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.

A/N: This is one of my favorites so far. It's rough, so be warned. There may be some tears, definitely some wrenching of hearts. Let me know what you think.

Chapter 43: Actus Me Invito Factus Non Est Meus Actus

Darkness. There was a slight chill. It seemed the stars didn't shine quite so bright here despite the open air. Layers of black fell like blankets across the night sky. Six crows flew to the south. A streetlight kept its sentry pose without its light. Four hooded figures moved briskly down the sidewalk, their robes long and their limbs tense. Moving all together, they seemed to float.

12 May 1978

The Great Hall

The day started like any other in that Hermione expected nothing unusual or particularly strange to occur. It was something she had come to treasure about the past. Nothing surprised her anymore. In 1978, there weren't any medieval monsters or polyjuiced professors lurking around the corner. Sure there were the Death Eater attacks, but that was nothing new to Hermione. Even the full moons were beginning to fade into normalcy.

Life was, as it tends to do before periods of change, settling into a comfortable pattern.

The day had passed without incident, and as Hermione sat down for dinner, she smiled into her pumpkin juice.

"Oi, what's with the smile, Pup?" Hermione looked up and frowned at the icy tone coming from Sirius' lips.

"Oh," Hermione shrugged. "I hadn't realized I was doing it."

Sirius only grunted in response. Hermione looked to Remus for answers, but the werewolf just shook his head. The other Marauders were talking quietly, clearly giving Sirius his space.

"Okay, what's going on?"

"What?"

"What's going on with you?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"Oh come on, Sirius, there's clearly something up. You can either tell me now, or I'll bother you until you do."

Sirius gave it some thought. "It's nothing." Hermione fixed him with a glare, but the Animagus got up from his seat and stalked out of the Great Hall without looking back.

Hermione turned back to Remus. He sighed, but answered.

"It's just—It's Regulus' birthday."

Hermione's mind ticked through several thoughts at once. She was honestly shocked to hear it was Regulus' birthday. A quick scan of the Slytherin table showed no sign of the youngest Black. Feeling a little hurt, Hermione thought they had reached a point of mutual trust and solidified friendship, but she pushed these thoughts aside for later and scooted closer to Remus with her eyes glued to the doors.

"Is he okay?"

"Honestly?" Hermione nodded. "I don't think so. He stopped living with them all last summer, and he's been doing really well since then. At least, he seems like it. I think we forget sometimes that he has this whole other family outside of us, and even though he has us as his chosen family, it doesn't mean they don't still hurt him."

Hermione sighed, reached over and squeezed Remus' hand in thanks. She started to rise from the table when Remus did as well.

"Pup, you—you don't know where he's going." Remus sighed. "He's good at hiding when he wants to." Hermione stepped away from him.

"I'll find him."

The street was quiet. The house was quiet. As the wards fell, a ripple moved through the area, but the sky engulfed the feeling. The night wasn't offering cover; it was swallowing the street whole. A flick of a wrist and a hushed voice. Suddenly the door was open, and the hooded figures were passing through like souls chasing the afterlife. The door slammed behind them as soon as they crossed the threshold. Ten seconds passed before the reigning silence erupted into chaos.

As soon as she left the Great Hall, Hermione knew exactly where Sirius was. As much as he publicly spurned his little brother, Hermione never doubted that Sirius still loved him. And as much as he loved his bespoke family, Hermione knew first hand from her future Sirius that some wounds never completely heal.

Passing through the castle, Hermione all but ran to reach Sirius. It wasn't until she reached the doorway to the Astronomy Tower that she thought of Regulus. Standing in the same spot she had shared with him the night of Sirius' birthday, Hermione found herself again caught between the two brothers.

Despite her thoughts straying to Regulus and how he was spending his birthday, Hermione crept up the last few steps to the top of the tower. Sirius needed her now.

The windows lit up first. The sparking lights moved through the first floor before ascending to the second floor. Like a summer storm, each flash was accompanied by a booming crash. A singular scream pierced the night, and then silence fell once more.

"Sirius?" Hermione's voice echoed and filled the open room. The boy in question was on his back in the middle of the floor, his eyes trained on the stars above his head. His hands were on his stomach, fingers fiddling with the cigarette box that had recently taken permanent residence in his pockets.

At the sound of Hermione calling his name, Sirius closed his eyes but was otherwise silent. Hermione toed off her shoes and removed her robes. She sat beside Sirius and balled them into a makeshift pillow.

They lay side by side, illuminated by starlight and a stray torch. Hermione followed Sirius' gaze into the depths of outer space. Although astronomy had never been one of her favorite classes, she was still able to pick out the major constellations. She let her head fall to the side and shifted to face Sirius.

"Do they ever talk back?"

"I used to think they did, but I'm not so sure now."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"You're going to make me no matter what, aren't you?" Sirius struggled to smile. Hermione managed a sad one.

"Probably."

Silence.

"He turns seventeen today, loses the trace, becomes a man, the whole thing." He glanced at Hermione as if to check she was still listening. "I know—I just—I failed, didn't I? I'm supposed to be his big brother. I'm supposed to look out for him and keep him out of danger. I'm supposed to help him, damn it! And look where we are now. He's a fucking Death Eater, and I'm crying in the Astronomy Tower. What a waste."

Hermione flipped herself over, leaning her upper body on Sirius' chest. She locked him in place with eyes on fire. "Don't. Don't you dare say that, Sirius."

She reached out to place her palm against his cheek. Sirius closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. Hermione felt the sting of moisture from his tears.

"Regulus' choices are his own as heinous as they may seem. You cannot control him. You have become a brave and honorable man, and your family is full of fools if they cannot appreciate the beautiful heart you possess. You have risen above you circumstances, and I can't watch you feel guilty for that."

"But what if I had stayed? What if I had made more of an effort? Why didn't I fight harder for him?"

Sirius cinched his eyes tighter closed. Hermione ran her thumb across his eyelids and the crease between his brows.

"We cannot change the past. No matter how much we wish it was true."

The sky churned and tumbled in and over itself. Clouds rolled through as the wind picked up. The trees lining the quiet street bowed to the darkness infesting the house. A strangled shout, crazed, shot through the air, and the churning clouds sparked green. Their twisting began to take shape.

A skull. A snake. Destruction and death.

It was long after curfew when Hermione and Sirius finally made their way back to the Gryffindor common room. In silent understanding, the two sat side by side on the couch by the fire instead of heading up to their respective dorms. Hermione stared out into the fire, trying to find the words she wanted to say.

"Sirius?" She waited for him to nod. "I know it's little consolation and might not be what you want to hear right now…"

"But?"

"But I still think you need to hear it. I want you to hear it." She took a deep breath. "I know you think you've let people down, and maybe you have, I don't know. What I do know is that you, the other Marauders and you—you all saved me. I was so lost when I came here, and you saved me."

"I didn't though. Remus did." Sirius averted his eyes. "I was a bloody arsehole to you."

"No!" Hermione laughed. "I mean, yes, you were, but that was it. You gave me a challenge, something to fight for. You made me want to befriend you. You made me want to stay."

Sirius didn't respond but tucked his arm around Hermione to draw her close. Together they watched the fire fade to a flame.

Only when the final ember disappeared did Sirius turn to look down at Hermione. Fast asleep, she looked just like any other girl to Sirius – soft, pretty, feminine. Sirius almost wished she'd wake up and yell at him for staring so he could see the sparks in her eyes. Before he realized he had even moved, Sirius placed a kiss on her forehead. Hermione stirred and Sirius moved back, unsure if he wanted to get caught or not.

As Hermione reappeared in the land of the living, Sirius smiled and helped her to her feet.

"Let's get you to bed, Pup."

Elsewhere in the castle, Dumbledore paced in front of his window, pausing only when he felt a shiver in the wards. From his vantage point, Dumbledore watched a lone figure appear at the edge of the grounds. He watched until the figure stumbled to the doors of the castle before shaking his head and turning away to prepare for bed.

Floors below, the youngest male of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black emptied the contents of his stomach onto the front steps of the school.

A/N: The Act Done By Me Against My Will is Not My Act