Disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling. All characters, places, descriptions, etc (unless original and created by me) belong to her.

Summary: It was a small pack, of course, just the five of them, but together they were something wild. Hermione finds herself in the Marauders' Era with four new best friends.

Chapter 13: Ex Amicitia Pax*

2 September 1977

The Great Hall

Hermione could count the number of times she slept late at Hogwarts on one hand. She supposed she should have been thankful she was able to get some sleep, but it made her a bit uncomfortable and confused that she had slept so well after her nightmare. She didn't want to be comfortable here. It made her feel guilty, like she was betraying Ron and Harry and everyone she had left behind.

When she woke up, Lily and the other girls had already left for breakfast, but Hermione did find a note left on her trunk. Hermione smiled; Lily was truly a kind soul. Her instant acceptance of Hermione was certainly welcome in the face of Sirius' instant rejection.

Hermione bit her lip nervously as she turned the last corner and walked through the doorway into the Great Hall. It was a Friday, but classes had yet to start. The atmosphere was lively and students were scattered everywhere, talking and laughing over their breakfasts. Hermione eyed the professors' table before realizing the lack of familiar faces. When her eyes fell on Professor McGonagall, she could have cried. She glanced between the professor and Dumbledore and wondered if the headmaster had shared her predicament with the Gryffindor Head.

"Hermione!" A voice caught her attention, and Hermione looked to the Gryffindor table. She walked up to her fellow seventh years and sat down.

"Hi, Remus."

"So I see you found the Great Hall." Hermione smiled.

"Well, I figured I wouldn't always have you around to take me to the kitchens, so finding food for myself seemed like a pretty good idea."

Remus laughed, and Hermione took in her surroundings. The Gryffindor table was a bit empty; it seemed the first years had already run off to explore the castle. Hermione couldn't see Lily and Marlene, but she no longer felt anxious. She was with Remus. James and Sirius sat across from her and a smaller blond boy was partially hidden by Remus' body.

Hermione almost couldn't believe her eyes. This blond boy was none other than Peter Pettigrew. He had to be, but it seemed almost impossible. Sure the boy was on the small side and certainly had more rat-like features, but he was a far cry from the disgusting Death Eater he would become. Once more, Hermione found herself wondering about the reality behind the circumstances of Pettigrew's treason.

"Did you sleep alright?" At Remus' question, Hermione glanced at Sirius, wondering if his younger self also had a tendency to share her secrets with Remus. Sirius gave her no sign, so she looked back at Remus.

"Um, yes, I slept very well. Thank you."

Sirius made a sound of disbelief so small that if Hermione hadn't been a werewolf, she wouldn't have heard it. Remus' head turned to Sirius at the same moment as Hermione's. Then, ignoring Sirius, Remus turned back to Hermione. He rubbed his ear as if to ask if she heard Sirius as well, and Hermione nodded, chuckling. Remus smiled.

"So Hermione, do you like Quidditch?" This time Peter addressed her. Looking at Peter was like looking into marble. Two sides suddenly went to battle within Hermione. Part of her wanted to make him her next project, her next lost cause to be saved. And another, a darker part of Hermione, wanted to reach across the table and sink her claws into his neck.

She looked Peter in the eyes, so innocent and clear, and suddenly had to focus on her control. Her knuckles grew white around her fork as she focused on not inserting it into Peter's flesh. She tightened her jaw, and her fingers twitched. Remus reached for a plate of bacon, and his arm brushed Hermione's. His touch brought her out of her rage, and blinking, she focused back on Peter.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you. What did you say?" Remus raised an eyebrow and smirked, knowing full well she couldn't have helped but hear Peter. She nudged him with her elbow.

"Oh, I just asked if you like Quidditch."

"Ah, yes. Well, I have to admit, I'm not really a fan of flying on brooms, but my best friends played so I never missed a match."

"Well I bet they weren't half as good as James! Best chaser Gryffindor's seen in a decade." Hermione raised an eyebrow and looked at James, who was presently beaming with pride.

"Really? Well, my best friend was the seeker for our team. Started for the team first year." Peter choked on his orange juice.

"You're joking! Starting seeker as a first year? That's incredible!"

"Blimey, I hope we have some kids that good trying out this year." Hermione felt a rush of pride, as James seemed thoroughly impressed by Harry. She was so caught in her thoughts of her best friend that she almost missed the jostling of Remus moving beside her and his hurried excuse to see Dumbledore. She let her eyes trail after Remus before facing the others at the table.

"Oh! Before I forget, has Lily Evans been down here yet? I think I was supposed to meet her for breakfast, but I may have slept too late."

Sirius and Peter groaned while James' face melted into a dopey smile. He ran his fingers through his messy hair and straightened his glasses.

"Don't listen to them. You missed Lily by about fifteen minutes. She and the others were going to the owlery. But they might be back in the Common Room by now."

"Honestly James, you're like her bloody personal assistant. It's creepy, mate."

"Sod off, Padfoot. It's not creepy. We're friends, now. It's all good." While James tried to sound upbeat, Hermione could tell that he hated the word "friends," especially applied to Lily Evans.

"Ah, yes, and how is that newly budding friendship working out for you?"

"I'll have you know that she hasn't called me Potter yet once this year."

"We've literally been here a day."

"Exactly. Progress!"

The Marauders burst out laughing, and Hermione couldn't help but get sucked into their happiness. But it wasn't long lasted. Sirius' laughter died first, and his eyes darkened. Hermione cocked her head to the side, trying to figure out what had turned Sirius' mood. Then a scent hit her nose, and a face popped into her head.

"Looks like you're settled in already."

Hermione turned around to see sixteen-year-old Regulus Black. She looked back at Sirius before realizing that Regulus had been speaking to her.

"Oh, um, yes, seems I'm all settled."

"Good."

Regulus and Hermione stared at each other awkwardly for a couple seconds before Sirius growled.

"Okay, Ignavus, run along to your Dork Lord wannabes."

Regulus' eyes flashed toward Sirius, and just before they narrowed in his direction, Hermione saw a hint of pain. She turned around and glared at Sirius. She could sense Regulus walking away, so without another glance at the other three Marauders, Hermione got up and went after Regulus. She was almost to the door when her ears picked up Sirius talking to the boys.

"We've got to get rid of this one, mates. She's nothing but a Death Eater groupie."

If Hermione had been Ginny, she would have hexed Sirius right there in the middle of the Great Hall. But she wasn't Ginny. So instead, she pushed her shoulders back, held her chin up, and followed Regulus into the halls of Hogwarts.

"Regulus! Regulus, wait!" Hermione squeezed her way through a couple of Hufflepuffs before reaching the Slytherin. She put a hand on his arm and gently turned him toward her.

"What do you want, Gryffindor?"

"It's Hermione actually, Hermione Granger. I-I wanted to thank you. You know, for yesterday."

"Don't mention it. Seriously though, if you want to keep your new friends, I wouldn't mention it." Hermione ignored his jab at the Marauders.

"What did Sirius call you? Back there."

"Ignavus. It's Latin. He called me a coward."

"I didn't know Sirius knows Latin." Regulus rolled his eyes.

"We're pureblood. Of course we know Latin. That's why he insults me in Latin. It's his twisted way of shoving in my face that he got out. It's like he's using what our parents taught him against them."

"But you aren't your parents."

"Try telling him that." Regulus started to walk off, but Hermione's hand was still on his arm.

"Regulus."

"Listen, it'll probably be easier for you to make friends in Gryffindor if you aren't seen with me." He motioned with his head around them where several students were quite obviously staring at the unusual pair.

"Don't be ridiculous, Regulus. You can't get rid of me that easily." She patted his arm lightly before looking into his eyes. Regulus' eyes were so much like Sirius'. But where Sirius' had mischief and laughter, Regulus' had walls and ice.

"He still cares about you, you know. He wouldn't be so mean if he didn't care." Regulus only grunted. Hermione gave Regulus one last smile and then turned to head back into the Great Hall.

She looked at the Gryffindor table but couldn't spot the Marauders. Her heart sank a bit, before the scent of old books and dark spice flooded her system. She smiled and turned to her left.

"Come on. I want to show you something."

Remus took her down past the herbology greenhouses to where a small carriage was waiting. It was the kind she remembered taking from the train station to Hogwarts in past years. Hermione still couldn't see the thestrals, but now she could hear their heartbeats.

"Remus, what is this?"

"I have something to show you. It's a surprise." He opened the door and held out his hand. "Just trust me, Hermione." She smiled and let him help her into the carriage.

"Remus, can you see them? The thestrals?"

"No, thankfully. No, I can't. Can you?" Hermione sighed, looked at Remus, and spoke the truth.

"At this point, I'm honestly surprised I still can't." If Remus was shocked by her words, he didn't let it show. Instead he managed to change the subject and began to tell Hermione about all the means of transportation at Hogwarts. Hermione, though obviously familiar with the tradition of the first years taking the boats, listened intensely to Remus. He was falling into what Hermione had often thought of as his "Professor Mode." It reminded her of home.

As the path to Hogwarts began to fade, Hermione realized where they were heading. It was barely midmorning, but a heavy set of clouds sat steady over Hogsmeade. The sky slipped into greyness, and the temperature dropped. Once the Shrieking Shack came into view, Remus looked expectantly at Hermione, but she was far, far away, seventeen years away in fact. In a way, it felt like she was coming full circle.

The carriage came to a stop, and Hermione and Remus climbed out. The wind had picked up, and several crows were shouting at each other, hidden away in the branches of trees. They were standing at the front door, and Hermione stopped to look up at Remus. How strange it was to stand there with him, in a show of trust, just steps away from where she revealed his biggest secret to Harry.

"It's called the Shrieking Shack. Some Hufflepuff, I think, named it a few years ago. It used to belong to the gamekeeper way back when, but now I use it, once a month, every month. And now you can use it, too."

Hermione was quiet. She reached out a hand to touch the door handle, but pulled it away quickly, as if it were made of fire. Remus shifted on his feet beside her.

"I-I mean, you don't have to, obviously. I just thought that—well, since you've never—I mean–"

"Thank you, Remus." Hermione put a hand on his shoulder and stood up on her toes, kissing Remus on the cheek. Stepping away before she saw the blush sweep over Remus' face, Hermione pushed open the door.

Remus gave her a brief tour of the building, pointing out little improvement he had made as well as things Moony had destroyed. The latter list was much more extensive. The tour ended upstairs in the bedroom, and Hermione steeled herself before walking inside. It was cleaner than she thought it would have been, but she wouldn't have mistaken it for anything. Remus walked over to the bed and kicked some trash under it. He started to speak some more but stopped when he noticed Hermione.

Standing there in the Shrieking Shack with Remus, she felt, for the first time since landing in 1977, that, in some twisted way, she was meant to be there. It was important.

She hadn't noticed, but she had started to cry. Tears silently fell from her lashes onto the dirty ground below. Remus stepped closer and wiped her left cheek. When Hermione lifted her chin and looked in his eyes, she found herself wishing Remus' eyes would be wiser and older and dimmer. But they weren't. They were young, and bright, and hopeful, and they were looking at her with the most terrible expression of understanding.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. I know it's scary. If you weren't scared, we'd have a problem. But I promise you; you're going to be okay. I'll be by your side the whole time. I won't leave you I promise."

Hermione and Remus sat down on the edge of the bed. She was crying into his shoulder, and he had his arms wrapped around her. They stayed there for the longest time, until all of Hermione's tears had dried.

A/N: *Peace Through Friendship