Hermione managed to settle in with the new classes and found out that she had every single class with Sirius, James, Remus and Lilly. She found it quite hard having to balance her friendship Lilly and the marauders as they did not get on together at all, much to the disappointment of James, but found that she was getting on extremely well with Sirius. She would of course work with Lilly in class as she was the only one who seemed to take as much interest in work as Hermione did. Hermione also noticed that as well as getting on very well with Sirius she was getting quite a bit of attention from Remus two. Hermione shrugged this off though as she had found out on her second day there that Remus was gay.
Late one evening when the marauders had just got back from the kitchens, and sneaked their stash up to their room to eat, the boys decided to liven things up a little by playing truths. (They had stopped daring each other in their third year because they had run out of things to do and none of them ever backed down, except for Peter.) After Sirius had asked James about his deepest fantasies with Lilly he stopped the answer half way through complaining of too much of a visual to not be able to sleep for a year. Next it was James turn to dare some one and he chose Sirius again. "Sirius. Ummm, if you had to sleep with any girl in this year which would it be. And if you say Lilly I will strangle you with my bare hands, just to make sure we have an understanding that she is mine!" Laughing Sirius went into mock thought for a while before Remus threw a pillow at him for taking to long. "Ok ok calm down moony I've got one. I think it would have to be Hermione. I duno why." All the boys nodded expecting this answer from the way that the two had been behaving recently.
"Ok moony. Your turn. Who do you really fancy. And none of this "That isn't fair I'm the only gay" business. OK?" Remus nodded looking at the floor.
"Ummm. Well I think that ….. No …… oh never mind. Next question." All the boys looked at him in shock. "Come on Moony don't keep us in suspense. Please?" said James grabbing Remus's arm and spinning him round.
"No really. Please lets go to bed I'm tired."
"No we have waited too long for you to get over Chris and if you don't tell us we will just have to go to the potions lab and get some vertisium!" shouted Sirius. Remus looked at him with shock and fear in his eyes. "You wouldn't!"
"Oh wouldn't we? Do you even remember who we are? The marauders never back down if it will help our friend."
"But it wont so lets just drop it and go to sleep!" and the Remus got up and strolled over to his bed putting a sealing charm around it so that they wouldn't be able to sneak into bed to force vertisium down his throat while he was sleeping.
"Well that was strange. Who do you think he fancies?" asked James after a few minuets. "I don't know. But it must be bad, if he hasn't told us. The other boys nodded in agreement and then made their own way to bed.
The next day Remus would hardly talk to any of his friends and spent more time than usual in the library (which they had thought was impossible until now). They noticed that Hermione spent nearly all of her time in the library and when they asked her why she had to be boring and hide behind books she would smile sweetly and then replied "Well it would do you some good to go there sometimes you know. Your head isn't so big that you can know everything…….. yet!" and then she would walk of in a huff as the onlookers would snigger. Dissing the Marauders was just unheard of and to not get punished afterward was a miracle on her part. Sirius seemed to be paying her more and more attention, almost as much as James had on Lilly, except every compliment that was given to Hermione, she would accept with a sweet smile. But if Sirius ever tried to do anything more (Which he hadn't yet) she was sure that she would have to let him down.
On afternoon after transfiguration the marauders and Hermione and Lilly (who Hermione had to practically drag with her) were making there way down to the lake. It has been three weeks since Hermione had arrived and Christmas holidays were only ten days away. The lake was quite and the friends were settling down on the cold grass. Remus was reading a book and Sirius and James were planning their next prank while peter listened in nodding his head vigorously to whatever the two others were saying. Hermione and Lilly were having a quite discussion about Hogwarts: a history.
"So its settled then. And we'll set it off day before people go home for Christmas." Whispered Sirius making sure that Lilly and Hermione didn't hear otherwise the prank would not have been allowed to go though. "Right. I think that we should go talk to the girls and Remus. They will get suspicious otherwise." The others nodded making there way over to where the girls were sitting. Sneaking up behind them they pounced on the unsuspecting seventeen year old girls, making them scream and jump up from where they were sitting. "Potter what the hell are you thinking! Get away from me now!" yelled Lilly as James picked her up and started walking over to the Lake. Sirius was laughing extremely hard by now as he took his cue and did the same to Hermione as she started kicking and screaming not wanting what was going to come next. Sure enough next thing to happen was that Lilly and Hermione were dunked under the pond while the marauders stood by the side and laughed even harder. Winking at each other the girls pouted and held out their hands for the boys to help them up. But when the boys took their hands they too were pulled into the lake. now the only dry ones left were Remus and Peter but James soon sorted that out by waving his wand at them and pulling them in as well. Soon there was a full blast water fight in the lake with every one laughing and happy until it got cold and the girls got out to go back in.
As the girls made their way up to the castle James and Sirius caught up with them. Lilly made to hurry away from them and started walking faster but James ran after her leaving Hermione with Sirius yet again. "Has anyone ever told you that you look really good wet?" smirked Sirius with an earnest look. Hermione rolled her eyes. "Don't you ever get bored of saying the same things over and over again? I wonder how many girls you have said that to. You'll turn into a parrot soon." Laughed Hermione Sirius put on a hurt face and pouted. "Ouch that hurt. But come on. You cant say that you have never thought of going out with me."
"Well yer I suppose I have thought of it" His face lit up but then she continued "But then I wanted to throw up from thinking things like that." Then Sirius really did look like he had been slapped across the face. "Whats wrong Sirius? Never had a proper argument with a girl. If I wanted to I could do a lot worse." Giglled Hermione in a teasing voice.
"You know that you can be really harsh when you want to be right?"
"Yup. Ron told me that every day."
"You don't really think that I'm that repulsive do you?" Hermione gave him a sweet smile and then ran off up to castle and into the girls shower before he could catch up with her.
Sirius' ego had taken a big dip after Hermione had walked off at the lake. He needed to get back at her after making the amazing Sirius Black take a confidence drop. The perfect opportunity came when one evening when Hermione had been writing in her diary and accidentally left it in the common room while she went to the toilets (even though it was hidden under the cushions of the sofa). Sirius took his chance and grabbed the diary and started to read. To see if there was anything that he could use in there for a prank. He read
Dear Diary.
I am still here. In the past. Dumbledore and the other teachers do not seem to be any closer on sending me back to 2004. I guess I shouldn't get my hopes up. If only it hadn't been just me to come here tough. I'm sure that Harry would have given anything to come. I know how much he wanted to know Lilly and James and how much he is missing Sirius. And here I am spending all of my time with them. I cant help but feel guilty.
But that isn't my only reason for feeling guilty. Only today after we came back from the Lake Sirius had been talking to me about going how I felt about him. The look on his face was actually quite funny, but the problem is that I do have feelings for him. But I can't. I mustn't. He is old enough to be my dad. But when I'm in this time he isn't. He is my age and will be if I stay here.
But I can't stay here I must get back. I must fight in the war. They need me. And I need to help Harry. Harry and Ron would never forgive me if I were to do anything with Sirius. I'm just so confused!
"what the hell was that all about. Either she needs some mental help or….." but he didn't manage to finish his sentence because Hermione had walked back into the room and seen him with her diary and walked over and slapped him hard on the face. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING? GOING ROUND READING OTHER PEOPLES DIARYS! How much did you read?" screamed Hermione at the stunned Sirius.
"I only read this entry and what is all this about some sort of Future? And your true feelings?" Hermione was so glad that everyone else was at dinner and hadn't heard that last comment but now she would have to explain everything to him. "Look Sirius we have two options. Either I will tell you everything and you wont tell a soul. Not even the other marauders. Or I could wipe your memory about this and I am not kidding." Said Hermione in a dangerous voice, flicking her wand out at him. Sirius gulped loudly and nodded. "I promise on my own grave that I will not tell a soul about anything that I will find out." Hermione nodded in approval and tried to calm down.
"So what is it that you have found out already from my diary?"
"Well I read something saying that you came from the future and that you couldn't get back. And something about a war and that you have feelings for me." Hermione rolled her eyes at the last part but nodded to the rest.
"Well yes I do come from the future. I come from the year 2004. I'm not really allowed to tell anyone about that because they would want to know what their future would hold and if I tell them anything about their future then terrible things could happen. And as for the war, I'm not sure that I am really allowed to tell you anything about that." Sirius nodded
"Do you know me in the future?" Hermione nodded
"Did you like me in the future? Before you knew me here?" again Hermione nodded "What did you think of the future me?"
"Well first I liked you but was a little intimidated and then I got to know you and you were much the same as you are now. Just as reckless and brave" Hermione laughed at herself and looked like she was far off in a memory. Sirius smirked at her and added "You forgot sexy" and then Hermione laughed again except louder and longer and tilted her eyebrow. "maybe. But maybe the years are not as kind to you as you like to think." An the look on Sirius's face was enough to send her into another fit of giggles to last her the night but she soon calmed down. "Listen this is really important that you don't tell anyone about what you found out. And I mean it when I say that if you do tell a soul then I will have to hex you into oblivion and trust me. We have a lot more powerful spells in the future that I could use on you and no one would know the counter curse for another decade or two."
"Wow chill would I ever disrespect a powerful and intelligent witch with a wand?"
"I hear you do that every time you go home in the summer holidays!" Hermione snapped playfully but as this comment was said the laughter and playfulness in Sirius's face fell. "oh Sirius sorry I wasn't thinking……"
"Nah its ok but who told you anyway?"
"No one. Let's just say that they don't change in a few year time."
"What! Are you telling me that there still going to be alive in the year 2000? That sucks."
"I didn't say that did I and anyway I am not allowed to tell you anything so there." Hermione stuck her tongue out at him and ran out of the portrait hole leaving him alone again. Reasoning with himself that he had already seen the most important part of her diary that there would be no harm in continuing, and if he did find something out that helps him in the future, then so be it. He then took the small book up to his room so as not to be disturbed and continued to read.