A/N: Sorry for the delay! I meant to have this posted a couple of days ago, but my exams kept me a bit too preoccupied.

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James Potter was a Slytherin.

The thought of it came unbidden to Hermione as she looked at her messy-haired boy. It was ridiculous of course, she knew he was actually in Gryffindor. Still, as she eyed him and his two friends (Peter and Sirius; Remus was nowhere to be seen), it was with disturbing ease that she was able to replace them with Malfoy and his cronies.

Her two companions, Lily and Severus looked far from surprised at the intrusion - only anger and annoyance were present on their faces, as Lily's eyes blazed dangerously.

'What,' she snarled. 'Do you think you're doing, Potter?' James just flashed her an easy grin.

'Lils, we just want to make sure that Snivellus here knows his place, he's a greasy Slytherin. Granger here shouldn't get the wrong impression.'

Outrage bubbled up in Hermione as she glared at James, only the fact that they were in the library kept her from raising her voice - or her wand. How dare he?

'James Potter, leave us alone, you foul git.' She hissed. 'Just because you need lapdogs for some sort of human interaction doesn't mean that you need to be jealous of those who manage to get friends just by merit of being a decent human being.' Hermione glared at the three of them, daring them to respond. Peter was quiet as usual, and wilted under the weight of her gaze. Sirius, she found, looked rather angry. What else was one to expect from a future mass murderer?

'Black.. Potter.. you dirty toe-rags. For Merlin's sake, just leave us alone.' Lily said, anger flaring in her tired voice.

'Dirty toe rags? You don't mean that! You can hardly call me dirty while you're sitting next to slimeball Snivellus.'

'Leave. Now.'

Hermione watched, as both James and Lily descended into a quiet staring match. On the other side of Lily, Snape just looked furious, though some of his - what Hermione was beginning to realize, usual, wariness was there, as his chin-length hair covered his face.

Her attention was drawn back to the stare-down, when Lily - rather loudly, and incredulously, exclaimed, 'WHAT?'

'I said, Lils, do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me?' He looked at her, hopeful. 'You know, next weekend?'

'W- No! I do not. I'd rather go with the giant squid, at least it might have a better personality.'

Looking across the study area, Hermione noticed a rather angry looking Madam Pince. Opening her mouth to say something, Hermione caught Snape's eye. He shook his head and glanced quickly over to the library's exit. Taking his hint, she rolled up her parchment and collected her books. Feeling Sirius's eyes on her, she and Snape left the library, the sound of Lily and James's argument following them as they left. How on Earth did those two end up falling in love and getting married? It truly astounded it.

'I don't need you to defend me.' Snape said after they'd left the library and walked down the hall for a bit. They had been silent up until then.

'I-'

'I don't need you to defend me,' he said again, 'but I appreciate it. Thank you.'

'Of course.'

'Potter and his gang strut around, arrogant as if they own this place. Being friends with Lily -' he cut himself off and restarted, 'being a male and friends with Lily is just asking to be hexed.'

'What's this, Snivellus? You're asking to be hexed?' With a flash of light, Severus was hanging upside down by his ankle. Hermione pulled out her wand intending to get her friend down, but hesitated. Whatever that spell was, it was most definitely not in The Standard Book of Spells 1-3.

'Aqua Eructo,' he said, with a swish of his wand. A short jet of clear water shot toward Severus, soaking him. 'A gift, as you seem incompetent of showering.' Sirius said, his voice taunting Snape. For a moment, Hermione thought that he had forgotten her.

'Sirius Black.. I demand you let him down this instant.' She said, drawing his attention back to her.

'Cheer up Granger, it's just a bit of fun.' Sirius said, smiling at her. She supposed it was supposed to be reassuring, though she found the entire thing to be quite repulsive.

'A bit of fun? It's just.. just barbaric! I can't believe that I even found you remotely interesting earlier.' The way that he was watching her, with his brow scrunched up, it seemed almost as if he really couldn't understand what was so.. wrong about this. Looking at the dangling boy - Sev's face had gone red.

Her discussion, if it could be called such, with Sirius had done nothing to help his predicament.

'SIRIUS BLACK. YOU LET HIM GO. NOW.' Lily came storming out of the library, a sulky James Potter and Peter Pettigrew behind her. Eying James, who nodded surreptitiously behind Lily's back, Sirius muttered the counter curse and Snape fell onto a heap on the ground.

'Go.' Lily snapped, and with a backward glance the trio left Lily, Snape and Hermione in the hall.

'Granger said she found me interesting.' She heard Sirius tell his friends as they walked off. Heat rose to her cheeks as she spun to look at Lily and Snape.

'I'm sorry,' Hermione said after a moment, interrupting the pair's hushed conversation. 'I really didn't know how to help. It's not a spell I've read about anywhere..'

Severus nodded, glaring back the way the other boys had left. 'It's fine. Potter, Black and their gang have a habit of being where they're not wanted. This is nothing.'

Pointing her wand at Snape, who was still drenched from Sirius's attack, 'Ventus.' She said, and dried off his robes. Lily shot her a look of gratitude, and turned back to her friend, resuming their conversation.

Feeling unsure, but after watching the two friends talk with their heads close for a minute, Hermione began to feel as though she were intruding.

'I'll see you guys around.' She muttered, and walked down the stone hall in the opposite direction the boys had gone. If nothing else, her time in this era had taught her one thing: she knew why Professor Snape had such a grudge against Harry. Wanting nothing more than to spend hours studying. figuring out how to get back home, but feeling restless all the same, Hermione wandered the grounds. It was probably best that she hadn't returned to the library, not until Madam Pince had calmed down a bit. Eventually, she sat in the shade under a tree and pulled out the small book she had found in the library.

Hours later, with the sun sitting low over the lake, the little waves glittering prismatically as the giant squid splashed around near surface of the water, Hermione found herself feeling much calmer than she had been earlier. The little book documented trials that had been made in time magic, as well as the theory behind it. It was incredibly complex, well beyond NEWT levels, and certainly beyond OWLs. Still, she figured, there was a reason she was called the brightest witch of her age, and she had managed to brew polyjuice potion last year. It was just another challenge. A challenge she would not only face, it was a challenge she would beat.

But how long would it take?