Sixth year found Hermione paying nominal attention in class, as per usual. It had become almost a game for McGonagall to try and catch the young Miss Potter day dreaming. Unfortunately, in this life, Professor McGonagall had very little patience for Miss Potter who never managed to live up to her potential. For her part, Hermione had been kicked into overdrive. The war was coming. It was happening, and it was happening NOW. Fear for James, and to a slightly lesser degree, for Lily, pushed her more than anything else possibly could. Every night when she closed her eyes, she could see James' lifeless body lying on the floor of his cottage. She found that she had a hard time sleeping, and when she could not sleep she would shift to her animagus form and run through the Forbidden Forest. If she could not run because it was the full moon, and she avoided the marauders, then she would wander the castle disillusioned for protection. Bellatrix LeStrange had graduated a couple years ago, but as the attack last year proved, Voldemort's lap dogs were eager to show their displeasure with so called blood traitors. She read the Daily Prophet with a sense of dread, the disappearances, the attacks. She notices that even James and Sirius were reading the paper, once she was through with it, and they exchanged looks that Hermione suspected had nothing to do with pranks. Remus and Sirius had talked about them in Old Hermione's past, but it was actually happening right now, and it worried her. It was the night before the full moon and Hermione was pacing in what she supposed was an isolated spot of the castle when Severus found her.

Unbeknownst to Hermione, the marauders were creeping stealthily through the castle in an attempt to pull off a prank of sufficient prowess to earn them the accolades of their peers. Yes, they might be concerned about what was happening outside Hogwarts, but they had a reputation to uphold.

"Oi!" hissed Peter. The marauders turned back to look at him. He pointed down a side hall. "Isn't that your sister?"

"Yeah, it is," James said with a slight frown. They crept closer to the side hall and watched her pace back and forth for a moment, and were about to leave her to it, but then Snape approached her from the other end, and he looked to be in a towering mood.

"Hermione!" He hissed at her. She stopped pacing and turned to him.

"What's wrong?" She asked, frowning slightly. Severus looked positively furious.

"I have been looking for you everywhere," Severus said flatly. He frowned darkly at her for a moment and then inhaled deeply as though to calm himself.

"Severus, what on earth is bothering you?" Hermione asked, confusion evident in her tone.

"Do you know who…what…your brother has chosen to associate himself with?" Severus asked coldly. Hermione blinked for a moment. She realized that his fury was a mask for his fear…for her. However, he'd just crossed the line. The line—the only one guaranteed to unite Old and New Hermiones into a snarling, hissing lioness of rage. She snarled, and it sounded almost like her alter ego's snarl and she poked Severus in the chest, rage vibrating in every cell of her body.

"You had better not be referring to Remus, Severus Snape," she growled at him, anger twisting her features, her eyes cold and hard. He was surprised by the depth of her anger and he tried to argue with her.

"He's dangerous!" Severus snapped in a righteous fury. Hermione laughed at him, but it was vicious and cold.

"Because your house is filled with fluffy bunnies of cuddliness?" Her voice dripped sarcasm. "He is a danger only once a month, which is far less than some people. He takes steps to restrict that danger. Whatever argument you may have had is moot."

"But Hermione," Severus tried again, and she cut him off with another little snarl.

"Remus Lupin is the kindest, gentlest, most honorable person it has ever been my privilege to know. He is a good, decent, honest man, and I refuse to hear you slander him," Hermione raged on, poking Severus in the chest at certain junctures to drive home a particular point. Severus stared at her slack-jawed.

"My god, Hermione, are you in love with Lupin?" Severus asked, his voice shocked. Hermione stomped her foot at him.

"Really? The only reason I could possibly perceive those qualities in Remus is because I must be blinded by love for him? Or do you mean I'm driven mad with lust because I want to shag him senseless? I swear you're almost as bad as Jamie half the time. No and no. I care for Remus, I would hope that he considers me a friend, but I am not in love with him. Besides, I think his wife might have a few choice words for poachers in her territory," Hermione snapped angrily, goaded past reason.

"His wife?" Severus asked sharply. "What wife?"

"Never mind," Hermione muttered darkly. The marauders, who had been watching this exchange with a sort of awe, turned to look at Remus who looked utterly confused.

"Did you See it?" Severus demanded. Hermione stomped her foot again.

"Severus, I am not in the mood, and I see no reason for you to live vicariously through Remus' love life," Hermione snapped coldly. She glared at him for a moment. "I thought better of you, Sev. I can't believe that you would act like this."

"I can," James muttered to Sirius who nodded. They turned to Remus then who was staring at the now empty side hall, a look of shock on his face.

"Remus?" Sirius said gently. Remus blinked and then looked at Sirius.

"She already knows," he whispered. James shrugged.

"Apparently so, but she also thinks that you're the next best thing to Merlin," James said with a cheeky grin. "I don't think that even I rate that high with her. I think I might be jealous."

"But, she knows," Remus repeated, his eyes wide. Sirius and James frowned at him.

"Did you ignore the rest of the conversation?" James asked sharply.

"The absolutely brilliant set down she gave Snape?" Sirius asked with a frown.

Remus stared at them, and then looked back down the hallway that Hermione had disappeared down. His mind spun in all directions and he thought about the way that Hermione had always treated him. She had always been kind to him…she'd treated him gently, never crowding him—in fact, he realized she'd treated him that way from the first time she'd met him. She had always known. He thought some more, and frowned. Severus had asked her if she'd seen something, but he could tell there was a capital 'S' to the word See. All the blood drained from his face and he turned to James.

"Hermione…she's not…is she?" he whispered through numb lips. James frowned.

"What, a werewolf? You would have noticed a little furry buddy, I'm sure," James said dryly. Remus shook his head.

"No, James. She—she's not a…Seer…is she?" Remus whispered, glancing around the halls. James snorted.

"Of course not, whatever gave you that idea?" He said firmly. Remus sighed.

"Oh. It's…nothing." He muttered.

Over the next few days, Remus had a hard time talking to, or hanging out with Hermione. He found himself watching her, and listening very carefully to that which she said and did not say. He came to a startling realization. Hermione was not exactly as she appeared. She was still the same kind, caring girl he'd known for years, but there was a hidden layer to her as well. He knew she was incredibly intelligent. He'd done homework with her and with Lily for years, and many of their homework sessions had degenerated into intense discussions about different points of theory or practical application. Hermione also managed to disappear for swathes of time with Lily, and no one ever really knew what they were up to. Hermione had a fiery temper, and often gave in to that temper, especially when her brother goaded her, but then sometimes he watched her eyes turn flat and hard, and she could become cold and calculating as well. Remus always knew if a person was lying: their heart rate accelerated, they sweated, they revealed themselves through a myriad of bodily functions they had no control over. He watched Hermione carefully weigh each word that left her mouth when she was around them. Around him. What was she up to? He wasn't sure that he wanted to know.

HP/HG/HP

The first Hogsmeade weekend of the year had arrived. Lily, with a wicked, evil smile had begged her to wear muggle clothing. Hermione had sighed heavily, and put on the skin tight jeans that Lily handed her, and the V-neck burgundy sweater that clung to her curves. She was able to tolerate jeans, but she still couldn't figure out why Old Hermione thought they were so comfortable. Hermione looked at herself in the mirror and then looked at Lily.

"What's the point of this again?" Hermione asked dryly. Lily snickered at her.

"It will vastly amuse me for days and days," Lily assured her. Hermione sighed heavily and followed her friend down the stairs to the common room.

The marauders were sitting in 'their spot' at the Gryffindor table eating breakfast. They were all excited because it was a Hogsmeade weekend, and had spent a majority of last night planning their plan of attack for this morning. There had been a spirited debate about whether Honeyduke's or Zonko's should come first, and Zonko's had won by a narrow margin. Suddenly, the Great Hall was completely, utterly silent, and the boys glanced up to see what was going on. Sirius' eyes widened in shock. Hermione was wearing muggle clothing, and it clung to her every curve, but that wasn't what was making it hard for him to breathe. No, it was the way she was walking. Her hips rolled as she walked toward them looking like some sort of jungle cat with a delicate, wild grace. She was sex personified: her lush curves, the sway of her hips, her full mouth. Sirius' eyes darkened to steel grey, and Remus smirked at him. He glared at his friend, and then turned his attention back to the dark haired goddess that was approaching them.

"Morning Hermione," James said cheerfully as he ate his breakfast steadily. Hermione smiled at her brother.

"Morning Jamie," she said sweetly, and grabbed the pitcher of pumpkin juice. She could feel people watching her, and it made her slightly nervous, but none of them were burning her with the heat of their gaze like Sirius was. He was watching her, but instead of the hooded, veiled looks she was used to—his eyes were blazing with…something. Whatever it was…it was dangerous. Her stomach clenched and she felt her body growing warm under his gaze. She tried to ignore him, and force her body to behave, but it was a losing battle.

"So Hermione, I was thinking we might go to Honeyduke's, and then I think we might go to that used bookstore. Does that sound okay?" Lily asked her friend. Hermione frowned slightly, and nibbled on her lower lip. She thought she heard a muffled groan coming from where Sirius was sitting, but she didn't dare look his way.

"Hmm. I suppose," Hermione said slowly. "I need some more quills and some extra parchment, too."

"Excellent," Lily said cheerfully.

"Hermione, you're still going with us, right?" James reminded her gently. Hermione looked at her brother with a slight frown. She knew that he was still worried about her summer illness, and the attack at the end of the previous school year. She sighed.

"Yes, Jamie," she said quietly. At this point, she needed to pick her battles carefully. Lily rolled her eyes at her friend from across the table, but she knew that Hermione didn't have a whole lot of choices.

Sirius decided that watching Hermione walk toward him in her clingy muggle clothing was not half as painful as watching her walk away. The gentle sway of her denim-clad ass as she moved away from him was almost hypnotic. His mouth grew dry and his tongue was cleft to the roof of his mouth. He took a quick sip of pumpkin juice, and ignored the amused look that Remus sent his way.

Walking through Hogsmeade with Hermione and Lily was an experiment in control…or a really vicious form of torture. Sirius wasn't quite sure which yet. She was close enough to him that every time her wild curls bounced he could smell her scent. In the past, he might not have been able to, but Padfoot had helped heighten his senses, and the subtle hint of jasmine wafted toward him when she shoved her hair over her shoulder. Mixed and mingled with the hint of jasmine was that special scent that was spicy and sweet and all 'Hermione'. After a couple queer glances from Remus, he realized he was sniffing the air near Hermione, and he flushed red.

Due to Old Hermione's familiarity with both Moony and Padfoot, Hermione Potter didn't find anything odd about Sirius sniffing deeply next to her, and had, in fact, completely discounted it. She caught Lily looking oddly at her and she cocked her head to the side in question.

"What is it?" Hermione asked curiously. Lily tried to hide a smile.

"Sirius is sniffing you," Lily muttered just loud enough for Remus to hear. Hermione's deep, throaty chuckle almost made Sirius' eyes cross. She flashed a cheeky smile at him over her shoulder, then turned back to Lily.

"Boys will be dogs," she murmured to her friend with a hint of a smile. Remus' eyebrows scaled up his forehead. He knew that muggles referred to boys that played the field as 'dogs', but did Hermione know that? Or did she know something more? Lily snickered. Huh. Maybe she only implied the first meaning. Surely Lily couldn't possibly know that…no, it wasn't possible.

"We're going to the bookstore, boys, we'll see you in a bit?" Lily asked, carefully not looking at James.

"Yeah, sure, Evans," Sirius said with a shrug—he needed to get away from the intoxicating scent of Hermione Potter or thoroughly embarrass himself—and the boys headed toward Zonko's with a look of purpose.

Vortiger's Used Books was a tiny, unassuming shop with floor to ceiling bookshelves. Unfortunately, Mephistopheles Vortiger had far more books than he had shelves and tall stacks of books were placed at random spots throughout the store. Hermione and Lily loved coming here, and could happily browse for hours. The girls quickly separated, each going to her favorite section and eagerly looking through Mr. Vortiger's impressive wares. The smell of the books, the aromatic wood of the shelves, and the faint hint of resin pulled her in, and Hermione quickly became lost in her own world. She had her head buried in a fascinating manuscript about Gloswinda Gryffindor, her ancestor according to family legend, when she could feel someone watching her. Her head whipped up automatically and she saw Narcissa Black watching her with cold, ice blue eyes. Flanking her were her friends and fellow Slytherins, Mnemosyne Nott and Antigone Flint. The girls knew one another from the infinite number of tea parties that all of the young ladies had been forced to attend from the time they were eleven.

"Narcissa, Mnemosyne, Antigone." Hermione said politely, and gave a cool nod to each girl. Mnemosyne and Antigone nodded back just as coolly, each girl carefully polite. Narcissa's eyes narrowed and she moved closer to Hermione's position.

"Aren't you going to congratulate me?" she asked coldly. Hermione watched her cautiously and racked her brain, trying to figure out what she was talking about.

"I'm afraid mother hasn't written to me about anything yet," Hermione said carefully, confusion evident in her face.

"Lucius has begun officially petitioning for my hand," Narcissa said with some relish.

She kept playing with a ring on her right index finger. Hermione Potter recognized it as an official courting gift, the sort a young wizard would give to show that his suit was serious. Hermione's eyes widened in surprise. Lucius had said that he planned on offering for her after school, and she knew that petitioning for her hand, and negotiating the betrothal and the marriage contract could take years.

"Congratulations, Narcissa," Hermione said honestly. "I hope that you will be happy."

"Stay away from Lucius," Narcissa said in a low, dangerous voice, her cold eyes narrowed on Hermione's face. Hermione blinked in surprise.

"Narcissa, I promise you-," Hermione began, but Narcissa cut her off.

"I'm not stupid, Hermione, and I'm not blind. Stay away from him. He's mine," Narcissa said menacingly. She advanced on Hermione, until her back was pressed into the bookshelves. "I'm playing for keeps, just you remember that."

"I don't want him," Hermione said coldly, allowing a sneer to curl her lip. "And he certainly doesn't want me. I'm a blood traitor, remember? Abraxas Malfoy would never let me near his son."

"It would be a pity if you were to be attacked again. It's shocking the sorts of things that Dumbledore allows to go on at Hogwarts these days," Narcissa said coldly. Then she turned on her heel and left.

Mnemosyne and Antigone watched her for a moment longer their gazes calculating, and Hermione realized with a sudden sense of panic that it was their brothers Caractacus Nott and Gaius Flint who had been among the boys who attacked her last year. Their parents had pulled them out of school rather than have them expelled, although Sev had passed along a rumor that they had acted on their own and not on orders. Hermione straightened her spine and lifted her chin, staring back coolly at the girls, until they each gave her another chillingly correct nod, and then turned and followed their friend. Hermione couldn't help the shiver that ran down her spine. The entire Black family was absolutely insane. Regulus and Andromeda were the only mostly sane ones of the bunch. Sirius was partially sane, but he had more issues than she could shake her wand at, and Sweet Nimue help her, she was starting to think she might have feelings for him.

Ah the joys of inbreeding. Insanity with a dash of sociopathy, and a side of infertility. Superior, my ass.

Yes, thank you.

Oh, right. I forgot. How is it that you lot aren't stark raving bonkers like the Blacks?

We didn't marry cousins. I mean, at this point everyone is related to everyone else, but the Blacks have married other Blacks for centuries. Toujours Pur, and all that.

Um, Ew!

Indeed.

Wasn't your mother a Black?

You know, the art of polite conversation insists that you not constantly insult the person with whom you wish to converse.

Right, sorry. Shutting up now.

Yes, mother was a Black, but actually a distant cousin to Sirius and Regulus, I am not directly related to either boy.

Thought about that a lot, have you?

I wish it were possible to hex you.

HP/HG/HP

"Hey, Hermione, can I talk to you for a minute?" James asked her uncertainly. Hermione straightened her spine and turned her head to look at her brother. She examined him carefully for a moment. There was something off…James seemed nervous. Her brother was disgustingly self-confident, arrogant even, nervous was extremely rare for James.

"Of course," she murmured with a slight frown. She followed James to a quiet corner of the common area where they could speak quietly.

"I need to talk to you about something important, but we have to talk outside," he said solemnly, still looking nervous. Hermione's eyes widened. She was shocked. She assumed that they wouldn't tell her about their animagus forms, but why else would they need to talk to her outside?

"Outside? Well, I suppose we can go now. Classes are done for the day," Hermione said with a false thoughtfulness. James shook his head.

"No, tonight," he said quietly. Hermione quirked a brow.

"You, James Potter, want your sister to sneak out of the castle, at night, to cavort on the grounds? Who are you and what have you done with my brother?" Hermione asked dryly. James rolled his eyes at her.

"Oh, ha ha. Very funny. This is…important," James said slowly. Hermione watched him for another minute.

"Can I bring Lily?" Hermione asked curiously. James' cheeks turned pink.

"Er, I haven't asked the blokes about her, just you," he muttered. Hermione nibbled her lower lip.

"Okay. Just me for now," Hermione said firmly. James smiled at her.

"Excellent," he said, clapped her on the shoulder, and then bounded off.

Hermione sat down heavily in an empty chair. What should she do? If they showed her their animagus forms, should she show them hers? Would they keep her secret? More importantly…would Peter keep her secret? This was potentially dangerous. Her alter ego was going to be the figurehead for her secretly rebellious Death Eaters. Therefore, it wasn't just her safety, but the safety of all of those future spies that relied upon her. Oh, hell. She couldn't talk to anyone else about this because no one else knew about the boys.

Just do it.

What, are you crazy?

No. Just do it, show them your animagus form. We're going to figure out how to take care of Peter, and neutralize him before he can hurt anyone. So there's no harm in showing them your pretty little kitty.

Ew, you make having an animagus sound dirty and wrong.

Hey, your mind's in the gutter. I wasn't even going there.

You are always going there. It's disturbing, frankly. How am I supposed to neutralize Peter? I can't obliviate him, although the idea is really tempting.

You know, I always wondered about Peter Pettigrew, and I think that your presence here has altered the conditions slightly. In the past, James was an arrogant ass. Peter hero worshipped him to the point of nausea, but James' arrogance and dismissal of Peter as important ended up backlashing on him in the worst possible way. You've kept James' arrogance to a minimum. He's managed to treat Peter the same way Harry treated Neville. I'm wondering if we won't end up seeing Neville class heroics from young Peter.

But wasn't Augusta Longbottom a large part of Neville's upbringing? I'm not sure if Peter has a grandmother quite like her.

You know…I don't know. Like I said, Harry played his cards very close to his chest. Maybe you could be Augusta Longbottom? I bet you could pull it off if anyone could.

Why do I feel as though you've just insulted me?

I thought you liked Augusta Longbottom?

Oh, I do. She's a very strong witch, and very powerful to boot.

Well, there you are then.

Wait, are you telling me I have to cultivate Peter? It's extremely difficult for me to be anywhere near him without throttling him.

Channel your inner Augusta. Let her cultivate him.

I'll have to think about that. I just…right now, I can't close my eyes without seeing Jamie lying there dead. I can barely stand to be in a room with him.

I know, trust me, I do. It's just…you could change it. He might never be that way.

I'll think about it.

Fine. That's all I'm asking.

That night, Hermione was going to sneak out of the castle using her nonverbal disillusion charm, and she was moving through the castle, toward the spot that James had told her to meet him, when she heard a muffled noise. She crept closer toward the noise when she saw something that made her positively ill. Two seventh year Slytherins, she thought it might be Crabbe and Pucey, but she couldn't be sure, were crucioing another student. He was younger—maybe a fourth year. She realized with a shock that it was Rabastan LeStrange. She had seen him speaking with Regulus once or twice, and she knew that they were friends—well, as close as Slytherins get to friends, anyway. Rabastan was doing his best to not cry out, but he panted heavily when they stopped.

"Just remember, Rabastan, your brother expects you to act like a pureblood should. That was just a friendly little reminder. Watch the company you keep," Crabbe spat out, and then the two older boys walked off. Hermione hurried forward.

"Are you alright?" She whispered, touching his arm with the tips of her fingers. He shuddered with the aftershocks of the cruciatus curse.

"Just fine," he rasped at her. "This is how I spend all my Wednesday evenings. Breaks up the monotony of the week, don't you know."

"Very well, stupid question to ask. Will you be able to get back to your dormitory without help?" She tried again.

"Probably. I'm sort of getting used to it," he muttered. Hermione's eyes widened in horror.

"You're only fourteen!" Hermione whispered. Rabastan glared at her.

"I'm not sure how things are done in your sort of family," he sneered at her. "But the LeStranges expect obedience and perfection. If we are stupid enough to forget that, we receive reminders."

"Right," she said coolly. "Pardon me for interrupting then. Carry on."

Hermione walked away swiftly. She'd pricked his pride, that was her mistake. In addition, she knew that because she was a 'blood traitor', most Slytherin students felt she didn't truly understand their positions, or the incredible pressure they were under from their families. She received plenty of pressure from her family—it was just that her father would never use the cruciatus curse on her to enforce good behavior. Neither would James. She supposed she ought to be grateful for small favors.

The moon was just a crescent in the sky, it would be awhile for the full moon. Hermione stepped on the grounds uncertainly. She knew where James had asked her to meet him, and she moved cautiously towards the lake. The sounds of night were all around her, and she could hear the sighing of the trees, and the buzzing of the night-time insects. Her vision, so much better thanks to her lioness, easily picked out four nervous teenage boys, shuffling by a tree. She moved toward them stealthily, far more at home in the dark than they were, and stood behind them for several moments, a sly smile tugging at her mouth.

"So what was sooo secret we needed to be out here to discuss it?" Hermione asked idly. The boys jumped as a group and turned to her in surprise.

"Don't do that, Hermione!" James gasped, his hand on his chest, his eyes wide. A half-smile played around Remus' lips. She held herself back from pouting. He'd probably smelled her, darn werewolves and their heightened senses.

"We've been working on something for a long time," Peter piped up, watching her cautiously. Hermione's eyes narrowed on him.

"Indeed?" She asked coolly, in her very best 'Augusta Longbottom' voice. Peter looked uncertainly toward Remus who shook his head slightly. Both boys looked at James. She sighed.

"Yeah, it was a project…and it took a couple years to complete," James said slowly.

"A long-range project? Why would the four of you waste your time on a long-range project? I mean no disrespect, but you aren't the most patient people I've ever come across," Hermione said with a quick glance at all of them. Remus was the most patient of the lot, and even he usually gave in to his impatience rather quickly.

"Only three of us," Sirius said, with a quick glance at Remus. "And we chose to start the…er…long-range project for the fourth one of us."

Hermione looked immediately to Remus who was watching her nervously. The effects of being a werewolf were already changing him, altering him, into the tired man her other self had known. Faint scars traced across his face that were impossible to see in the dark, but she saw them. At sixteen, he already had traces of grey in his sandy brown hair. All of the signs were there if one had the eyes to see. She smiled gently at him, the same smile she usually bestowed on him, and he felt warmed by the strength and sincerity of her regard. Perhaps that was why he felt so protective of Hermione. She liked him as a person, and there were precious few of those sorts of people in his life.

"That was an admirable thing to do for a friend," she said softly, her eyes still on Remus. She turned toward James then and cocked her head.

"What was the purpose of the project?" She asked curiously. James had been watching her with wide eyes, as though he had never seen her before. He licked his lips nervously and looked at Sirius.

"Companionship to ease our friend's suffering," Sirius said slowly, watching her with those veiled eyes again. She nodded.

"Again, a very admirable thing to do, for one's friend," she said softly.

"Perhaps it would be best if you just showed her," Remus said at last, his impatience showing through. Hermione hid a smile, and tried to appear politely interested.

"Okay," said Peter, and he was suddenly a rat. Hermione held back the urge to stomp on him with her heeled shoe and end him, here and now.

"Peter," James muttered under his breath and rolled his eyes. He gave her a half-smile and a shrug and morphed into his stag form. She smiled genuinely then, a happy smile full of pride and love for her brother.

"I think he looks more handsome like this, don't you?" She asked Remus idly, rubbing his velvety nose.

"Mmm, I can't really comment on his handsomeness, but I would say it would be awfully hard for him to play Quidditch like that," Remus said mildly. "You're not surprised at all, are you?"

"Surprised?" Hermione echoed, glancing at Remus. "That your friends love you enough to do this for you? No, not at all. So, Sirius, what do you become?"

"Guess," Sirius said with a playful smile. Hermione cocked her head at him.

"Well, Peter's a rat, and James is a stag. Are you a toad?" She asked curiously, humor glinting in her hazel eyes.

"No!" Sirius looked offended. Hermione hid a smile and frowned thoughtfully.

"A rabbit, perhaps?" She asked. Remus snorted, and Sirius' eyes blazed at her.

"No," he bit out through clenched teeth.

"Hmm. I seem to be a terrible guesser," she said sadly. "Maybe you'd better just show me?"

Padfoot stood in front of her, in all his canine glory. He whuffed at her, and raised his head imperiously. Hermione grinned at him, she couldn't help it. His tongue lolled out at her, and he gave her a doggy grin back. He licked her hand and wagged his tail. She rolled her eyes at Remus.

"Full of himself, isn't he?" Hermione asked dryly. Remus gave her a slight half-smile.

"He usually is," he agreed. She looked at the three animagi and then turned to look at Remus.

"It helps then? To have them with you?" She asked. Remus truly smiled then, and his whole face lit up.

"Oh, yes," he said firmly.

"I see," she murmured thoughtfully.

"Hermione, if I may, you don't seem surprised by this at all," Remus said cautiously, rubbing the back of his neck. Hermione nibbled her lip.

"I don't?" she asked. Remus shook his head.

"Er, no. It's like you expected it." He looked at his friends and then frowned slightly when his gaze returned to Hermione who appeared to be thinking rather intently about something.

"Yes, I suppose I did," Hermione finally said at last.

"But, why?" Remus asked her. She smiled at him, but her eyes were filled with secrets.

"Because," Hermione said softly, and then there was their lioness. She sat there regally, her tail wrapped around her paws, her eyes on Remus' face. His jaw had dropped open and his eyes widened.

"You!" He gasped. James, Sirius and Peter had morphed back to add their own comments.

"Merlin's Beard!" James was goggling at her. She gave a heavy, feline sigh, and morphed back.

"But…but you were a lioness way before we were animagi," Peter said in surprise. Hermione's eyes narrowed on him.

"Because a female couldn't possibly excel at a greater rate than a male child?" Hermione asked acerbically, her voice chilly.

"No, because it was amazing enough we did it so young…you were even younger!" Peter continued. Hermione smiled tightly at him.

"What can I say? I'm amazing," she said coolly.

"I told you that already," Sirius muttered by her elbow. She glanced sharply at her and he was watching her with those veiled eyes again.

"My Own," James said with wonder in his voice. "You are amazing, but why didn't you say anything?"

"You lot weren't," Hermione said with a shrug. "I figured you wanted it to be a secret, so I respected your privacy."

"How did you know? About me, I mean," Remus asked her suddenly. She turned to look at him.

"Any idiot with eyes to see would know what you are," Hermione said sharply. "I am not an idiot."

"No, you're definitely not that," Remus said quietly, frowning.

"They figured you out, did they not?" Hermione pointed to his friends. He nodded.

"Yeah, they did." He admitted.

"So why is it so out of the realm of possibility that I might do the same?" Hermione asked tartly. Remus frowned again.

"You never said anything," he said quietly. Hermione sighed heavily.

"Just because I know something doesn't mean I need to scream that knowledge from the rooftops. I respect you, and your privacy. Why would I do something that might hurt you or make you uncomfortable?" Hermione pointed out. Remus nodded slowly.

"That…that makes sense, I guess," he said slowly. He wasn't quite sure that that was the actual truth, but it did make sense. Very well, he would accept it for now.

"You're not going to run off and tell Snape, though, right?" Peter asked. The look that Hermione turned on him was absolutely scathing. Her lip curled.

"Unlike some, I know the value of loyalty," she practically sneered at him. "I will not betray your confidence in me."

"Right," James said with a hand on his sister's elbow. "That's all that we can ask. Wait a minute…when you disappear, are you coming out here to run in the Forbidden Forest?"

"Yes, and I shall continue to do so," she said firmly, a certain look in her eye when she looked at her brother.

"But…you could be hurt!" James said, worry evident in his eyes. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I, as a lioness, am far safer than a nice, juicy stag, trust me," she said dryly. Sirius snorted.

"She's got you there, mate," Remus said with a chuckle. James glared at them.

"Thanks for your support," he muttered. Then he turned back to Hermione.

"No," she said flatly.

"But," he tried.

"No, James," she said firmly. He growled in frustration.

"Hermione, I just want you to be safe," he said finally.

"You could lock me in pretty glass box and keep me there forever," she said flatly, "but I would be miserably unhappy…and eventually grow to hate you."

"I would never do that!" James exclaimed, hurt evident in his features.

"Then trust me enough to let me be my own person," she said tartly. "The lioness is a fairly safe form. She is a predator, a hunter. The teeth and claws aren't just for show."

James nodded once, but his eyes said that he would reserve judgment for a bit longer. She released the breath she'd been holding. James needed to realize that she was growing up, that she was becoming a woman. Merlin knew that half the time he was more restrictive than their parents. Father and mother at least acted as though she were intelligent enough to govern herself through a day's activities. She was going to need to be firm with him, that was obvious. She sighed.

"Perhaps we've had enough fun for one night," Sirius said quietly, his eyes on his blood brother's face, but then he glanced at her. There was none of the blatant worry in James' eyes. Instead, there was a grudging respect, and that something else that already lurked in his eyes whenever he looked her way. She swallowed and nodded.

"Yes, let's go back in," she murmured, and allowed Sirius to put his hand on her elbow to guide her toward the castle.