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: I know I'm a couple days late. Sorry! But hey - I saw my token Hufflepuff friend this past weekend! Shoutout! Anyway this chapter is pretty short and I feel bad... so look out because I'll probably post again in like two days to make up for it.

Chapter 40: Ante Bellum*

March 1978

The February moon passed with little trouble. It seemed Hermione's wolf had calmed thanks to the return of her schedule. The boys didn't even try to hide their relief the morning after, each giving her tight hugs as the worry lifted from their shoulders. As the days slipped into spring, everything started to tumble together. March trudged along, the weather reflecting the turmoil within Hermione's heart.

Remus and Peter both had birthdays, and it was on those nights that the pack celebrated as if nothing had changed from the night of Hermione's birthday. They drank and ate and danced in the Shrieking Shack. Remus forgot all about the three gray hairs he had found that morning in the bathroom. Peter forgot all about the letter in which his father complained of the stress he was experiencing at work. James forgot about the disturbances in the Daily Prophet and the new column that displayed missing persons. And Hermione and Sirius forgot to blush when they brushed hands.

As usual Remus was sulky and exhausted in the days leading up to the moon, and Hermione once again found herself in the Room of Requirement with Regulus. The aggression in their meetings was growing to new heights. Hermione could tell that the Death Eaters were to blame for the permanent crease digging itself into Regulus' forehead. She knew he felt alone and angry and confused and lost and that despite that, he wouldn't open up to her, let her in. And that made her angry.

The moons had grown easier again; Hermione's wolf no longer enraged. The lack of incident during the February and March moons lulled the pack into a sense of stability. Remus no longer had such a watchful eye over Hermione. Sirius resumed simply ignoring Regulus rather than sneering and insulting him as he passed by. It seemed that, despite the building aggressions of the outside world, their little world within the walls of Hogwarts was finally experiencing some peace.

27 March 1978

Hogwarts Kitchens

The third day of post-moon recovery fell on the same day as James Potter's 18th birthday. The Marauders plus Hermione and Lily found themselves sneaking down to the kitchens at the end of the day. Hermione and the other boys had huge smiles plastered on their faces as they watched James escort Lily in front of them.

"Which rule is this, again?" Hermione whispered to Sirius beside her.

"Rule 48: Each Marauder can show the kitchens to one, and only one, non-Marauder." Sirius repeated, speaking slowly to get each word right.

"Can you do that with all of them?" Hermione asked, her curiosity piqued. "How many are there? Did you all write them down?"

"Nearly a hundred, I think." Sirius chuckled. "We had them written down at some point, but it just seemed easier to remember them all. You can test me. I know you want to."

Hermione grinned. "Five." Remus started laughing beside them. Hermione glanced at him before looking back to Sirius. A slight pink tinge had started to creep across the tips of his ears.

"Rule five: Mister Padfoot cannot exceed more than 10 name puns in a day. If the aforementioned limit is ignored, punishment may be administered upon agreement of at least two of the remaining Marauders."

Hermione's laughter echoed through the corridor as it burst forth from her chest. She clapped a hand over her mouth to no avail. "Fifty-two." Sirius smirked.

"Rule 52: A Marauder's official name cannot be changed unless unanimously agreed upon."

"Peter?" Hermione smirked as well after Sirius nodded, confirming her suspicions. "Okay, how about 15?"

"Rule 15: A Marauder's family is defined by choice not by blood."

"I like that one." Hermione said as she wrapped an arm around the boys at her sides. Remus and Sirius hugged her back as they stopped outside the portrait to the kitchens. Lily was watching in awe as James tickled the pear and the painting moved to reveal the room within. She clapped excitedly and followed her boyfriend inside with the rest of the group following closely behind.

"Oh, Hermione, look!" James spoke a few words to a house elf and suddenly the kitchens was alive with activity. House elves flitted about, preparing a table for a true birthday celebration. "Oh, this is amazing!"

The group shuffled to take their seats at the table, careful not to trip over the elves underfoot. Hermione jumped in her seat as an elf suddenly tugged her arm. Turning, Hermione looked wide-eyed at Lido.

"Master Remus' Special Friend can't sit heres!" The elf bounced excitedly from foot to foot. Hermione looked from Peter, who was sitting beside her, to Remus across the table. "Master Remus' Special Friend must sits with Master Remus."

Hermione opened her mouth to object but quickly closed it when she noticed how worked up the elf was becoming. She smiled at Lido and wordlessly moved to sit beside Remus. When the activity around the area has cleared, Hermione looked up to see the three on the other side of the table wearing identical smirks.

"Special Friend?" Lily giggled.

"Oh, hush!" Hermione laughed back. "She only calls me that because Remus brought me here the first time."

"You've been down here before? And you didn't tell me?"

"I couldn't!" Hermione continued to laugh at Lily's false shock. "Honestly! It's a rule."

"A rule?"

"Maraurer roo." Peter spoke up with a mouth full of cake. Lily looked confused. He swallowed. "Marauder rule."

"Oh here, watch this." Hermione pushed lightly on Remus' chest to make his lean back so she could see Sirius. "Twelve."

Sirius opened his mouth before closing it tightly. He glanced at the other Marauders who in turn all looked at James. James smirked and nodded.

"Rule 12: Lily Evans is off-limits." Sirius said, wincing a bit. Hermione looked at the shock on Lily's face.

"Okay, I did not know that was a rule." She watched as Lily blinked before her face started to heat up.

"Off-limits?" She turned on James. "Off-limits? To who? Everyone? The four of you?"

"Well not to me, obviously." James' smirk never fell. Lily hit his arm. "Oh honestly Lily, that one was written years ago, I swear. I've since learned that there's no way I could ever control anything about you."

Lily snorted slightly at James' attempt at flattery, but accepted it nonetheless and leaned back into his side. James smiled in triumph and wrapped an arm around her. He buried his face in her hair and whispered in her ear. Lily's smile grew and she turned to kiss him. Before James could fully participate, Sirius threw part of his piece of cake at him.

"Oi! No snogging at the table! You've innocent eyes at the table."

James scooped up some icing on his finger and leaned across the table to wipe it on Sirius' nose. "Not my fault you haven't been with a bird in months."

Before the other Marauders could laugh, Sirius started a full on assault. Soon the kitchens were filled with flying cake as the group of friends quickly built hasty defenses of benches and stacked plates. Laughter seeped outside the portrait and wafted far down the corridor. Even along the staircases, laughter lingered like twinkling stars.

A/N: *Before the War