Disclaimer: All belongs to JKR.

The next month was a blur. Hermione went through the motions - class, studying, hanging out with her new friends - but her mind could not connect with reality. On one hand, she was having a wonderful time with the Marauders. Whether or not they believed her, they were at least pretending to do so. After confirming her story with Dumbledore, they had decided, at the very least, she meant them no harm. They seemed delighted to have a new protégé, and teased her endlessly for her determination not to rule-break. Being with them made her feel comfortable, in a way; made her feel like she was home. On the other hand, Professor Dumbledore was no closer to getting her back to her real home. It was hard to lie constantly, and she was feeling the strain of keeping with her story. This time had some other problems, too.

Snape. Professor Severus Snape was just as obnoxious when he was a student as when he taught at Hogwarts. To be fair, the Marauders did provoke him quite to bit. Still, he was a gigantic git, and since he was not her professor at this time, Hermione had no trouble treating him with the same disdain she usually reserved for Draco Malfoy.

The first time they met had not been pleasant. Hermione was accompanying Lily and the Maraurders to Potions. Hermione had been excited to attend one of her favorite subjects without that overgrown bat breathing down her neck. For five years, nothing she did impressed the man; indeed, he had been dismissive and nasty to her. Insufferable know-it-all, in her opinion, was hardly what one said to a student. Sixth year had not been much better, since his Half-Blood Prince textbook had enabled Harry to beat Hermione for the first time. The bottom line was, Snape had been mucking up her class for the last six years, and she was very keen to be heading to Snape-free Potions. Alas, as usual, she had Potions with the Slytherins.

She had started a little when she first saw him. Hermione had half-expected to run into him by now, but the shock was still great. He certainly looked the part of a Junior Death Eater: scowling, slouching, lank hair hanging in his face. In short, he looked almost exactly the same as when she had known him. Perhaps a few more pimples, she thought viciously. He sneered at her and Lily, but Hermione thought she saw a flicker of interest in his eyes.

"Who's your new mudblood, Potter?" he hissed at them. "Have you started your own fan club?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes, but stayed silent. Was mudblood the only word they knew?

"Now, now, Snivellus," Sirius said in a deadly tone. "Apologize to Granger and Evans."

"No, I don't think I will, Black," Snape said. "I think I'll just carry on, if it's all the same to you." Sirius, James and Lupin raised their wands at Snape, but Professor Slughorn chose that moment to walk outside the classroom.

"Miss Evans!" he greeted Lily jovially, "Is this the famous Miss Granger I've heard so much about? Marvelous! I do hope you've been studying with Lily; she's one of the top students in the class." He beamed at Lily. Snape glared at them both as Lily introduced Hermione to Professor Slughorn, but wisely kept his mouth shut. He was likewise silent during Potions. He did look her way once or twice, and Hermione saw him mouth a few obscenities at the Marauders, but for the most part, he appeared engrossed in his work. Hermione knew he was already calling himself the Half-Blood Prince; no doubt his textbook was full of notes. Prat, she thought to herself.

After their first meeting, Snape left Hermione more or less alone, but she got the feeling he was never too far away. He was quick to hurl an insult at her if she was without the boys, but other than that, he mainly just glared at her. He did not have the boldness of Draco Malfoy, but his dislike for her radiated off of him in waves. The feeling was mutual, so she tried not to focus on him too much. Hermione did, however, notice that he looked at Lily quite a bit, and it was not always in anger and disgust. When he thought he was undetected, there was frank hunger and longing in his gaze. Hermione thought she knew another reason Snape hated James, and vowed to never tell Harry her suspicions. She knew that despite his so-called "turn around," and regardless of whether he had been working under Dumbledore's orders, he had still been the cause of her headmaster's death. Hermione decided that just the basic fact that her future professor called her a mudblood - the same professor she often defended to Ron and Harry - was the icing on the cake. She liked the Marauders, but she hated 1976.

She would also be lying to herself if she didn't admit that she was somewhat jealous of Lily. Hermione liked Lily a lot - she had taken Hermione under her wing immediately, and had been extremely kind. She treated Hermione as if they had been friends for years, and Hermione enjoyed the pretty girl very much. Lily was funny and mischievous, but still took her school work seriously. After Ginny, she was easily the closest female friend Hermione had ever had. She was jealous, though. Although Hermione was well-liked by her classmates, she had started Hogwarts as a plain, bossy know-it-all and she doubted if Lily had endured as much trouble as Hermione. The absolute adoration James slathered on her was also a far cry from her and Ron's tumultuous relationship. Lily was pretty, bright and popular; Ginny Weasley's obvious forerunner. Frizzy hair and buck teeth were simply not in her vocabulary. The other boys were also extremely protective of her. Hermione knew her friendship with Harry and Ron was just as strong, but she couldn't help feeling a pang every time Lupin, Sirius or Peter flung their arms around Lily's shoulder or threatened to steal her away from James. They liked Hermione, sure, but it was not the same. Hermione was also envious of Lily's position of Head Girl, a privilege she had always secretly thought was in the bag. The downfall of Voldemort was far more important than her seventh year at Hogwarts, she knew; nonetheless, she was disappointed she would never get to be Head Girl.

Finally, she had one more problem she had not been counting on. Although she had known Lupin (Remus) and Sirius as adults, she had quickly altered her thinking to accept them as fellow teenagers. This had led to some slight awkwardness. The Marauders were under the impression that she had been dreaming about them for some time. This led to constant jokes, aided by their legitimate interest in the pretty, mysterious new girl. Sirius flirted outright with her, and she thought she had caught one or two looks from Lupin, too. And more than once her own mind had lingered on the werewolf. He was a lot like her - thoughtful, studious, loyal. Although quick to joke, he did not have James or Sirius's easy good humor. He was hardly the boss Hermione had been to Harry and Ron, but he did try to reign his friends in once in awhile. Hermione also knew that out of everyone, he was still the most suspicious of her and her dream story. Still, she had felt his eyes on her more than once, and she didn't think he was always thinking ill of her.

"Hermione!" Sirius shook her out of her reflections. It was late Friday night and she was sitting in the largely deserted Gryffindor common room with Lily and the boys. "Where'd you go? Dreaming about me again?"

"Hardly," Hermione sniffed. "Just wondering what our plans were for the weekend."

"Unfortunately, love, it's boys only."

"James!" Lily protested. "I thought we were going to Hogsmeade tomorrow!"

"Lily, have you checked the calendar?" Peter asked her. "You'll have to take Hermione to Hogsmeade. We'll be keeping Moony company. We have to start early."

"I forgot." Lily looked at Lupin sympathetically. "We'll bring you boys something back."

"Wonderful!" Hermione said. "I was hoping to get a little one on one time with Snape without you lot breathing down my neck."

"Ugh!" Sirius groaned. "Don't break my heart, Hermione. I might get hives if I saw you snogging Snivellus."

"Snogging! Ick, Slytherin germs! I was planning on hexing him!" Hermione laughed with the boys. Although she knew the boys looked forward to their full-moon adventures, Hermione got the feeling that Lupin did not like discussing his "furry little problem" in front of her, so she was eager to change the subject.

"So," said James. "If we can't hang out tomorrow, what say we make full use of tonight."

"What did you have in mind, Prongs?" Lupin asked.

"Perhaps a little Forbidden Forest tonight?"

Hermione used her best we-need-to-follow-the rules voice. "I don't think that's a very good idea, James. You'll be out tomorrow night; why press your luck with tonight, too? I've snuck out at night before and it usually doesn't end well. Filch-" She realized she had said too much.

"Hermione?" Lupin's voice was politely incredulous. "When did you sneak out at night and deal with Filch?"

"I didn't mean Filch," she tried to cover. "At Beauxbatons I snuck out with my friend a couple of times. We got caught by our caretaker."

Lupin raised an eyebrow, but didn't challenge her. "Well, you didn't have the Marauder's Map, did you? Hermione, we've been sneaking out for seven years now. We have never been caught. Never. C'mon."

Sirius joined in the needling. He crawled over to her and batted his eyes. "Please, Granger. You can't leave Evans alone with all these rough boys."

"Ha!" James said. "Hermione, you need to keep them busy while I spend a little quality time with my lady." He leered at Lily, who scoffed and pushed him away.

"Hermione, they never let me come with them on their late night activities," Lily said. "Let's do it!"

"That's five to one, Hermione," Peter chimed in.

"Are you a Gryffindor or not?" Sirius asked her.

She grinned at them. Although she was quick to shut down Harry and Ron's mischief, she was feeling a bit rebellious. What could happen to her anyway? She couldn't exactly get expelled, could she? And they did have the map, after all. She felt like she would be safe with the boys. "Okay, you're on. A lot of my dreams did take place in the Forest, after all."

"There you go!" Sirius flung an arm around her. "While we're out there, you can enact some of my dreams for me. I doubt they'll be as crowded with others as yours were. I'm thinking maybe just the two of us."

"Eww!" Hermione pushed him away, laughing, while James and Peter sniggered. She looked at Lupin. He wasn't laughing, and had his eyes narrowed at Sirius. When he noticed her watching him, he wiped his face of the expression and gave her a lopsided grin.

"Padfoot prides himself on being a gentleman," he told her gravely.

"Years of practice," Sirius agreed.

"Is that why I caught you looking down my robes the other day?" Lily said, eyes twinkling.

"What?" James shouted in mock outrage. He leapt at Sirius; moments later they were in heap, Lupin and Peter jumping into the fray as well. Hermione exchanged an amused smile with Lily. Once again, she was reminded of Harry and Ron. Her heart lurched at the thought of her friends. It flipped again when she remembered that one of these boys would betray the others, and two would die way too young. Sobered by the thought, she looked at Lily. Beautiful, carefree Lily, who had about five years to live.

And I can't do anything about it. Her good humor gone, Hermione climbed to her feet.

"What's the plan, gentlemen?" she asked. "Let's get this party started."

The boys looked surprised at the change in her voice, but decided to ignore it. "Meet us back down here in an hour," James answered her. "The last few stragglers will have gone to bed, and then the witching hour will be upon us."

"The witching hour is midnight," Hermione said matter-of-factly. "It's midnight now."

"Let's not get technical, Granger," Sirius said. "Any hour we're afoot is the witching hour. Okay, you two, go make yourself pretty and we'll see you in an hour."

Lily rolled her eyes at him, but linked arms with Hermione and started up to the girls' dormitory with her.

"Hermione? Are you okay? You seem a bit down all of the sudden."

Hermione looked into the beautiful green eyes of her best friend's doomed mother. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell her the truth, but she bit back her words. She had promised Dumbledore. Chaos and madness would follow her confession. Instead, she smiled at Lily and shook her head. She would simply have to be thankful for the gift she had been given to get to know this girl, in this time.

"I'm fine, Lily," she reassured her. "A bit nervous, is all. It'll be fun."

An hour later, she and Lily crept silently back down into the Gryffindor common room. They both wore dark jeans and jumpers, and had their long hair tied back. Hermione felt a bit like a muggle cat burglar, and she smiled at the image. The boys were waiting for them, huddled around the Marauder's Map.

"Okay, Filch is in the dungeons and Mrs. Norris is with him," said James. "Dumbledore's in his office and all the other professors are tucked away. We're going to take the passageway out to the Whomping Willow, and from there we can get to the Forest."

The girls nodded assent. Hermione felt a surge of excitement. Usually, she did not sneak out for fun; more often than not the Trio was on some dangerous assignment. Of course, the threat of expulsion had always been a pretty big deterrent as well. It was a new feeling to be actively taking place in something so very off-limits. It might be fun to be out-of-bounds for kicks alone.

Lupin cast Muffliato as soon as they exited the common room. Hermione grimaced at the spell but kept silent. Damn Snape and his tricky spells. Useful, though, she supposed in this case. She vowed never to let Harry hear her say that.

There was little whispering or joking as Hermione and Lily followed James, Lupin, Sirius and Peter out of the school and underneath the Whomping Willow. She watched as Peter changed himself into a rat (Scabbers, she thought bemusedly) and probed the tree into stillness. The five friends climbed out of the passageway and joined a now-human Peter. They continued in silence until they were safely (Can you really be safe in the Forbidden Forest? she asked herself) amongst the dark trees.

"Let's agree to steer clear of the centaurs, shall we?" Sirius suggested. "Hermione, Lily, you stay with us the whole time."

Hermione wanted to scoff at the indication that they were defenseless females, but really, she had no desire to go prancing off by herself, so she nodded her concurrence. "Let's avoid the acromantulas, too,
agreed?"

Lupin paled visibly. "There are acromantulas in here? Are you sure? I thought they were just a myth." He looked on the verge of panic.

"Oh, they're in here," Hermione answered him. Lupin was reminding her of Ron, a resemblance she tried to force out of her head. "Hagrid's friends with them, but they'll still get us. We just can't go too deep into the forest."

Lupin shuddered. "Yeah, let's stick to that plan." He didn't question where she got this knowledge.

"Scared of a little spider, Moony?" Sirius teased.

"Not a little spider, Padfoot," Lupin corrected him. "Little spiders I can handle. Giant ones, not so much, so let's just follow Hermione's advice."

"Good idea," said Peter, who was as white as Lupin. "Prongs, what's our destination, then?"

"No destination," said James. "We're just out for a moonlit stroll. Keep your eyes peeled." He took Lily's hand. She gave him a dazzling smile and they started walking ahead of the others, whispering to each other and looking like the world's happiest young couple. Hermione caught Sirius giving Peter a look, and Peter walked on in front of Hermione, Sirius and Lupin, still staying behind James and Lily. He looked a little dejected, but still pleased to be with his friends. She watched as Sirius gave Lupin a similar look. Instead of taking the hint, Lupin raised his eyes in challenge. Sirius smirked and shrugged. Hermione's cheeks burned and she tried to ignore the implications of what she had just witnessed. She walked with the two boys.

"Hermione, have you talked to Dumbledore anymore about your dreams?" Lupin asked, breaking the silence. "Any theories on why you were having them? Do you still have them?" Sirius also looked expectantly at her.

"Not yet, Lupin," she said. "He has some ideas, he said, but nothing definite. Still working on it. I remain in contact with my Divination Professor as well." Another bold-faced lie, of course, but what was she to do?

"I wish you would remember to call me Remus," he sighed. "Or at least Moony. I'm the only one you address by the last name."

Sirius smirked at this. "It's cause you're such an old man sometimes, Moony. Remember she called you Professor first. Lupin's a step-up, in my humble opinion."

Hermione stilled Lupin's response. "I'm sorry, Remus." The name still felt strange on her tongue, but she knew she would have to get used to using it. "I'll try to remember. I don't know why you were Lupin in my dreams, and not Remus, but I'll try to get it right." They shared a small smile and Hermione made a mental vow to thinkof him as Remus as well. He was not her Professor right now.

"Are you still having them?" Sirius asked, bringing them back.

"No, I'm not having them anymore," Hermione answered.

"Well, that makes sense," said Sirius. "Now that you've met your dream man in the flesh, what's the point?" He waggled his eyebrows at her as Remus made retching noises.

"Dream men, Sirius," Hermione corrected him. "Dream woman, too."

"Kinky, Granger," Sirius said.

"Why can Sirius call me Granger, but I can't call you Lupin?" Hermione pouted.

"We've already established that Padfoot has no class, Hermione," Remus said. "C'mon, let's go find Wormtail." He grabbed her hand and pulled her forward. Hermione felt a tingle at his warmth and closeness. When she looked up at him, he was staring right back at her. She shivered and pushed the feeling back down. Sirius caught up with them and the three friends reached Peter, who looked relieved to have some company. Moments later, they joined James and Lily and the six friends spent the rest of the night laughing and scaring each other silly.

They returned to Hogwarts at four in the morning and slipped quietly back to their rooms.

Hermione lay in her bed the next few hours, trying to block out the feel of Remus's hand in hers, and the way his hazel eyes bore into hers. She finally drifted into a troubled sleep, dreaming of spiders, werewolves and red hair.