CHAPTER THREE: CHANGING THE FUTURE

HERMIONE GRANGER

The Marauders and I went on an exploration of Hogwarts grounds, walking through the non-forbidden section of the forest (which was basically the outer ridge of it) and getting plenty sweaty. By the time we all got back to the castle, it was dinnertime. We all ate heartily, having worked up quite a large appetite on our hike, and then went up to the common room and hung out there.

Outside the portrait hole, a voice said, "Phoenix tears," and the common room door swung open. That in itself made everyone turn towards the door, because 'phoenix tears' wasn't our password. Therefore, the portrait should not have opened.

It was Dumbledore. Everyone in the room relaxed when they saw him, but were still quite clearly confused.

"All of the teachers have a universal password which allows us access to any area of the building we wish," Dumbledore explained, "though I'd advise against trying to use it, for it only works if you are on the Hogwarts staff."

Everyone laughed.

"I would, however, like your attention for a moment," he added.

The room got quiet very quickly, and everyone looked expectantly up at him.

"The staff and I," he told us, eyes twinkling, "would like to have, for lack of a better name, a 'muggle formal night'---in other words, a ball at which everyone wears Muggle formal wear; suits for the men, dresses for the ladies, and so forth."

Everyone was surprised. We'd never done something like that before. Of course, guys and girls alike were thrilled; muggle suits and dresses were far more attractive than wizarding dress robes. The whole room began talking.

"I'm surprised we've never thought of that," I commented to James, who was sitting near me. "Attendance to something like that would skyrocket."

He nodded.

"As I was saying, we will be holding a muggle formal night," Dumbledore continued, and the room went quiet again. "And for this, we will need a planning committee. It will be a lot of work to organize something like this, and any help would be greatly appreciated. Tomorrow morning, a sheet will be posted in the Entrance Hall for sign-ups. If you would like to be on the planning committee---
whose duties include planning, decorating, and the major desicion-making---
simply sign that paper, and come to the first meeting. The time and place of that meeting will be posted on that list." With that, Dumbledore exited the common room, and everyone burst into conversation again; the boys guessing at who they'd ask, the girls discussing what to wear.

"I think I'll sign up," I commented to Remus, who was sitting near me.

"I think I will, as well," he replied. "It'll be good to have something to do."

The next morning after breakfast, Remus and I went to the Entrance Hall. I waited as Remus signed his name on the planning committee sign-up sheet. At the top read the words, "The first meeting of the planning committee will take place in the Head's Quarters tonight at eight o'clock, for ten minutes."

"See you later," Remus said after he'd signed his name, then left for the library.

"Bye," I replied, and stepped forward to sign my name. I was surprised to see James accompanying me.

"Should be fun," James said as he signed his name, though he didn't look thrilled about it.

"Then why aren't you smiling?"

"Well..." James replied, hesitating. "I'm...not really joining because I want to design a ball."

"Why are you joining, then?" I asked.

"Um...well," he said, grinning and growing faintly pink, "I kind of heard Evans talking about signing up, and see---" he pointed to a neat, cursive signature on the sign-up sheet. "Well, I thought I'd sign up too."

"Evans...Lily Evans?" I asked, looking closely at the signature.

"Yeah," he replied, grinning wider.

"Wow," I said under my breath.

"Hermione, can I ask you something?"

"Of course," I replied. "What's up?"

"I just...well, here's the thing," he said, lowering his voice. "In---in your time, am I---who is my wife? Who's Harry's mother?"

I grinned so widely that he stared. "Oh, that would be telling," I said mysteriously. "See you later," I added, and headed to the common room to get some work done.

He followed me.

"Come on, Hermione," he said, falling into step beside me. "Why won't you tell me?"

"Now where would be the fun in that?" I asked. "If I said you're going to marry someone else, what would you do? Stop chasing after Lily? Seriously, James---I don't want to change the future."

Then I thought of something. Harry had been born two years after James and Lily had gotten married, which had been a few months after they'd graduated---James had proposed on their graduation day. That meant that Harry would be born four years from now. But then they'd been killed by Voldemort a year later, when Harry was one. What if they hadn't been killed?

Oblivious to James' questions, I stopped walking and gasped, my hand covering my mouth.

"Hermione?" James asked. "What is it?"

I didn't answer---just took off running, heading for Dumbledore's office. By the time I reached it, I not only had James following me, but Remus and Sirius, who I'd run past on my way to Dumbledore's office. I was breathing hard.

"Any of you know the password?" I asked, and all of them shook their heads.

"Damn it!" I shouted at it.

"Well, I don't think that was it," James remarked when the gargoyle didn't move.

"Shit," I said.

"Why do you need to get in?" Remus asked, but I ignored him.

"Okay, think, Hermione, think...Drooble's Best Blowing Gum?" I tried. "Oh, no, he must've changed it by now. Okay...Cockroach Clusters? Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans? Fizzing Whizbees? Toothflossing Stringmints? Acid Pops?" I opened my mouth to try more passwords---which, as Harry, Ron and I had dicovered, were always candies---when the gargoyle started moving.

I lept onto the stairs, the boys on my heels. Standing on the top step, I waited impatiently for it to revolve upward, and was so impatient that before it even reached the top, I scrambled onto the landing and ran across to Dumbledore's office before the boys even got halfway up the stairwell. I knocked heavily and excitedly on the door.

"Professor Dumbledore, sir?" I called.

"Miss Granger?" I heard him answer, and heard him move to open the door.

"Yes, sir," I replied as the door opened to reveal the headmaster. "And if it's all right with you, I'd really like to talk with you as soon as possible."

He was clearly mystified, but nodded. "By all means," he said, "Come in."

"Guys," I said to Remus, James, and Sirius, "would you mind waiting out here?"

I saw them exchange a look, smiling. "Sure, no problem," Sirius answered.

"No listening in," I warned them. "It's really important that you don't hear this."

"Of course," James replied.

"Thanks," I said gratefully, then entered Dumbledore's office and closed the door.

"Professor, I just---" I began, but Dumbledore cut me off, holding up a hand. He cast a spell at the door, then lowered his hand.

"Imperburtable Charm," he explained.

"Oh," I replied. "But Professor, I just had a thought. I come from the future, right?"

"Yes."

"So can't I change the future? Not even intentionally, but just by being here?"

Dumbledore looked up at me. "Miss Granger, the fact that you were sent back in time at all changed the future. In your time, however, things---"

"Oh, no," I interrupted. "They'll be looking for me, won't they? In my time, I mean."

"No," Dumbledore said simply. "Indeed, as I said, that time does not exist yet. Time is a complex thing, Miss Granger, but try and grasp this: because you just vanished from your time, the effect your disappearence would have had on that time was too great. Therefore, the entire time froze, much like pausing a television. If there were a way to send you back---of which I know none, unfortunately---the time would continue exactly as if you hadn't left. If we could send you back, you would appear in exactly the place you were when you left, and no time would have passed. It would appear theat you merely fell and got back up. When you left this time and returned to yours, all of the people who knew you in this time, or even saw you, would have no memory of your being here. Therefore, there is only one person who would remember your time jump, and that is you."

"Oh my god," I said after a moment. "So all those people who used to claim they were sent back in time---"

"Not all of them were lying, no," Dumbledore answered. "A few, of course, were delusional, others were seeking attention. But many of them, I have no doubt, did time travel---yet no one remembers, save for themselves."

"Well, sir, I have to tell you something. It's really, really important, and might upset you, but I need you to help me figure something out, if it's possible."

"Please," he said. "Enlighten me."

"Well, you see, sir, I know all four of the Mauraders---Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, James Potter, and Peter Pettigrew, that is---in my time. Or knew them, rather," I amended.

"How?"

"Well, Remus was my Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," I told him, and he smiled. "One of my best friends, Harry, is James' son; Sirius Black is Harry's godfather and was the best man at James' wedding."

"Ah," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling as he smiled. "They always have been close friends."

"Yes, well...so much for the good news. There's absolutely no good news about Peter, I'm afraid. But anyway, in my time, Remus can't find a job because he's a werewolf---"

"But I thought he was your teacher?"

"For one year, yes. My third year. But he forgot to take his Wolfsbane Potion one night, and was running around the grounds with a werewolf's mind."

"Oh my," Dumbledore said.

"Yes. He resigned the next morning, afraid he might hurt someone. He didn't want it to happen again."

"I see," Dumbledore said, a deep sadness rooted in his eyes. "And the others?"

"The other three all have bad news, and they're all connected, so I'll have to start from the beginning," I told him.

"Please do."

"Well," I said, "All four of the Mauraders were still very good friends---or so they thought. James and Lily---oh, Lily Evans, you know her, she's his wife---and their baby son were being hunted by Voldemort, and they asked you for help."

"Me?" Dumbledore asked, surprised.

"Yes," I replied. "You told them that the only way to escape detection fom Voldemort was through the Fidelius Charm," Dumbledore gave a nod of recognition, "which requires the choosing of a Secret-Keeper. James, of course, chose Sirius, though you offered to be Secret-Keeper instead. About a week later, Voldemort found the Potters---and killed them."

"But the Fidelius Charm is foolproof," Dumbledore argued. "Unless Sirius betrayed them?"

I sighed. "No, sir, Sirius didn't betray them. On the contrary, Sirius would have died before doing such a thing. But in order to tell you this story, I'm going to have to pretend that he did, because this was how everyone knew it---and the reason for Sirius' fate."

"Go on."

"All right, well, this was how it appeared, remember, not how it really happened. Sirius betrayed the Potters because he was working for Voldemort, and Peter Pettigrew was the first to find him after the wanted posters went up for Sirius. Peter confronted Sirius about the betrayal, and Sirius murdered him---blew him up into pieces so small that a finger was the largest piece of him they found---and twelve muggles who were standing near them at the time. Sirius was brought to Azkaban where, twelve years later, he became the first one to escape from it."

Dumbledore, for the first time, actually looked dumbstruck.

"That was how everyone knew it. As they saw it, Peter was dead, and Sirius was rotting in Azkaban where he belonged. But that wasn't how it happened. The truth is, Sirius figured out that Voldemort knew he was the Secret-Keeper, and was coming after him. So Sirius told James to change Secret-Keepers---change to Peter. What he didn't realize was that Peter was working for Voldemort, and Peter took that information and gave it to the one person Sirius was trying to keep it from. Then he pretended Sirius had done it, cut off his finger, and transformed into his Animagus form, a rat---and took off. But Sirius was innocent, though still in a cell. So here's all of their futures, now that you'll understand: James and Lily are dead, just a year after having a baby boy they named Harry James; Sirius is in jail for the betrayal of the Potters and the murders of Peter Pettigrew and a dozen others; Remus can't find work because he's a werewolf; and Peter is working for Voldemort."

Dumbledore was sitting perfectly still, watching me as I fought not to cry.

"And just when you think it can't get worse," I added, "Voldemort is now invading Harry's mind---Harry is very special, as I'll explain in a moment---in fact, he's famous. But his mind was being invaded, Voldemort was putting visions in Harry's head. One night, he had a dream that my friend Ron's father had been bitten by a snake and was dying---he even knew where he was when he'd been bitten. They found Ron's father and brought him to St. Mungo's, where he stayed for two weeks. He nearly died."

"Oh, my," Dumbledore said, alarmed.

"Yes. But you see, don't you, why everyone began believing these visions? Everyone trusted them; if Harry had seen it, it was accepted as if Harry had physically been there to witness it, do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Well, one night Harry had a vision that Voldemort had captured Sirius and taken him down into the Department of Mysteries, and was torturing him. Harry, Ron and I, of course, rushed over, along with some friends, to find Death Eaters waiting for us. It had been a trap. Sirius got word of what we'd done, and came to try and get us out of trouble---and Bellatrix Lestrange killed him. Her own cousin." Tears were running down my face now. "So that's the future of those four nice boys in that hallway," I told him, crying. "That's what all their honesty and loyalty and friendship will get them. Two of them dead, one who's poor because of stereotypes, and one who joined Voldemort."

"Miss Granger, listen to me," Dumbledore said. "That future no longer exists. You, just by being here, in this time, have changed the course of the future forever. You cannot visit history without making an impact upon it. It's a scientific impossibilities."

"Can I save them?" I cried. "Can I help any of them?"

"All of them, Miss Granger. All of them. You can help anyone you wish to help."

"Can I really?" I asked.

"Anyone," he replied, smiling broadly at me. "As Godric Gryffindor once said, 'You don't like the future? Don't fret. All you've got to do is change it.' It's never to late to change the course of the future, Miss Granger. Never."

I smiled, laughing through my tears. "Thank you, sir," I said, standing to leave.

"Will you be at the planning committee meeting, Miss Granger?" he asked, his eyes twinkling.

"Yes, sir," I replied. "As will Remus and James---and Lily."

"I see," he replied, eyes twinkling. "Matchmaking, are we?"

"Maybe," I said mysteriously, grinning. "Thank you again, sir," I said.

"Thank you, Miss Granger," he replied as he removed the Imperburtable Charm from the door.

"Goodbye, sir," I answered, and left. I smiled at the three boys sitting on the floor, but I'd forgotten the tears on my face.

"Hermione!" Sirius said, immediately jumping to his feet. "What's the matter?"

Grinning happily, I engulfed him in a huge hug. "Nothing, Sirius," I told him, laughing out of pure joy as I hugged Remus and James in turn. "Everything's wonderful."

SIRIUS BLACK

That night was the first meeting of the planning committee. I'd signed up, mainly because James, Remus and Hermione had, and I had nothing better to do. I'd made sure to sign up after Hermione, though, so she wouldn't see my name on the list.

I still didn't know why I'd bothered.

I showed up at the Head's Quarters at eight o'clock, looking around as I entered the room. Groups of people were all standing around talking; whatever teacher was heading the meeting wasn't there yet. I wandered around in the huge room until I heard a familiar voice behind me.

"Sirius! What are you doing here?"

I turned to see Hermione, standing with Remus, James, and---

Evans? I couldn't believe it. I looked at Remus, who shrugged, baffled; then at James, who did nothing but grin like an idiot as he stood next to Evans; and finally at Hermione, who wore on her face a mischevious smile that I found quite sexy.

Stop that, I told myself, and went to join them.

I said hello to everyone and waved to Evans, who waved back but didn't say anything, before Dumbledore himself walked in. Everyone quickly sat down and paid attention, but Dumbledore just smiled and waved his wand. A small sheet of paper and a self-inking quill appeared in front of each of us. Everyone looked at him, bewildered.

"I'll tell you now," Dumbledore said, "I am not going to be running this planning committee."

"Who is?" Evans asked.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "One of you," he replied. "Each of you, write down the name of a person in this room whom you believe would make a good president of the planning committee. I trust you all know each other?"

Everyone looked around, and nodded. The kids in the room were mainly Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, with about twenty Ravenclaws and a dozen or so Slytherins. Everyone knew, if not everyone in the room, most of the people there.

I wrote down Hermione, convincing myself all the while that it was only because she'd be good at it, and not because---not for any other reason.

When everyone wrote a name down, Dumbledore collected the papers, with a wave of his wand, into a neat pile. He took off his hat and poured all of the papers inside, then tapped the side of the hat with his wand. A name, in large, shimmering silver cursive, rose out of the hat: Hermione Granger. I smiled as Dumbledore vanished the remaining papers with a pop and placed his hat back on his head.

"Miss Hermione Granger, who had the most votes, will be the president of the planning committee. Now, this meeting of the planning committee is adjourned; the next meeting will be Wednesday, same time, same place. Miss Granger, if you could stay behind for a moment; everyone else, thank you for joining, and from now on Miss Granger will make the major decisions."

"I hope to see you Wednesday," Hermione added, looking completely startled that she'd made president.

James, Remus and I---Evans left with the others, to James' disappointment---waited for Hermione outside the door. She came out a few minutes later, blushing but looking proud.

"Congratulations, Hermione," Remus said, giving her a hug.

"Thanks," she answered after James and I echoed the praise. "I can't believe I got picked!"

"I can," I replied.

"I voted for Lily," she confessed.

"I voted for you," James, Remus and I all said at once.

She looked at us, surprised, then laughed. "Wow. Thanks."

"You deserve it," James decided. "You're good at that kind of stuff."

"Stop flattering me, all of you," she said.

"We're not," Remus contradicted. "We're being honest. You're one of our best friends, Hermione. We're allowed to be honest. Unless, of

course, you'd rather we lied to you..."

James smiled at Hermione. "I think we're only honest with you, actually. We're not honest around girls."

"Hey hey hey," she shot back, hands on her hips as she looked at James. "I am a girl."

"Just being honest," he teased, and she smacked his arm. "Oh, no," James said to that, putting on a high-pitched voice. "Look, I broke a nail."

Hermione slapped him in the back of the head for that. "Sexist."

"Ow," he said, rubbing his head where she'd hit him but still grinning. "That actually hurt."

She smiled. "Good," she told him. "You deserved it."

I looked between them, not really liking how close to flirting they were getting.

"Come on, you lovebirds," Remus teased, making it even worse. "Let's get upstairs before one of you gets pushed down them by the other."

And that, of course, began a full-on chase. Remus ran down the corridor with James chasing after him---but James couldn't keep up with Remus, because he was laughing. So Hermione ran past James, caught up with Remus, and actually lept onto Remus' back. Remus miraculously managed to stay upright, and gave Hermione a piggyback to the portrait hole.

Which, of course, did wonders for my personal happiness.

HERMIONE GRANGER

The next day, Wednesday, was the first meeting that I had to run on my own. All the Mauraders showed up to see me standing in the center of the room, giving instructions.

"Okay, guys, listen up," I said, rapping on a desk with my knuckles to get everyone's attention. "Let's start a list of things we need to decide on. When I call on you, tell me your name and house whether I know you or not. We've all got to learn one another's names. All right, go on," I encouraged, looking around at the students gathered around me as I walked towards the chalkboard. I picked up my wand and transfigured a scrap of parchment into a piece of chalk.

"Remus Lupin, Gryffindor," Remus said when I called on him. "Decorations," he offered, and I wrote it in flowing script on the chalkboard.

"Anna Plicky, Hufflepuff," a girl answered next. "Theme." I added it beneath "decorations."

People called out a few things, and then ran out of ideas.

"Okay, I think that's good enough," I said after awhile, putting the chalk down. "Now, here's the deal: we only have four things here: decorations; theme; advertising; and when it'll be---but each of these things represents both plenty of work and a lot of time and effort. So here's what we're going to do: I'm picking people to be leaders of groups. Remus, come up here," I said, beckoning. He stood and came to the front. "Lily," I added, and she joined Remus at my side. "You---what's your name?" I asked a girl.

"Jessica," she replied.

"All right, Jessica," I called, beckoning her to the front, and she came up.

This process continued until I had eight people standing in front of me; a male and female from each house.

"Now, if each of you could introduce yourselves," I instructed them, and Remus started.

"I'm Remus Lupin, or Moony, and I'm a Gryffindor."

"I'm Lily Evans," Lily said, "I'm also a Gryffindor."

"I'm Jessica Valence," the girl with long black hair next to Lily, said. "You can call me Jess, Jessie, basically any form of my name. Oh, and I'm a Ravenclaw."

"Anthony Beckett, or Tony," said the dark-haired guy next to her. "And I'm a Ravenclaw."

"Jen Simpson, Hufflepuff," said the tall blond girl to his left.

"Charlie Presson, Hufflepuff," said the stout redheaded guy.

"Nick Rixxen, Slytherin," said the guy next to Charlie.

"Laura Quinoxin, Slytherin," said the last girl.

"Okay, great," I said. "Now, leaders, pair up." Of course, the pairs ended up being the houses. "All right," I said, pointing to people. "You guys, with the Hufflepuffs, Jen and Charlie. This group, with the Slytherins, Nick and Laura. That group back there, stop talking, you're up with the Ravenclaws, Tony and Jessica. The rest of you, come on up, you're with the Gryffindors, Lily and Remus. Now, all of you, stay near your groups and have a seat with them. You there, stop talking," I added to a guy who was laughing at something a buddy of his had said. "Come on, guys, have a seat."

I finally got everyone to sit down, then said, "Okay. Which group wants what?"

Silence.

"We'll take decorations," Lily said when no one spoke.

"Good," I said. "Anyone else have preferences?"

"We'll take advertising," the Slytherin guy, Nick, decided.

"Okay," I replied, looking at the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. "Who gets which one?" I asked.

"Theme," Jessica, the Ravenclaw girl, called.

"All right. Then that leaves you," I told the Hufflepuffs, "With when we're going to have it."

"Wait a minute," said an attractive guy in the back, raising his hand.

"And you are?" I asked, then realized I sounded like Professor Umbridge and said, "What's your name?"

"Kevin Minxe, Ravenclaw," he said hurriedly. "But we haven't said anything about music yet."

"A good point," I said, thinking. Then I had an idea. "Kevin, I'll tell you what. If you're willing, I'll make another group for advertising and you and I will be the leaders of that group."

"All right," he replied.

"Good," I said. "Okay, anyone who would rather work on music than whatever they're in, move to the back."

A few people from each group moved to the back, including Sirius. I smiled. "Perfect."

"Okay," I said, "for today, just start brainstorming ideas and ways to get what you want; we don't have time for much else. I know the Gryffindors have Quidditch practice and Ravenclaws are having a House party at nine thirty, so I'll try and get everyone out of here by nine, okay? All right, everyone, go for it."

I headed to the back of the room, and my group. Kevin Minxe, the guy who'd spoken up about the music, stood when I got closer. He held out his hand for me to shake.

"Just thought I'd re-introduce myself. Kevin Minxe," he said as I took his hand.

"Hermione Granger," I said, giving him my trademark firm handshake and releasing his hand. "Thank you for bringing up the music; I think everyone just forgot about it."

"No problem," he replied.

"I'm sure it wasn't," Sirius, sitting nearby, muttered bitterly.

"What?" I asked, bewildered.

"Nothing," Sirius sighed, sitting heavily back in his chair. "Forget it."

JAMES POTTER

"Hey Moony?" I asked a week later by the fire, just after yet another planning committee meeting. I was working on my Transfiguration homework; Remus had just finished his and had moved on to other things.

"Yes?" he replied, looking up from the crossword puzzle he was doing.

"Am I the only one who's worried about Sirius?"

Remus put his crossword puzzle down in his lap and rested his pencil across it, watching me with mild curiousity. "Worried about him for what reason?"

"He's obsessed, Remus."

"With what?" Remus asked. "Hermione? Trust me, I've seen him obsessed---not wth a girl, but with other things. This is not him

obsessed. This is Sirius in love."

My mouth fell open. "You think he's in love with her? Padfoot? Mr.-
Different-Girl-Every-Week?"

"Yes. Haven't you ever noticed? He switches girlfriends so fast because he's trying to find a girl he actually likes. All the others---well, let's just say that most girls at Hogwarts want whatever piece of Sirius they can get. And for a lot of them, if that means dating him and then getting dumped without any hard feelings, they're willing."

"Wow," I said, feeling dumb. "And here I''ve been worried he's taking infatuation too seriously."

Remus looked up sharply. "Eat your words," he said sternly, but kindly. "If you're going to worry that he'd do something like that, worry about yourself as well."

I drew myself up, sitting straighter in the chair. "I," I proclaimed, "Am in love. And don't you forget it."

"Well, Sirius is in love, too. And don't you forget it," Remus mocked, then turned serious. "I mean it, Prongs. I think he's in love; I also think you're in love. I also think you each need to stop worrying about the well-being of the other."

"Why, is Padfoot worried about me?"

Remus smiled wearily. "I had this exact conversation with Sirius the other night. He thought you were taking infatuation too seriously."

"What'd you say?"

"The same thing I said to you," Remus said indifferently, picking up his pencil; he returned to his crossword, smiling gently as he filled in the next word. "To quit being such an old woman and stop worrying."

HERMIONE GRANGER

I woke up the next morning with an idea; I didn't know where it came from or even what had led to it, I just knew I thought it was brilliant. I went to breakfast in a rush, thoroughly excited.

"Guys!" I said, nearly throwing my bag onto the table in my excitement.

"What?" Sirius asked, startled.

"Guys, come with me. Come here! I need some information from you, and then I've got an idea---just come with me!"

Exchanging bewildered looks and shrugs, Remus, Sirius, and James got up and followed me. I ran over to the Ravenclaw table and tapped Kevin Minxe, my music co-team leader, on the shoulder. He turned.

"Hermione," he said, a slow smile spreading across his face. "Hi."

"Hi," I replied distractedly. "Listen, could you do me a favor and come to the meeting fifteen minutes early tonight?"

"Sure," he replied. "What's up?"

"I can't tell you now," I told him, sounding rushed (probably because I was). "I've got to go do something. But I'll talk to you then, okay?"

"All right," he agreed, watching me curiously.

"Okay," I said, turning on my heel and going as fast as I could out of the Great Hall. "Thanks, Kevin," I called over my shoulder, and he waved, looking bewildered but amused.

I led the now thoroughly confused Marauders all over the castle, finally reaching my destination.

"Hermione, why are we in the Magical and Muggle Music Studies classroom?" Remus asked bravely after a moment.

"Because," I replied, beaming, "We're starting a band."

They stared.

"Well," James said. "That was unexpected. Are you planning on telling us where that came from?"

I laughed joyously. "Sit, sit," I told them, ushering them towards the desks. "Okay, first thing," I began. "Do any of you play anything?"

There was a long silence. "Drums," Sirius said. "And electric guitar."

"Electric guitar," James agreed, thinking. "And I can sing," he added.

"Good," I said. "Remus?"

He smiled. "Clarinet and alto sax, but I can't sing at all."

"This is awesome!" I said happily. "We can start a band just with these instruments. If we all played all the instruments we're capable of, we'll have a clarinet, an alto sax, drums, three guitars, a piano, and two singers."

"You play piano and guitar, I take it," Sirius guessed. "And you're a singer."

"Yeah," I replied. "Have you guys ever played acoustic guitar?"

They shook their heads.

"Huh," I said. "Well, it's the same thing. I can play both, and it really isn't any different; except with an acoustic, you don't need an amp and you have to tune it every once in awhile. You could learn."

They looked at each other, grinning.

"Hermione, why are we starting a band in the first place?" James asked.

"Because Kevin and I have been working on the music for Muggle Formal Night," I said, noticing a scowl from Sirius but ignoring it, "and we've tried---and failed---to book several muggle bands. But it's prom season, and all the decent muggle bands are taken. So we're starting one, and we'll play at Muggle Formal Night. Don't worry, I'm still going to hire a DJ; we'll still be able to dance and party and have a good time. But I thought it would be cool to have a live band."

"Cool," James said.

"Do we have music?" Remus asked.

"No," I replied, grinning. "That's the fun part. We're writing our own."