AN: Hey all! Ignis here again! As I said on the last chapter for HND, I'm taking a rest from that story for a bit to get some new ideas flowing. For now though, I thought about why not posting this one here too? I mean, I can always modify the summary for the other stories of the Thwarted Traditions AU if necessary as I post them. This chapter in specific was betaed by Elwyn and Bonsly, so, many thanks to those guys!

Anyway, I'll stop boring you with these ramblings, so...ON WITH THE STORY!

September 1st, 1991, Hogwarts Express, Platform 9 ¾, King's Cross station, London

"Mum, dad, come on! We'll miss the train!" Whined an 11-year old boy with black, messy hair and bright green eyes.

The redheaded woman behind him, his mother, Lily Potter, laughed at her son's enthusiasm.

"Harry, you know that me and your father are professors. Even if we missed the train, which we won't since its barely 10 AM, you would still make it to Hogwarts on time!" She said amusedly. Who would have thought that her son would be so happy about going to school?

Harry's father, James, was also smirking at his son's eagerness, "Lily, let him be," he said to his wife, "he just wants to see if he has the same luck as his dad and meets the love of his life in the train." He said, his smirk turning mischievous.

Young Harry blushed beet red, "T-that's not it!" He stuttered, "I-I'm just excited to see the castle, that's all!" He huffed and looked away as his Mum started to giggle..

At the same time this was happening, a bushy haired girl, just as eager as young Harry, was in the muggle side of King's Cross station, looking for the entrance to the platform.

"Mum, dad, hurry up!" She said to her parents, "I don't want to miss the train!"

"Hermione, sweetie," Her Mum said, partly amused, "Professor McGonagall said that the train didn't depart until 11, it's barely 10 so calm down, there's no need to hurry!"

Hermione's Dad chuckled from his wife's side. They both knew that their daughter was eager to learn everything possible about this new world that had opened up to her.

Hermione, for her part, just kept walking and looking for platforms 9 and 10 so she could finally start her journey in the magical world.

-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-

"Harry," James said kneeling in front of his son, "I want you to have this." And with that he presented his son with two things.

One was a silvery cloak that had been in their family for generations. The other, a blank piece of parchment.

"Umm, Dad," Harry started dubiously, exchanging a glance with his snowy owl, Hedwig, suspecting his Dad may be trying to prank him, "the Cloak I get, and thank you so much for it. But what is the parchment for?"

James for his part only smirked, pulled out his wand and placed its tip against the parchment, before saying a phrase that Harry had only heard in his family's stories of their years in Hogwarts.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." James Potter said, nostalgia heavy in his voice, and watched as the fruit of his and his friends' efforts unfolded before his son's eyes.

"This, Harry," started James, "is the secret behind some of the Marauders' best escapes from their professors."

Harry was looking down in wonder. What before was a blank piece of parchment, now proclaimed in bold letters at the top...

"Messrs Moony, Padfoot, Howler and Prongs

Along with Mmes. Artemis, Freya, Bastet, Athena, and Sphinx

Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers

are proud to present

THE MARAUDER'S MAP"

"Wait," said Harry once his mind cleared a bit, "those are you!" He exclaimed, "I recognise how you call each other! Auntie Bella is Freya, mum is Artemis, auntie Cissy is Athena, auntie Tuni is Sphinx, and auntie Amelia is Bastet, while you and uncles Remi, Siri, and Reg are Moony, Padfoot, Howler, and Prongs!"

James chuckled a bit. "Yes son, those are us," he said, "we created the original map during our 5th year, this is a copy of that map, we lost the original to Filch in our 7th year. As for the nicknames, they were a symbol of pride. We gave them to each other as each of us learned how to become animagi."

"Will I learn how to become an animagus?" Harry asked eagerly, he so loved the idea of being with all his family during the full moon nights and helping uncle Remy pass them.

James chuckled once again, his son's eagerness was very infectious, "Of course, Harry. But I will give you an option," he said, watching his son's eyes widen, "you can either ask me and any of the other Marauders or your auntie Minnie for help, or you can do it like us and learn by yourself. If you ever get truly stuck though, feel free to ask us anything." He finished with a wink.

Just as they were finishing their talk, a girl and her parents crossed the barrier between muggle King's Cross and platform 9 ¾ .

Harry's eyes zeroed in on her. The girl was very pretty, at least to him. She had bushy brown hair and warm brown eyes that shone with intelligence and eagerness. If this was how a crush felt, he thought, he loved having a crush.

James noticed his son's distraction and followed his eyes, and smirked when he saw what, or better said who, he was watching. It seemed his son had the same luck as him. Not even on the train and he had already found his girl!

-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-

Hermione and her parents had just crossed over into platform 9 ¾ when she saw him. She tried not to stare, she really did, but she kept watching him from the corner of her eye.

He had messy black hair, and bright green eyes that were shining with both intelligence, eagerness, and a hint of mischievousness. She was hooked. Her Mum had given her the The Talk earlier this year, but she didn't expect that she would have to apply it so soon!

Still, hoping neither the boy nor her parents had seen her little blush, she turned around and hugged her mum and dad.

"I'm gonna miss you," she said, "I'll try to write every week, I promise." She told them, her eyes stinging with unshed tears. She just hoped she could find friends in this new world, and maybe talk to that messy-haired boy.

"We're gonna miss you too sweetie," her dad said, his voice thick, "you just concentrate on your studies and doing your best. We couldn't be prouder of you," he told her with a smile, "now off you go, we have to get your trunk on the train still!"

She just nodded with a smile and went off towards the train, this was the start of her new life!

-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-

While Hermione was having her moment with her parents, young Harry had recovered from seeing such a pretty figure and was having his own goodbyes to his little sisters.

"I'm gonna miss you both so much," he told them with tears in his eyes. His sisters meant the world to him and this would be the first time they were apart for so long, "I promise to save you both a seat until you join me at Hogwarts ok?" He asked them with a smile.

They both nodded and hugged him tightly again, they loved their big brother and didn't want to be apart from him. The family may be living in Hogsmeade now, but that didn't mean they weren't gonna miss him!

James and Lily were watching with tears in their eyes and smiles on their faces the goodbye between their children. They would see their twin daughters again everyday after classes, but the girls loved Harry like no other and would only be able to see him during the holidays, it would definitely be hard for them.

They both knelt before their children and wrapped their arms around them, comforting them without words.

"We will side-along you to your uncle Sirius' house before we have to get on the train girls," Lily told them, her voice thick and unshed tears in her eyes, "then he and auntie Amelia will bring you back home tonight, when we are back in Hogsmeade, ok?" She smiled at them. They were her baby girls and it was never easy to be apart from them for long, but now they wouldn't even have their big brother with them.

The girls nodded and grabbed each the hand of one of their parents. James and Lily weren't gone more than five minutes from the platform before they were back, their eyes still shiny with tears.

"Okay son," said James trying to put on a brave face, "let's get Hedwig and your trunk into a compartment."

-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-

After his parents had settled Harry into his compartment and left to help the prefects at the front of the train, Harry set about studying the Marauder' Map. He just couldn't believe that they hadn't added anything else to it since their school days.

He had just pulled out his wand and was preparing to say the Marauders' passphrase when the door of his compartment opened, and the bushy haired girl from the platform spoke to him.

"May I sit with you?" She shyly asked him, "I don't want to sit alone and…" She trailed off, looking at the ground. Why did she have to be so cute?!

"O-Of course," he stuttered, "come in. I'm Harry, by the way, Harry Potter." He told her with a smile. Was he blushing? Why was he blushing?!

She smiled brightly at him and sat across from him.

"I'm Hermione, Hermione Granger," she said with a faint blush, why was she so cute? And why was he so tongue tied around her?! "It's a pleasure to meet you Harry. Were you gonna practice magic?" She asked him when she noticed his wand out.

"Umm, kind of," he said, "my parents and their friends made this during their 5th year at Hogwarts, want to see?" He asked her.

"Of course!" She answered.

With that, Harry unfolded the Marauders' Map by himself for the first time.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he said and, together with Hermione, they watched enthralled as the ink lines started to outline Hogwarts.

Hermione was amazed, Harry's parents and their friends had made the first known map of Hogwarts, and it showed them everyone within the castle!

"Harry, what is this?" She asked him, pointing at the legend over the map's name.

"Ah, yeah," Harry said sheepishly, "my parents and their friends were pranksters during their Hogwarts years and created the map to try and avoid being caught. I actually was going to start looking for other functions they may have added in this version of the map when you came in, do you want to help?" He asked her.

"Sure!" Hermione answered happily, her eyes shining with curiosity.

And with that, a beautiful friendship began, and even though both parts were hoping for something more in the future, it didn't mean they wouldn't enjoy being friends for now.

AN: So, how was it? Good? Bad? Let me know in the reviews! Also, if you spot any overlooked errors, don't hesitate to let me know! It's the only way I'll get better after all!

This was the first fanfic I ever wrote, and it was originally a one-shot, but between tyrannicpuppy, TryHardApple, UntoldHarmony and Jabulous, who some of you may know as ProphecyMarauder45, convinced me to make it into a multi-chapter story!

Apart from this one, Thwarted Traditions has another five stories already posted over at Ao3: Surprising Sortings, Unexpected Developments, A Potter Wedding, Bella's First Class and Night Walks. I'll be posting them here soon, too.

Anyway, I've got nothing more to add, so I'll see you in my next chapter or story! Or maybe the reviews for other stories, who knows?!