Eh heh. First, I want to say thanks to Nathalie, for her ideas and for the reminder! I do not own anything, except for my magnetic monkey. It's this cool monkey that has wings and pants and its name is Charlemagne…. So it is a flying cheesemonkey that mocks you with its monkey-pants… I know. I'm random. But I just ate a slab of chocolate…

Chapter 23: 'Twas the Night Before Hogsmeade

"Ouch!"

"What is it, Moony?"

"What do you mean, 'what is it'? You just threw a paper airplane into my ear, Padfoot!"

Sirius smirked from his spot in the back of McGonagall's Transfiguration classroom. This was the last day of school before the students would be packing up for a Hogsmeade trip, and then the Christmas holidays would start. At the moment, it was "Research Time" in Transfiguration, or as Sirius liked to call, "Annoy-the-hell-out-of-your-friends Time".

"I did no such thing, Remus," Sirius said indignantly.

"Fine, fine," sighed Remus. He massaged his left ear gingerly before returning to his textbooks. "Just let me read in peace, please." And he was, once again, lost in his books, soaking in all the complex transfiguring spells that Albus Dumbledore had used against the Dark Lord Grindelwald during the final battle in 1945.

Sirius snickered, amused by his desk partner's solitary studying habits. The black-haired boy would have continued to irk Remus if he had not spotted a better target. A redheaded girl was innocently sitting in front of Sirius, leaning over her stack of books that laid pell-mell on her desk (which was shared with Hermione).

Lily Evans was absorbed into her books concerning Animagus transformations. While reading on which animal a witch or wizard would transfigure into, she was spinning her quill expertly in her hand. She heard a whisper behind her, but ignored it completely. While twirling her quill like a fiery baton in her hand, Lily took no notice of it. That is, until it started growing hair, a tail, and whiskers: her quill had been substituted with a rat.

"Eek! A rat!"

Lily shrieked and dropped the rat at once, scooting her chair as far as if would go from the desk. It smashed into Sirius's and Remus's desk; they both abruptly looked up.

Hermione leaned over and asked what Lily was talking about. According to Hermione, there was no rat anywhere (Mrs. Norris, a kitten, probably ate all of them). Hermione continued to look at Lily worriedly as Professor McGonagall strode quickly towards them. Her eyes were piercing and her lips were tight.

"What is the matter here, Miss Evans?" McGonagall snapped.

"M—my quill was a rat, P—professor," Lily mumbled loud enough for her neighboring classmates and McGonagall to hear.

McGonagall's eyes narrowed, shooting over to Lily's stationary, not to mention feathery, quill before landing back on Lily. She cast her eyes around the classroom with hawk-like eyes, searching for the culprit. And she found him: Sirius Black was leaning back on the hind legs of his chair with his eyes closed and a content smile on his handsome face. McGonagall, in one swift movement, was standing behind Sirius. She hit him over the head. James and Peter were snickering in the background.

"Black, did you do this?"

Sirius did not react immediately. He set his chair down on all four legs, brushed a stray strand of hair out of his face, and slowly opened his eyes, traveling with sluggishness towards McGonagall's face. "Do what?" were the words Sirius spoke with a hint of surprise. Every single student in the classroom was now watching the scene.

"Did you or did you not transfigure Miss Evans wand into a rat?" McGonagall snarled, pronouncing each word with utter annoyance. Her lips snapped tight, growing white from the pressure.

Sirius looked amused. "Why attack me? Why not question my good friend James, or Peter?"

"Mr. Potter was busy talking to Mr. Thewler the entire time, as I heard," McGonagall bit back. James and Harry, who were sitting next to each other, stopping talking immediately and snapped their jaws tight. "And as for Mr. Pettigrew, he couldn't transfigure a match into a needle, let alone a quill into a live rat."

Sirius directed his eyes over to Peter for a split second, whose blush was creeping up into his hair line, seeing as his face was buried in his arms on top of his desk. "That's a little harsh, don't you think, Minerva?" Sirius asked blasé-like.

McGonagall's nostrils flared. "How many times, Black, do I have to ask you to call me as you would any other teacher?"

"Well, that's up to you, isn't it?" Sirius smirked. He carried on quickly before Professor McGonagall could answer. "And how come you call me only by my last name while you give all the other students titles?"

Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, her eyes narrowed to tiny slits, but Sirius overruled her.

"I'm the teacher's pet, aren't I?"

"Sirius Black, you are the teacher's nuisance, to say at the very least," growled McGonagall.

Sirius leaned forward, anxious. "You know, Minerva, you have beautiful eyes."

That was the last straw.

"Detention, Black! Six o'clock. My office." Professor McGonagall spun around on her heels and crossed the classroom to her desk again. She sniffed angrily before opening a book noisily and reading its contents with fiery eyes.

Twenty minutes later everyone was filing out of the classroom. The five Gryffindor boys were already out of the class and strolling down the halls. James, Harry, and Peter were laughing hysterically at Sirius's show.

"See? Don't ever say Sirius Black backs down from a dare," Sirius said pompously.

James and Harry, two nights prior, had dared Sirius to tell "Minerva" that she had stunning eyes during class. Sirius had agreed without another thought. It was a Marauder tradition. They would always go through these little dares throughout the school year, and then rack up the points to see who won. The prize was something the Marauders would cherish dear: major gloating privilege.

James, however, was having an amusing time reenacting the dare.

"You have beautiful eyes," James said mockingly to Harry, though keeping a straight face.

Harry laughed along with the other three Marauders.

James chuckled, but didn't full out laugh. "Actually, Harry, you kind of do. Your eyes remind me of Lily's," James said offhandedly.

"Oh great, Prongs, now you're seeing Lily's eyes in random people," Sirius joked. He punched his friend in the arm. "When will she get out of your head?"

"During Quidditch, of course," James said, sarcastically outraged.

Harry just adverted his eyes and stayed quiet the rest of the trip to the Great Hall. So… someone had finally noticed his, Harry's, eyes. Thankfully, others just thought it to be a joke. Harry hoped that no one would ever piece together the resemblance in Harry and Lily's eyes.

"You sure about that?" Sirius asked James. "I mean, I've seen you purposely fly past the Gryffindor section many times, Prongs."

"I don't know what you are talking about," James said airily.

"Sure you don't," Sirius said with a roll of the eyes.

"Are you accusing me of not focusing during a Quidditch match? Why, that's an outrage!" James cried out. "Madness!"

"Oh yeah, and that one time when you saw Lily screaming her lungs out cheering you on, and then moments later, you fly straight into the goal post… how do you explain that?" Sirius chuckled.

"I—I don't have to. I have the right to remain silent!"

They all paused.

"Oy, where's Remus?" Sirius asked, looking around.

"Why?" asked Peter.

"Because James just totally set himself up for one of Remus's witty comments, and there was no witty comment. Moony was supposed to say 'but you just lack the capacity to remain silent' or something along the lines of that…" Sirius paused. "It's a disturbance in the Marauder traditions! Chaos shall cease for all times!"

"Er, Padfoot?" Harry interrupted. He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "Moony is just back there talking with Lily and Hermione."

"Oh… but still!" Sirius insisted. "He's causing a disorder in our disorderly order!"

James and Harry both shook their heads while laughing lightly. Peter just plain-out laughed his head off.

A few paces back, Remus was, too, shaking his head.

"No, that's not right," Remus said at once, shaking his head again and again. "Why would Professor Smirch wear a wig? It just doesn't make sense."

"I don't know why either," Lily agreed. "But that hair is just too shiny and… perfect for a wretched woman like her…" she trailed off mumbled incoherent words that could not have been said in front of the Headmaster. Lily looked to her left at Hermione's strange look, and to her right to spot Remus's raised eyebrows. "She could have a wig, you know. No hair is that… perfect... that—"

"Okay, we get it," Remus said hastily.

"What I think she does is she uses potions to make it unnaturally shiny," Hermione spoke. "It's not that hard to do, anyways. I did it once to my hair for a ball at my old school…" Remus opened his mouth, thought better of it, and closed it. Hermione did not notice. "Although, it did take for ever to apply…"

"So then it must be her real hair," concluded Remus. "No respected teacher would spend that much time on hair potions, and I fully doubt it's a wig. She just doesn't strike me as the… wig… wearer…" Remus just looked up as if he just noticed where he was. "Bloody hell, not again!" he cried out suddenly. He stopped in the middle of the Great Hall's entrance.

"What?" Hermione and Lily asked harmoniously.

Remus glared accusing at both girls. "You two roped me into another girl-y conversation. How many times do I have to say that I don't want to be 'one of the girls'?" Not to his surprise, Lily started to giggle and Hermione smiled and shook her head while continuing their walk.

"You're the one that joined us instead of 'the Marauders' while exiting Transfiguration," Lily pointed out.

Remus chose to ignore this. "You know what? I'm going to bring some boy-immaturity back into this conversation. Say anything and I'll respond with a proper immature thing that only a guy would say. Come on!" He waved his fingers impatiently, giving them a stare to match it.

The two Gryffindor girls just looked at each other in disbelief and amusement.

"Warlocks' Convention of 1709," Hermione said pompously.

Remus paused. Nothing immature came to mind. Just more facts on where the battle took place and who turned out victorious. "Damn it." He joined laughing with him as they sat down next to James, Sirius, Harry, and Peter.

"Dost my ears deceive me? Did I just hear Moony swear?" rang Sirius through his dinner roll.

"What's it to ya, mate?" Remus smirked right back before dishing himself some potatoes and gravy.

"You two girls are having a bad influence on our poor little Moony," scolded James, but the shining smile on his face showed he was simply jesting. "You two should stop hanging around him so much."

"Right, Remus learned how to swear… from us," Lily quipped. "That'll be the day," she mumbled to no one in particular.

"Oy, did anyone notice Professor Smirch's hair today?" Sirius asked randomly, the thought coming into his mind. "Was it me or did it look fake, or overly shiny?"

Remus, Lily, and Hermione all glanced at each other before bursting into peels of laughter that rang through the filled hall, full of hungry students and teachers waiting eagerly for their delicious food.

It turned out that James, Sirius, and Peter had pulled a prank in the middle of the night a few days prior. The prank itself remained a mystery to most students, but everyone knew that it had involved hundreds of rabbits and the Slytherin common room. So, naturally, the three Marauders were in detention on the night before Hogsmeade. Remus and Lily were doing their rounds for their Prefect duties, so it was just Harry and Hermione that night.

Hermione was curled up by the fireplace with her homework in hand, even though it was due once the holiday break ended. Harry had filched James's already stolen Snitch and was testing his reflexes. Harry wasn't trying to show off or anything, unlike James, because only a few first years were in the common room, and they were quite befuddled with their match of wizards chess. Anyways, Harry didn't want to be out of shape when he went back to present times. (That was as far as he thought about his regular time, though.)

"Hermione, how can you stand doing homework during the first hours of our Christmas holidays?" Harry shifted in his seat again with his fist clenched tightly around the Snitch. He let it go again, only to catch it once more. "It's like blasphemy or something," he muttered under his breath. He fidgeted again. He wanted to do something. Something exciting. Something unexpected. Something rebellious.

"Look at you, Harry," Hermione exclaimed looking up from her parchment to see Harry's toes tapping anxiously on the floor. "You're all jittery. What's the matter?"

"It's a Friday night, and I could be doing so much more than lounging around the fireplace… I just feel like doing something, that's all," Harry said defensively.

"Something as in a prank?" Hermione asked shrewdly.

"Maybe," Harry said, once again, protectively.

"You never really thirsted for trouble back home, did you?" Hermione paused, giving time for Harry to ponder. "I think being in this time is affecting you as much as it is affecting those around us."

"Oh, that's rich, coming from you," Harry barked with a cold chuckle.

"See?" Hermione said, untouched on the outside by Harry's remark. On the inside, though, she knew he was right. "You are even developing a slight trait from one of your dear friends." Harry blinked, ignoring the struggling Snitch in his hand. "Sirius's temper."

"But what about you?" Harry asked immediately. "I may be 'developing Sirius's temper', but you—you're developing feelings for two people of this era! Correct me if I'm wrong, but that seems to bend the time-traveling rules a bit more, doesn't it?"

Hermione, however, remained unruffled by his comments, but in her mind, she was livid: Harry was right. She spoke in a loud, crisp voice, her eyes never wavering from Harry's face. "I'm not if you or Ron ever noticed—"

She was interrupted by a young, redheaded boy that was passing by Harry and Hermione on his way to his dormitory. "Ron. Huh, that's a funny name. I kinda like it, though…" He skipped the rest of the way to the staircases, giggling over the name Ron. It was Bill Weasley.

Feeling quite amused, Hermione let out a soft chuckled. Harry's glare shortened her laughter. "As I was saying… I'm not sure if you or Ron ever noticed, but I really am a girl. Therefore, I can 'develop feelings' for boys."

"But couldn't you fall for one that isn't my father's age?" he ended in a hiss. He glowered for a moment, then gave a heavy, defeated sigh. "Why couldn't it be Ron? Hm? He's our age."

Hermione snorted. "He likes the girls with a pretty face and a horrible personality, doesn't he? I don't think he's capable of looking past a girl's face to see who she really is."

Harry looked sideways at Hermione. "You'd be surprised… Fine, not Ron, then. Why not Dean Thomas? Neville? Krum wouldn't be that bad. Hell, I'd even take Zacharias Smith!"

Raising her eyebrows in complete doubt, she gazed at Harry. "You would rather have me date that pompous Hufflepuff than Sirius or Remus, who you know very well to be all around nice boys, would you?"

"Okay, well, maybe not Zacharias, but still…" An almost invisible grin flitted across Harry's face.

"And besides, it's not like I can't help feeling for someone," Hermione added, anxious to get at least some of the deep thoughts off of her chest. "It's like when you fancied Cho—" (Harry groaned.) "—you knew she was a bit… temperamental, but you still fancied her."

"Until I found out that she was just too—much," Harry finished.

"And therefore," Hermione carried on strongly, ignoring Harry's side comment, "I can't stop liking someone—"

"But you can stop acting on those emotions," Harry interrupted, his emerald eyes firing up again. "So don't do anything foolish tomorrow at Hogsmeade."

Hermione almost seemed to be shaking with rage. "Foolish? Foolish?! I will do whatever I want to do tomorrow, Harry. I don't need you to tell me what my limits are." She let out a mix between a snarl and a shriek before gathering up her books. Hermione gave one glance back at Harry before storming loudly up the back stairs, grumbling unheard words under her breath as she went.

Harry stared with some rage, but mostly in awe. "Girls, they are the strangest creatures alive, I swear. One minute they are calm, cool, collected. Next, they're a raving loony!" Noticing that something was brushing madly against his hand, he snapped his head down towards the object. The Golden Snitch was still fluttering madly in his fist. He thought about stuffing it back into James's enchanted box he kept it in, but thought better. Harry slowly creaked his fist open. The Snitch zoomed out and zipped freely around the common room.

"What'd you do that for?" James laughed from the portrait entrance. "I worked hard at stealing that little bugger." James laughed again as he strolled over to Harry and sat down where Hermione had been previously. Harry rolled his angered eyes up to James's shining face. James's smile faltered. Something was different. "What's wrong, mate?"

"I—I just had a little row with Hermione, that's all," Harry said quietly. His temper was still a little too high to fool James.

"Hmm…" James sat in silence trying to read Harry's face. Something was different with Harry all right. Something about Harry's mood pulled James's attention. Harry's words? No. Harry's stance? No. What was it?…

"Hey mates!" cried out Sirius from behind James. He had just returned from a separate detention, too. "My God, that detention felt like it would never end. I'm just so glad that I bought these, eh Prongs?" Sirius pulled out his two-way mirror from his pocket and kissed it.

Remus was stalking up from behind the two new arrivals. "You know, some would call you a narcissist if you keep that up, Padfoot." Remus clapped one hand on Sirius's shoulder with a laugh.

"What about my cousin?" Sirius asked blankly. "What does she have to do with an enchanted mirror?"

Remus just shook his head. "Your denseness ceases to amaze me."

"Are you two all right?" Sirius asked James and Harry. Both remained silent the entire time. James was staring a hole in Harry's head, while Harry was gazing deeply at the carpet. James shook his head, as if waking up from a dream, and looked at his friends.

"Huh? Oh, yeah… Where's Peter?" James asked, looking around.

"He's still in his detention… with Smirch," added Sirius with a terrified shudder. "I think she is having him reorganize the ingredients from smelliest to least smelly." Sirius barked out a laugh. James joined in weakly, along with Harry.

"Honestly, what's wrong with you two? It's the holidays! One would usually be partying right about now!"

"Right… partying…" James settled his suspicions about Harry in the back of his mind… for the time being.

Hermione was sitting alone at the Gryffindor table the next morning. Lily was fending off James, who was sticking to her like glue all morning. Two other girls in her dormitory, Dana and Freya, were primping themselves for the Hogsmeade trip, and then packing for their trip back home. Saumya, the last occupant of Hermione's room, was probably in a closet somewhere with Mundungus, or was already off at Hogsmeade. Hermione guessed that Sirius was still asleep, and Remus was, in vain, trying to wake him up. To Hermione pleasure, Peter was called home the previous night, because a relative had died (of natural causes), so Peter would be gone all break until school started again. Harry was nowhere to be seen. Not like Hermione wanted to talk to him. She was still furious at him, and even more furious with herself.

"Hello, beautiful," cooed a voice from behind Hermione. A strong hand glided across her shoulders before landing on the table, hoisting the owner onto to the bench with a little jump. Sirius plopped down beside Hermione.

"What he means to say is, Good morning, Hermione," Remus sighed, walking a few paces behind before settling down on the other side of Hermione.

Hermione feigned a pout. "You don't think I'm beautiful, Remus?"

Remus raised his eyebrows. "Of course I do. I just find it odd to call a girl beautiful… who turns out to be half our age," he ended in a whisper.

"Love has no limits, Moony, ole' buddy," Sirius droned. "You must have learned that in one of your precious books." Sirius sent over a smirk to his friend before serving himself some porridge.

"Don't insult books," Hermione said almost seriously, but with a ghost of a grin flitting across her face. "They are the foundation of life."

"Of course, milady," Sirius answered immediately between mouthfuls. "As you wish."

Hermione just smiled mockingly at Sirius before tucking in herself.

Harry was climbing down the Gryffindor Tower with his stomach growling. He skipped the last few steps as he reached the ground floor. Strolling over to the Great Hall's entry doors, he began to whistle. He didn't even know he could whistle until he heard James doing so (after he had hexed Snape to do the Irish jig). Turning in to the crowded eating area, he spotted his friends instantly at the Gryffindor Table. So far, it was Remus, Sirius, and Hermione in the usual sixth years spot. It took Harry a few seconds to realize that Hermione was holding and patting Remus's hand. Harry watched in horror when Sirius leaned in to Hermione's neck. Whether the boy was kissing her or whispering in her ear was hard to tell, but Hermione's reaction caused Harry's temper to madden. She giggled and ruffled up Sirius's hair playfully with a crazy grin on.

Harry's appetite left him in a half second. He spun around on his heals with a squeak and headed back upstairs again. It wasn't as if Harry was jealous. Harry wasn't even sure he had feelings for Hermione when they were "dating" (if one could call it that). He just needed someone close to him… after the death. So, Harry wasn't jealous or anything like that. It was that Hermione was getting away with what he couldn't: becoming close to someone in the past. All Harry wanted to do is to be the best of friends with James and Lily. Spending time with them was the best thing that has ever happened to him. But he couldn't. And Hermione was flirting with people in the past he (and she) knew she shouldn't. In Harry's fury, he didn't notice someone sulking down the stairs, lost in his own thoughts too. Harry's head collided with James's.

"Sorry there, mate," James apologized immediately. He had been talking to Lily about their trip today to Hogsmeade together when she started yelling at him to leave her alone for the time being. So he left, feeling a bit downhearted because his trip to Hogsmeade wouldn't be nearly as fun if she was in such a bad mood.

"Naw, it's my fault. Wasn't looking," Harry mumbled.

James actually looked up at Harry's face. Realization hit him with the force of a canon. Those eyes. Harry's eyes. Lily's eyes. They were identical in every single way. James finally noticed the similarity because Harry's eyes were full of rage and anger, which James saw in Lily's eyes only too often.

"Lily," James whispered. This doesn't mean what he thought it means… could it?

Harry looked behind him in confusion, as if expecting Lily coming up behind him. "What was that?" Harry asked, turning his back at James. He noticed James staring into his eyes all weird-like, as if entranced.

"Lily… she's my wife, isn't she?"

A/N: How's that for a cliffhanger, eh? Beautiful, isn't it? (Looks at everyone's glares) Didn't think so. I'm sure you all loved the other fact that this was a shorter chapter than usual, right? (Ducks heavy objects flying my way) Thought not. (And by the way, is this a better, quicker update? tee hee hee...)

So… Hermione is flirting with Remus and Sirius just to be a rebel against Harry's wishes. James now knows about his future relationship with Lily. Peter is out of the picture. And there is a Hogsmeade trip in just a few hours for the Gryffindor Sixth Years. Oooo, this next chapter is going to be fun!

Now, onto my reviewers!

Thanks to Gwynn-Potter, Shelby H, Christine, Canadian Coco Chick, Rane2920072, dawn1, Mangoes2oo5, DarkKestralSilkeQueen, lgfrommk2931, Doodler Girl, coco bean, SashaBT245, me ish me!, PinkPuff514, totally strange, Lily, Siriusluver, Jaz, Crystal, Remmy Wolf, BiggerstaffStalker, Fairyangel24, Sphinxey, Invader Neo, Violets-in-Spring, utena141, ducks-rule-world, Tanya, runaway mental patient, Niphredel Black, Laney-Wood, siriusgalforever, TheLadyValura, The1silversurfer (PadfootsMine), and anyone I missed! You all are great!

Kou Shun'u: About the Polyjuice potion… You never know when Dumbledore or another teacher might need a quick transforming potion. Especially with Voldemort rising in power. And usually the potions cabinet is well-guarded, so students wouldn't have access to it. (But since when do Marauders follow the rules?)

PieceocakeMore detentions, eh? What are you, Snape? Trying to get those innocent (cough) boys in trouble? (laughs) Sorry, I couldn't help myself. Thanks!

Navi (Nathalie): Not to pick favourites, but you are my favorite reviewer of all time. You are the coolest. Reading your review made me all happy inside… And in no way are you being obnoxious at all. I love your ideas and comments. I do not take offense at all. Just thought you'd like to know. (Smiles.)….. Secondly, are bloody brilliant. Your ideas just lightened my way, and now I know how to end this story. Your thought on how James finds out Harry's mother was brilliant, I must say. And the idea of Hermione having Ron in her dream… I could be using that later on. (wink) And all that inner turmoil of who Hermione would end up with (if anyone at all) keeps on rolling around in my head. All the points you pointed out keep on spinning around in my head. I guess I'll just have to see where these next few chapters take me! Thanks a lot again!!!

To answer all curious readers:

1- Sirius is going to live! So no more fretting!

2- And also, I know where I'm going now, so no worries!

3- Thirdly, I'm sorry to say that an author has the right to remain silent. So for all you who are asking who Hermione will end up with, I shan't say a thing until the point in this story comes to reveal it.

4- Last but not least, I am also sorry to say that James and Lily will not learn any more about the future than they already know. In other words, Harry will not tell them about Peter's betrayal. It pains me to not write it that way, but I must.

Thanks again to everyone!