Peaceful Friday was all she needed. Her mind kept wandering to the moment when she would finally be able to surround herself with tons of books in the library, not having to endure constant stares.

One could think that being a novelty would wear off pretty soon, since she really hadn't been that interesting in her own opinion. Ever since that incident with Mulciber, Hermione did everything she could to stay away from trouble. Being stupid didn't go well with her plan to fix the future and drawing unnecessary attention to her person definitely could be described as such. The library had become her asylum, the only place where people left her alone with her thoughts and even here she couldn't shake off the anger that resided in her body since her first day of school.

Luckily, her roommates seemed to understand her pretty well, as they have completely abandoned the plan to force her to attend their... Bookish Friday. Hermione had no doubts that having to spend an entire evening listening to their giggles while reading one of these ridiculous books would be the end of her. She would officially go mental.

"Hi!", a sweet voice reached her ears, making Hermione almost murderous.

She was just on her way to the library. Her day was supposed to be perfect. How did that girl dare to spoil that?! Miss Granger turned around, ready to tell the girl off, when she noticed those beautiful emerald eyes, that she had been looking into for the past seven years. Lily Evans, Harry's mother was standing in front of her, smiling gently.

"Hi", she answered, immediately abandoning her plan to kill her.

"You're Hermione, right? News travels fast in here, and I heard a lot about you. The Ravenclaw rolled her eyes and pursed her lips, trying to remain calm. Of course Lily had heard of her. Everyone in that bloody castle had.

"I figured", she stated dryly and forced herself to relax a bit.

She didn't want to scare her off, after all. Even if it meant having to postpone her Friday evening plans... So be it.

"Oh, I'm sorry... I didn't mean to make you angry. I'm Lily Evans, a Prefect from Gryffindor", she introduced herself and smiled timidly, making Hermione feel very guilty.

That girl seemed to be sweet and gentle and completely undeserving of Hermione's murderous mood. The Ravenclaw smiled apologetically and shook Lily's hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Lily. You didn't make me angry. Everyone else managed to do that much earlier", she admitted, making Miss Evans' eyes light up with understanding.

"I know how you feel. Since Potter and Black talk a lot about you, I figured you must know that I'm the victim of very unwanted affection.

"Unwanted and very loud affection", Hermione pinpointed, making Lily scowl. "Yeah, James seems to be doing everything wrong in that matter"

"He's terrible. Immature, childish, vain and doesn't listen to a word I say... So, yeah. I know how it feels to be stared at all the time. It's one of the reasons I wanted to meet you. Just so you'd know that not everyone treats you like some kind of exotic animal"

Hermione felt the residues of her anger melting away and couldn't help but smile fondly. Harry was so much like her. Oh, Merlin, how she missed him. She'd give everything to be able to talk to her best friends. But that wasn't possible and she had to find a way to keep her feelings inside of her aching heart. Maybe being friends with Lily would actually be the remedy she needed so much?

"Thank you, Lily. You know what, I was just on my way to the library. Do you want to join me?", she offered and looked at the girl with uncertainty in her brown eyes. "I'd love to!"

The Ravenclaw grinned and turned around to resume her walk towards her sanctuary. Lily caught up to her immediately, smiling lightly and allowing the comfortable silence to settle between them. After spending her entire days with Leslie, Gracie and Amy, she appreciated Lily's serenity much more than she probably would have otherwise.

They've walked into the library and picked out a table for two, making themselves comfortable. Hermione could almost feel as though she had been there alone, as the redheaded girl was focused on her own essays and research, looking up only to see if her new studying partner was still present. The Ravenclaw didn't even know how much time had passed before one of them decided to say something, but judging by the darkness taking over the horizon, it must have been quite long.

"Hermione... Can I ask you something?", Lily muttered quietly, making Hermione jerk her head up with confusion painted all over her face.

"You just did", she stated and then blinked a couple of times, realising that it probably wasn't a proper response.

She blushed a little and shook her head.

"Sorry, Lily. You woke me up from a studying trance", she admitted, making Lily chuckle. "Sure, ask away"

The redhead fell silent for a moment and then let a pained sigh escape her mouth.

"You probably won't like it, but... I wanted to ask about Mulciber"

Hermione's brows twitched, as she tried to remain calm. Questions about that git weren't exactly her favourites. Nonetheless, Lily looked positively haunted by whatever was on her mind, so Miss Granger decided to just ignore her exasperation.

"What about him?"

"Well... It's just that he's really dangerous. Dangerous and incredibly skilled at duels. And you managed to kick his ass. That's kind of admirable. Not because you beat him, but because of the reasons behind your actions. You're a Muggleborn, yeah? Just like me?", she asked and Hermione nodded, looking the girl intently. "I know that it must've been really hard to stand up like this... Half of the Slytherins want you dead, and the other half wouldn't mind if their housemates succeeded. Aren't you afraid of what they might do to you?"

Okay, Hermione definitely didn't expect that. Her eyes grew wide, as she kept staring at Lily with amazement. In all those stories she had heard about young Miss Evans, the redheaded girl never lacked bravery or courage. That woman gave away her life to save her only son, and she had been only 21 at that time. She stood up for those who couldn't do that on their own... So where did all that famous courage go?

"It's not that I'm not afraid. When Mulciber looked at me, I felt shivers running up my spine and those weren't pleasant. But no matter how scary he might be, how vile and dangerous... I can't let him win. If I hadn't stood up to him, I might have as well admitted that he was right. And we both know that that isn't the case", she explained quietly and closed her book, suggesting Lily that she was okay with continuing the subject.

"Ever since Severus has called me a Mudblood, I can't shake off this feeling... Feeling, that I'm in danger and I can't do anything about it. The war is coming and people like me. Well, like us, actually, are You-Know-Who's target. And that makes me so scared that sometimes I can't sleep at night..."

"There's nothing wrong in being scared"

"No, but there is something wrong with being impassive. I feel like I should be doing something to oppose them. Something that would make them realise that I'm worth so much more than any of them. But every time they pass me in a hallway, I freeze", Lily whispered and Hermione's heart clenched in pain as she has spotted tears filling her emerald eyes.

She was a perfect picture of a normal, teenage girl that didn't deserve bad things happening to her. She was beautiful, smart and incredibly talented. Her life was only beginning, a bright future spreading ahead of her. And yet, here she was, trying to make a choice between giving up and fighting; an impossible decision that no one should have to make.

Hermione suddenly remembered her fourth year, when Harry arrived back from the cemetery with Cedric's dead body lying in his arms. The horror of that exact moment haunted her dreams for a long time, before she finally accepted what it had truly meant. Voldemort was back and she had to fight if she didn't want her friends to die. She had to sacrifice her life in order to ensure the safety of everyone that was dear to her, just as those who weren't even born yet.

Looking at Lily, who had just started to realise that her choice wouldn't be much different, physically hurt. It hurt so much, that Hermione wanted to scream in fury. That bloody bastard had to be destroyed, even if that meant killing him with her own bare hands.

"Lily. What I'm going to tell you now has to stay a secret. The only reason I'm telling you this, is the fact that I've faced those fears and choices and I know how terrifying they seem"

"What do you mean?"

Hermione took a deep breath and slowly rolled up her sleeve. Her forearm was smooth and unblemished, but all it took was a flick of her wand and the letters started to appear on her skin, forming a word 'Mudblood'. Lily gasped in pure shock, as her hand covered her mouth. Her eyes were glued to that uncovered part of Hermione's forearm, making Miss Granger shift uncomfortably.

She almost jumped when Lily's fingers traced the scar delicately and then entwined themselves with her own.

"My God, Hermione... Who did this to you?"

The Ravenclaw shook her head and bit her bottom lip.

"It doesn't matter. They were blood purists, just like Mulciber and his stupid friends. They had taken everything away from me and it almost killed me. But I decided to fight, so that the sacrifice of those who died to protect me, wouldn't be in vain. I know that this hard, cruel and completely unfair, as none of us deserve it. But this is our life and we have to make it our own, even if that means finding the courage that no one expected us to possess"

"I don't think I have it, Hermione. I really think I don't. I couldn't even stand up to my sister and she has never threatened to kill me. She has never made me feel as helpless as them"

"You're not helpless. A woman's never helpless, not with all those feelings and doubts coursing through our bodies on daily basis. We question ourselves, but it doesn't make us stupid. It makes us smart. Only a fool is not afraid of getting hurt, of dying even. But all those fears and insecurities are the things that prove that life is worth fighting for. Not yours, not mine... Everyone's. As soon as you realise that, nothing else will ever matter, because in order to save everything, you often need to sacrifice yourself. And that is an easy choice, Lily. The easiest choice I've ever made"

"Good morning, sleepyhead!", Amy's voice chirped, making Hermione's head explode in cascades of pain.

"It's Saturday. Do you really have to yell so loudly first thing in the morning?", she muttered, trying to cover her head with a pillow, but Amy took it away from her with laughter.

"Yes. You absolutely deserve that for ditching us last night in order to read your own books, which, for the record, are nowhere near as interesting as the ones we read yesterday"

The blonde stated proudly and smiled, making Hermione sigh in defeat. She somehow managed to sit up and blinked a couple of times, trying to make her eyes a little less blurry.

"Actually, I wouldn't have woken you up id it wasn't for the fact that the Marauders are standing outside our doors, asking everyone that passes if they could get you"

Miss Granger looked up and noticed a sly smile gracing Amy's lips, that could only mean one thing. Hermione would have a lot of explaining to do after she got back to their dormitory. Which made her strongly convinced that whatever the Marauders had planned for her, she'd rather do that instead of listening to her roommates' constant babbling.

Grudgingly, she made her way towards the bathroom in order to get herself at least presentable. She knew that James is probably going to ask her all about her evening with Lily and when she refuses to tell him, the boy will switch to making fun of her hair, trying to get her as flustered as possible. Hermione noticed that due to her recent mood, it was incredibly easy to annoy her... And even easier to convince her to give up whatever information she possessed in exchange for peace and quiet. Not that James could ever be quiet.

Looking in the mirror turned out to be a terrible idea, as it made her feel even worse. Hermione felt as though each day was a bad hair day for her, but some were even more disastrous. James would never let her see the end of it. Biting her bottom lip, she decided to break her rules of not trying to look pretty for a boy (or a group of them) and walked back into the room, stopping in front of Amy with a pitiful look painted on her face.

"Could you please help me with my hair?"

As expected, the blonde girl squealed in happiness and run towards her with a wand already in her hand. Hermione had never paid much attention to beauty charms, but seeing Amy casting a spell after spell made her feel quite jealous. The blonde girl had always looked pretty in an effortless way, while Hermione felt as though a bird could live in her hair without having to actually build its own nest.

"You hair is so pretty, Hermione. I wish you could take better care of it. You'd probably look like a princess with that smooth waves of yours"

Nothing about her curls was smooth. They were frizzy and rebellious and didn't like to be taken care of, as Hermione knew perfectly well. They also refused to be cut, which made them even more annoying.

"Yes, Amy. My smooth waves are just as real as Leslie's manners. They're simply not there"

"You underappreciate me so much. Go and see for yourself"

Hermione complied and walked back to the bathroom, sighing tiredly. She hoped that the mirror won't crack at the sight of her bird's nest.

She almost screamed as she realised that her hair had really turned into smooth waves that fell on her back gracefully. How the hell did that happen?! There was no charm that could make her look this beautiful. It took about two bottles of Sleekeazy's Potion to get them under control, and Amy had managed to do it with a couple of wand movements.

"How the hell did you do that? Are you a witch or something?!"

Amy laughed in response and smiled proudly.

"Why do you think my hair always looks so good? It's my family's secret. Apparently, we had this really weird obsession with beauty spells. My ancestors had used all kinds of charms that made them look much more attractive than they actually did. Call it cheating, but those spells are pretty incredible..."

"Yes, they are", Hermione admitted. "Any chance you could share at least one of them with me?"

"Absolutely not. At least not till you prove you're actually worth it!", Amy giggled, making Hermione roll her eyes. "And now, get dressed and get the hell out of here. I'm dying to hear about what they wanted."

Hermione shook her head with amusement, but decided to actually follow the girl's order and started to dress. Couple of minutes later, she was running down the stairs, wondering what the boys had actually wanted from her. Since the beginning of the school year, she had talked to them quite a lot, although she did her best to avoid Sirius. Or at least to avoid staying alone with him.

She still couldn't wrap her mind around his words. Sure, he had been a gigantic tease, but the way he looked at her... It made her body tingle all over. And she did not like that feeling at all. Hermione knew more than well that she wasn't resilient to all of the boys. Talking about them all the time had not been her favourite thing to do, but she would be lying if she had claimed not to be able to appreciate men's looks at all. And Sirius was really easy to look at.

It still did nothing to change the fact, that shortly before being sent back through time, she was in love with Ron, one of her best friends. He almost died to save her, just as she was ready to die for him. The kisses they had shared during their hiding were still so fresh in her mind, that even thinking about doing the same thing with Sirius made her feel guilty as hell.

Despite her guilt, she couldn't deny that there never was so much chemistry between her and Ron. Those kisses were pleasant and they had felt right at that time, but the moment they'd decided to move forward with their affections, things got really awkward. None of them knew if it had truly been love, but none of them wanted to die without finding out what it feels like to be with someone. Hermione wanted to blush furiously just thinking about how stupid it was, but back then, it felt right. It continued to feel that way during the battle, where they have said those words and actually meant them. Even after what turned out to be an unpleasant and awkward intercourse, she had still been sure that she had loved him.

With Sirius, it felt completely different. His lopsided grins made her feel hot and bothered, no matter how hard she tried to deny it. She had to constantly remind herself that he was no good for her, that he was her best friend's god father, but the longer she tried to convince herself that it had mattered, the more ridiculous it seemed. Even if he was Harry's god father, there was no chance that Hermione would ever be calling herself Harry's friend again. The 1970' were now her home and young Sirius Black, just as the rest of the Marauders had become a part of her life.

Still, getting involved with him wasn't exactly a good idea. He flirted with basically everything that moved and probably would never care for her enough to stay faithful. Besides, he gave no indications whatsoever that that situation in the corridor meant anything to him. She shouldn't read more into it than it probably had been.

With that thought, she left the Ravenclaw Tower and found the Marauders sitting on the stairs, talking to each other lightly. The moment they've heard the door opening, they've stood up and faced her, annoyance painted on their faces.

"Finally. What took you...", James started to scold her, but Sirius interrupted him.

"What the hell happened to your hair?!"

Hermione glared at him, when he stepped forward and tried to touch a strand of her hair.

"Don't! Amy's going to kill me if I ruin it", she muttered, pushing away his hand and trying not to flinch at the sudden contact of their skins.

"Yeah, but why did she do it?", he asked with his brows furrowed.

"Because I looked like a scarecrow and didn't want James to tease me about it till the day I die. Besides, I think I look pretty", she shot him an offended glare and crossed her arms on her chest.

"You look beautiful. It's just very different from you every day look", James protested instantly making Remus groan in disbelief.

"Thank you, James. I feel so much better now", she sighed and shook her head, when Harry's father flushed bright red when the realisation dawned on him.

"I didn't mean..."

"Stop it, mate. The words coming out of your mouth are only making things worse", Sirius snorted and smiled at Hermione. "You really look beautiful, though. It's just that your hair is so awesome and wild. It feels weird seeing you so tamed, kitten"

Hermione shrugged, desperately not wanting to blush. She couldn't determine whether she liked being called 'kitten' or hated it. Sirius claimed that it was the perfect nickname for her, because of that thing with bloody Mulciber. He couldn't call her a lioness, because of her being a Ravenclaw, but kitten was perfect according to the Marauders. Even Remus started to call her that, although it didn't have nearly as much impact on her as when Sirius did it.

"I am not an animal", she murmured, but decided to let it slide. "So, can you tell me why I'm here?"

"Oh, that's because we're going to Hogsmeade and you're going with us!", James stated with a self-satisfied smile, making Hermione frown.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but Hogsmeade visit is scheduled for just before Halloween"

"No correction needed", Sirius shook his head, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"So, why are you going to Hogsmeade? And how are you planning to get there?"

Hermione knew about the secret passage leading straight to Honeyduke's, but decided to keep it to herself. It wasn't that it could blow her cover, but she simply couldn't wait to see the boys' faces when they realise that Hermione had actually worked there and knew about the passage all along.

"We have our ways", James said smiling mysteriously.

"And we want to let you in on that one, so you should really consider yourself lucky", Sirius added, making Remus snort.

Clearly, the Gryffindor Prefect hadn't been so keen on breaking the rules. Hermione knew that the only reason he decided to go with them, was to keep them out of trouble. Something Hermione herself had been very familiar with. Loyalty to her friends had always been much more important than her own well-being and the thought that Remus was so much like her made her smile fondly.

"Does that way of yours involve breaking rules?"

Sirius and James snorted loudly, and Peter giggled, catching her attention for the first time.

"Do you really have to ask? Of course it does!", Sirius exclaimed and shook his head with theatrical outrage, making Hermione sigh with amusement.

"You must know that I absolutely condemn breaking the rules when it is completely not necessary and..."

Before she could finish the sentence, Sirius picked her up and tossed over his shoulder. His hand landed on her thighs, as a terrified squeal escaped her mouth, when her head found itself upside down, with a terrific view on his buttocks.

"Sirus Black, let me go right now!", she yelled hysterically, making everyone laugh.

"Can't do, sweetheart! I feel like you would decide to ditch us, if I put you down and I absolutely condemn that"

Hermione tried to squirm as much as she could, until she felt Sirius' hand grazing her butt. She stiffened immediately and the boy chuckled lightly.

"Good girl...", he purred, making everyone laugh once again, while Hermione tried to calm her heart desperately.

Her resolution to stay away from Sirius hadn't worked out all that well, she thought to herself, staring at his ass with fascination.