."

"Only four came though," he pointed out, to which Hermione frowned and rested her chin on her fist.

"We're the last three..." Harry said softly.

Hermione whirled around to look at him in surprise. "Surely you're joking?" She exclaimed with a nervous laugh.

"We brought them back to life!" he shot back, gesturing to the Marauders. They were now looking very confused.

Hermione tried to swallow past the lump in her throat. She crossed over to Harry and laid a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder. "No...we didn't, Harry," she said slowly. "We brought them through time."

"Then how is Harry still here?" Ron pointed out.

Hermione did her best to keep both of them calm. "They are existing in two times right now, their present and ours. The past is still intact – the future is what's about to change."

"Excuse me..."

Hermione turned around in surprise to face Lily. "Yes?"

"Can you please tell us what's going on?" She asked, growing bolder. "One minute we were sleeping at Hogwarts, and the next—"

"You're still at Hogwarts," Hermione informed her. "But this is a very different one than you're used to. I'm Hermione Granger, this is Ron Weasley, and Harry Potter." She held out her hand. "Welcome to 1997."

No one took her hand.

The Marauders stared at her, slack-jawed with disbelief. "We're in the future?" James stammered.

"Yup!" Ron answered, more cheerfully than Hermione felt. This was a disaster.

"Can we go to Dumbledore now?" Harry demanded. Hermione noticed he was working very hard not to look at any of the Maruaders. She was surprised she wasn't having as difficult a time standing in the same room as them, when the last of them had died the school year before.

Hermione threw up her hands. "Of course."

She waved everyone to the door, but only Harry and Ron moved.

"We're not going anywhere," Sirius said firmly.

"They don't believe us," Harry said flatly, but Ron started to laugh.

"Oh, alright," Hermione muttered. "I'll field this one."

She started with Sirius. "Sirius Black, Padfoot, dog," she recited into his surprised face.

"James Potter, Prongs, stag."

"Lily Evans, in love with James, girl," she added lamely.

"Remus Lupin, Moony," She hesitated a moment, then sighed. "...werewolf."

He looked at her with such horror that it made her think of everything he'd had to go through when he'd been at school. She'd only known him as her DADA professor, and never before had she thought back to what kind of secret life he must have led. Still, if there had been any way to convince the Marauders of where they were that was it.

"I'm sorry if this all too sudden for you, but you have to trust us," she told them honestly. "You all know Dumbledore. Please, come with us and he'll explain everything."

It was Lily who stepped forward, moving from behind James and walking up to Hermione. "You haven't given us any reason to distrust you, Hermione Granger."

Hermione smiled and gestured to where Ron was holding open the portrait. Lily nodded in passing, and didn't look back. Hermione turned to James next. "How 'bout you James? Where the lady goes you go?" The boy flushed and shuffled after Lily mumbling something incoherent.

"Follow the leader?" She made it a question to the remaining two. Sirius grinned suavely.

"I'll have you know, I'm the leader," he said sidling up to her.

Hermione raised an eyebrow and walked away. "Whatever you say," she called over her shoulder.

And so, in one big group the seven of them stepped out of Gryffindor Tower and headed down to Dumbledore's office.

Hermione sped up her pace to catch up to Harry and she leaned to close to whisper in his ear. "Are you alright?"

"It doesn't feel real," he whispered back, and Hermione was surprised to see tears in his eyes.

Hermione threw an arm over his shoulder and hugged him sidearm. "Don't think about their deaths, Harry," she said. "They're here now – be happy."

Harry smiled. "You're squeezing me too tight with your awesomely buff muscles..." he teased softly.

She swung at him, but he ducked out of the way and took off down the hall, Hermione chasing after. Ron was left behind with the Marauders, shaking his head at the pair.

The Marauders all hanging back behind Ron, watched the pair with unbridled curiosity.

"They seem nice enough," James mused.

Lily swatted the arm that was laced through her own. "Of course they are!" She reprimanded. "And those two look so cute together."

"You think they're together?" Sirius asked, sounding more than a little put out.

"They act like James and Lily," Remus commented, to which James stuck out his tongue.

"If you're talking about Harry and Hermione..."

They all jumped to see Ron looking back at them, his arms folded behind his head. He laughed at the suggestion they'd been making. "...they'd probably split a seam laughing at you lot if you thought they were dating."

"Really?" Lily pressed, sounding surprised.

Ron nodded. "The three of us don't work like that," he explained. "And Hermione," he laughed. "She's just weird."

"Ronald Weasley!"

The Marauders stifled their laughter as a chastised look appeared on the redheads face. "Yes? Best friend Hermione?" You could hear Harry's sniggering all the way down the hall.

"Get down here! You're the one who has to wake up Dumbledore!"

--

"Twenty two years in the future..." Remus repeated softly.

"Woah." Sirius said.

James agreed, "Yeah."

"What should we do, Professor?" Hermione asked strongly, trying to get back to business.

Dumbledore pushed his half-moon spectacles higher up on his long nose and looked at Hermione in a kindly way. "I don't believe things have turned out as unfortunately as you think, Miss Granger. The scrolls said the spell would join seven warriors of light into one time, and, if I'm not mistaken," he chuckled lightly at his own joke. "I count seven young witches and wizards before me."

"Professor, with all due respect, I don't think I—"Hermione began.

"My dear Miss Granger," Dumbledore looked down at her and smiled. "You never cease to astound me. You doubt the strength of yourself, when others have put their complete faith in you."

There was a redness in her cheeks that hadn't been there before, and when she cleared her throat her hands had nervously settled in her lap. "Perhaps that is a discussion best save for another time, sir."

Dumbledore nodded his consent and Hermione hurriedly made the switch in topics. "What should we do about these four?" She asked. "They're continuing to live their lives in their present, but they are also here in ours..."

He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I suppose that over the next few days the experiences and memories of their adult lives will develop in their minds. At this moment, I feel that they may perhaps be too...shaken up to be thinking properly."

Sensing that Hermione was getting frustrated, Ron stepped in. "Sir, what about the others? Surely people are going to notice the names, and how they look – people are going to put together the pieces and wonder why these four aren't dead."

"May I see the scrolls again please?"

Hermione nodded and turned the book back so that it faced the Headmaster. Squinting through his glasses, he skimmed over the ancient words 'hmm'ing and 'mmm'ing every so often. Just when Hermione was about to burst, Dumbledore leaned back and closed the book.

"I do not think that will be an issue, Mister Weasley. You see, this spell includes a strong memory alteration charm."

Lily picked it up first. "You mean..."

"Yes, Miss Evans." Dumbledore gave her an impressed smile. "Everyone but the eight of us will believe you are meant to be here."

"I didn't think..." Hermione stopped before she could finish. "How could I—"

"I have hear tell, Miss Granger, that the three of you spent your summer vacations differently than most." Dumbledore said conversationally. Hermione's mouth snapped shut.

The Marauders could only look on as the scene unfolded before them.

Harry and Ron both opened their mouths to speak, but Hermione held up a hand and they fell silent. Very slowly she stood up and clasped her hands in front of her.

"I should have told you from the start, sir, but I couldn't afford for someone to stop us." She took a deep breath. "Since the end of last term we've been using the invisibility cloak to sit through the Ministry's Auror training. We all passed and are now full-fledged Aurors though not legally recognized."

Sirius and James gave her impressed looks, but both Lily and Remus were shocked.

"That's not all is it?" Dumbledore said, in a way that belied he already knew her next words. The Marauders exchanged looks. How could there be more?

"No, sir," She said evenly. "Ron, Harry, and I have been meeting nearly everyday this summer, and during that time," she let out a slow breath, "I've been teaching them Dark magick."

"Miss Granger." Dumbledore's expression was blank. "Do you realize the implications of what you've just disclosed to me."

She nodded, "Yes, sir. And you have only my word to believe that we are not Death Eaters."

"For most, Miss Granger, your word is enough."

"Sir, I insist on taking full responsibility for our actions. Ron and Harry would have never gone along if I hadn't insisted on it."

Harry and Ron both rose in protest, but Dumbledore held up his own hand, much the same way Hermione had done, and the two of them fell wordlessly back into their seats.

Then he stood up as well.

"Too many witches and wizards have I seen stop before they've even begun to scratch the surface of their potential." He smiled down at her, and Hermione calmly waited for him to finish. But inside she was a ball of nerves. "I didn't think there were any of your kind left, Miss Granger. A person who's willing to reach for the stars to protect their friends."

Hermione was silent for a moment. "Thank you, sir," she said finally.

"There is no Dark magick, only magick more powerful than most," He told her. "I trust your judgment in this matter."

"I understand, Professor."

He sat back down, tucking his beard beneath the edge of the desk and folding his hands in front of him. Then he smiled. "Miss Granger – I seem to have something in my ear this whole time, and haven't heard a word you said."

Ron and Harry sighed with relief. The Marauders looked very much confused.

"Was there something you needed?"

Hermione was smiling in relief as well as she shook her head. "No, sir. We just came by to see how your summer went. We didn't realize how late it was."

He patted her hand in grandfatherly sort of way. "That's quite alright, my dear. We can talk more about our holidays in the morning, hmm?"

"Of course, Professor," Harry answered. "Sorry for bothering you."

Soon they had ushered everyone out of his office and down into the hall.

"What was that all about?" Sirius exclaimed as soon they were clear of the staircase. "Dumbledore's completely lost it!"

Hermione didn't step up to explain, so Ron did it for her. He pretty much repeated the words she'd used on the train, but she wasn't really listening. Her fast pace put her ahead of the others and she made no move to slow or say anything at all.

When they got back to the common room, Harry and Ron began cleaning up, while Hermione turned to the Marauders.

"The boys dormitories are on the left and the girls are on the right. If you'd like you can all stay in my room over there," she pointed to the door that lead to the Heads' quarters. "We'll get things sorted out in the morning."

Thank you," Remus said for all of them.

Hermione nodded, looking suddenly very tired. She seemed a completely different person than the all-powerful witch that had brought them forward in time. "I want to apologize for bringing you here," she said quietly, but quickly. "You can't return to your time and it's entirely my fault."

The Marauders all protested. "Hermione..." Ron tried to dissuade her, but she wouldn't hear it.

"No, Ron," she said. "I know that I can't be helping the situation any, but I really just want to go upstairs and go to bed. I promise I'll be cheerful in the morning."

Quickly saying her goodnights she disappeared up the girls' dormitory staircase and closed the door.