Hermione looked at Headmaster Dumbledore quizzically. 'How did he know I was coming? I didn't even know I was coming,' she thought.

"Do you not know how you arrived in this time, Miss Granger? I for one am shocked; you've read Hogwarts: A History too many times to count, and yet you do not recall the Time Room?"

"Of course; how could I be so stupid? The Time Room appears to those who are in dire need of an escape from the reality of their own lives; it sends the user into the past for a period of one year, at the end of which, he or she can decide if he or she wishes to return to his or her own time, or stay permanently," Hermione quoted verbatim.

"Very good; and you clearly needed to escape your struggle with Mister Weasly, didn't you?" Dumbledore's piercing eyes twinkled behind his half-moon glasses.

"How could you possibly know…." Hermione whispered.

"There are a great many things that I know about, and everything that happens in this school, present or future, until the day I die, is my responsibility. Now, I think that it is about time you got back to your new friends; I do believe Misters Potter and Black are waiting for you."

Hermione was shocked to be dismissed so quickly, but stumbled through the door and down the winding staircase to where, low and behold, James and Sirius were in fact waiting for her.

"Hey, baby," Sirius said, looking up at her from his seat on the floor, "wanna see what's hangin'?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Well, well, well. I didn't think I'd live to see the day when the infamous Sirius Black would quote a book, let alone a muggle book. Never would have taken you for a Hinton fan."

"Damn, you really have read everything! And here I was hoping to dazzle you with my astonishing witticisms," Sirius replied

James stared at the two exchange banter for about five more minutes before he was sure they'd forgotten his presence entirely. Thankfully, at that moment, Lily Evans, the object of his affection, the apple of his eye, and the bane of his existence, turned the corner and was walking towards him and the two stooges. James automatically ruffled his hair and straitened his cloak. Hermione and Sirius paused when they saw him pulling himself together. They both understood that they had to fix James and Lily up.

"Hermione, you're a girl; use your female powers to see if Lily's got the hots for our dear Jamesy," Sirius whispered.

Hermione punched him in the shoulder lightly. "I'm a girl, not a mind reader; I can't just telepathically ask her if she likes him….but I think she does, otherwise she wouldn't be applying lip gloss as she approaches him." Sirius looked up at Lily, and sure enough, she was swiping on a sparkling new coat of Kissy Fresh Glimmer Gloss as she marched towards them.

"Oh, Merlin!" James exclaimed, "Sirius, what do I do? She's coming." James was on the verge of a panic attack. 'Oh, sure tough guy, you can fly straight down at breakneck speed, but you can't talk to a girl; some Gryffindor you are, more like Cowardly Lion!' James thought to himself. 'It's okay, you can do this,' he told himself.

"Hey Lily," Sirius called, waving his arm like an idiot.

Lily waved back less dramatically. James froze.

She was twenty feet away,

Then seventeen,

Then twelve,

Then eight,

Then she was standing directly in front of James with her arms crossed and her right foot tapping. "James Potter, you ought to be ashamed of yourself," she began angrily, "how dare you teach a first year how to conjure dung bombs? You call yourself a seventh year? You might as well be nine years old from the way you've behaved."

James was stunned. 'Shit, how can someone so sexy be so vicious?' he asked himself. The pattern on the carpet suddenly became fascinating.

Sirius rolled his eyes at his friend, 'I swear,' he thought, 'how this boy will ever get a date without my help is beyond me.' With a few choice flicks of his wand the swirling design on the carpet began to form words before James' eyes.

"Be cool, you buffoon! You look like a statue!"

James blinked several times to be sure his vision wasn't failing him.

"Tell her she looks pretty and that you like her new hair cut. Sell yourself, man!"

"You look really pretty today, Lily. Did you get your hair cut?" James smiled as attractively as he could.

"Listen, you jerk….." she trailed off. "What did you just say?"

"I said you look pretty and I like your haircut," James whispered, slightly embarrassed that he was taking advice from the upholstery.

"Thanks, I guess…..what are you playing at, Potter?"

"I'm not playing at anything! I just told you that you're pretty and you got all pissed off at me. What are you gong to do when some bloke asks you to marry him, stab him in the heart?" James yelled. 'Fuck, she's infuriating!' he thought.

"You're right, Potter. I'm sorry," Lily mumbled, barely audible.

"And another thing, where do you get off…..wait, repeat that."

"I said you're right. I shouldn't have questioned your motives." Lily was wondering what she was saying even as the words left her mouth.

"You're doing good, now reel her in!"

Hermione elbowed Sirius in the gut. She flicked her own wand.

"James, it's Hermione; remember, she's a person, not a fish."

James was confused, but decided to follow Sirius' advice, after all, he'd picked up a few more chicks than Hermione had.

"So," James began, "do you want to go make out?"

Hermione and Sirius both mentally slapped him. Lily, on the other hand, physically slapped him. With a loud SNAP James was nearly slammed into the wall behind him.

"You perv! I knew you were up to something!" Lily shrieked before storming away, her black cloak swirling behind her.

"Good going, numbnuts." Sirius said as he flopped his arm around his distraught friend's shoulder.

A/N: Yay for new chapters! Please, please, please review! I love all of your pretty comments. Merry Halloween!