CHAPTER 4

Sirius could barely pull his eyelids apart the next morning. He saw James and Peter stretching and struggling to crawl out of bed as well. They had stayed with Remus until nearly daybreak, sneaking back into the castle barely two hours before they had to wake up for classes. Sirius rubbed his eyes, too tired and exhausted to do anything but brush his teeth and run a hand through his hair. The three friends stumbled groggily to the Great Hall for breakfast. He saw Hermione and Lily already seated, Lily peeling a banana and Hermione buttering a bit of toast. They were talking animatedly with Amanda Jones, their roommate, who had been made Seeker of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Sirius slumped into the bench across from Lily, and James and Peter slid in beside her.

"You three look awful," Lily said, clucking her tongue.

James just grunted, which earned him a reproachful look from his girlfriend.

Sirius looked at Hermione, who was watching James with an almost . . . knowing look. It was as if she completely understood why the three of them were so ragged and exhausted. But she couldn't have, he thought. Lily wouldn't have told her without asking us first. He shook his head and picked some fruit and bacon for his plate, glancing over at Hermione, who looked away quickly once again. Sirius couldn't help but grin to himself.

"Defence Against the Dark Arts first, Hermione," Lily said, interrupting his thoughts. "We're all in that one together."

"Hermione will probably beat us all in that, too," James said with a grin.

"Oh, I'm rubbish at Defence Against the Dark Arts," she said. "The only reason I've learned anything is because Harry-"

She paused, and Sirius looked at her strangely. Perhaps this was someone she had known wherever she was from. He felt sorry for her; he knew he would be miserable if he had to leave his friends.

"I had a friend named Harriet who taught me everything. She's brilliant at those sorts of spells," Hermione continued.

"Well, we'll see how well Harriet taught you when we get to class," James said, picking up his books and taking Lily's hand.

They all made their way down the corridors until they reached the classroom. It was dimly lit andfull of strange looking creatures, and Sirius saw Hermione's eyes widen as she took in the scenery. James and Lily sat next to each other, and Sirius sat down across the aisle from them, pulling out a second piece of parchment and his enchanted quill. He set up the parchment and quill in Remus's seat and prepared to show his friend that it wasn't only the new girl who was successful in taking extra notes. He watched Hermione nervously sit down next to Peter in front of him, and he stared at her hair. It looked as though it were ready to spring from its clip any moment. Sirius chuckled softly to himself.

(())

Hermione looked around and saw a room that reminded her very much of Lupin's classroom in her third year. Perhaps this was where he got his inspiration as a teacher. She sat next to Peter again, noticing that the only available seat was always inevitably next to him. She wondered if this sort of ostracizing was what led him to the Death Eaters and to Voldemort. She glanced around the room and did a double take when she saw a tall, gangly student with oily black hair and a hook nose stride into the room. She gasped. It was Professor Snape.

"That's Severus Snape," Peter whispered in her ear. "He's in Slytherin. We hate him."

"I can understand why," she snorted.

Snape seemed like a student who had few friends, and it was obvious that everyone thought of him as quite strange. He sat at a table near the front by himself and didn't look at or talk to anyone. He looked very defensive, as if he dared anyone to say anything to him, and Hermione almost felt sorry for him. Almost. After all, this is the man who will kill Dumbledore, she thought, anger swelling in her. She wanted nothing more than to march up to him, wrap her hands around his throat, and strangle him for killing the Headmaster she had loved so dearly. She watched the rest of the Slytherins file in and recognized Avery, who gave her a dark look as he passed.

Avery sat next to Snape and whispered something in his ear, and they both turned around and looked at her. Snape stared at her with a blank expression, and she stared back. This teenager, this loner would one day turn into a murderer. Hermione shook her head sadly, still looking at the boy who was destined to change the Wizarding world forever.

"Stop staring, Snivellus," came a taunting voice from behind her.

Snape's blank expression turned to an angry snarl and he turned to face forward. Hermione furrowed her brow and turned around to see Sirius sneering in Snape's direction.

"That one is a right nasty piece of work," Sirius growled, still glaring at Snape, who turned to face the front of the class and didn't look at her again.

The class went by quickly after that. Hermione was glad to have a chance to learn the Defensive spells again, as she was never quite sure she got it the first time around. Peter seemed to be somewhat hopeless at these spells, and he pleaded with Hermione for help, though she hardly felt qualified to teach anyone in this subject. The professor walked through the classroom critiquing wand technique. She and Peter worked through the spells together. She almost laughed aloud to think that the only reason she might pass her Defence Against the Dark Arts N.E.W.T. exam was Peter Pettigrew.

At the end of class, Hermione sighed after class and stretched her arms. She stood, picked up her bag, and followed everyone to the Great Hall for lunch. She sat down next to James, who was filling her in on some of the things she had missed in the first couple of weeks. Hermione took extensive notes while she ate, copying down all of James's suggestions while she absently picked at her plate.

"I'm starving," came a voice from behind her.

"Remus," Sirius said. "Feeling better?"

"Much," he replied.

Hermione gave him a warm smile as he sat down across from her. She loved seeing the younger version of Remus Lupin. She had so much respect for him as an adult; he'd been an excellent professor and a wonderful mentor for them all. Seeing him young and vibrant, surrounded by friends, warmed her heart. He returned her smile, his warm brown eyes twinkling.

"How have your first few classes been?" he asked, taking a roast beef sandwich from the platter in the center of the table.

"Oh, wonderful," Hermione replied, still copying James's notes from the weeks beforehand. "I don't think I'll have too much trouble catching up."

"You haven't missed too much," said Peter. "The first class is usually just introduction, and then last week we started all the stuff we worked on today."

"I doubt she'll have a problem catching up, she's brilliant," said James as he tried to kiss Lily's neck.

Hermione blushed scarlet and hid behind her books.

(())

Sirius was bored to tears during his afternoon Divination lesson with James and Peter. They had taken the class to give them a much-needed break from the heavy course work they had this term. Remus and Lily, on the other hand, both found the subject far too murky for them. "It's a joke of a class," Remus had scoffed. He was far too scholarly. But James and Sirius half-enjoyed Divination. It always made for a hilarious break in their week. James and Sirius were paired up, perched on a sofa next to one another. Their professor was a tall, plump woman named Professor Lightfoot. She was quite elderly, approaching retirement age, but she still took her position and discipline very seriously. Lightfoot loved nothing more than love: half of the classes involved making complicated astrological charts to determine whether various Wizarding celebrity couples were well matched. Apparently, Stubby Boardman was not well suited to his wife at all (but would be the perfect match for Professor Lightfoot, she made sure they knew). Unfortunately for Professor Lightfoot, James and Sirius did not take the subject seriously at all.

"What do you see?" James asked, staring into his teacup.

"A blob of greenish mush," Sirius replied without interest.

"I think that means you're going to be sick all weekend," said James.

When Professor Lightfoot stepped over to their table, the two boys sat up, pretending to be fascinated by their tea leaves. Lightfoot gazed over James's shoulder and spoke loudly in her droning, nasally voice.

"Oh, I see you have a very clear prediction here," she said, her thin eyebrows raised into arches as she pulled her tiny glasses down to the edge of her nose, inspecting Sirius's tea leaves.

"Oh, yes, James was just noticing that," he answered.

"Please, go on. Interpret your partner's leaves, Mister Potter," she continued, staring down the bridge of her nose at James.

James gulped and glared at Sirius menacingly.

"I see . . . er . . ." James began nervously, but then his eyes lit up. "A woman! There's a woman in his immediate future."

"Excellent, Mister Potter!" she exclaimed, and Sirius glared at him. "I can see that as well. Please continue."

"Well, she's come into his life rather surprisingly," James said slowly, watching Professor Lightfoot nod in agreement as he created a prediction. "And it's absolutely certain that, if he acts quickly, she's going to be the love of his life."

"Wonderful interpretation! I was thinking that precisely, only if you see here," she said, picking up the cup and pointing out a particularly mushy spot in the leaves, "this does not signify the love of his life, but the mother of his child!"

"Oh, of course, Professor," James said, trying to conceal a snicker. "I can't imagine how I missed that."

"Your Inner Eye is just developing, dear boy," said Professor Lightfoot, patting him gently on the shoulder. "Full marks for today."

She walked away from their table to help another pairing with their prediction, and Sirius kicked James under the table.

"What was that rubbish for?" Sirius demanded.

"Oh, come on, you know she loves anything to do with love," James answered nonchalantly.

"A woman? Came into my life surprisingly?" Sirius accused. "The mother of my child?"

"Hey, I didn't make that prediction. She did," said James, and he put on a voice that mimicked Lightfoot's. "My 'Inner Eye is just developing' after all. I can't help it if I missed that Hermione is going to have your kid."

"Shut it!" Sirius hissed, but inside he was feeling strangely . . . fluttery.

After class, James, Sirius and Peter met up with Lily and Remus, who had come from Muggle Studies, and they all returned to the Gryffindor Common Room before dinner. Hermione was holed up in the corner where they all usually sat working on an essay. Sirius couldn't help but think she looked rather adorable. Her curly hair fell around her face, and on occasion, she tucked a strand behind her ear, though it seemed to immediately rebel and fly in front of her eyes again. Her eyebrows were knitted together as she studied, slowly turning the pages of the massive text. They all walked over and plopped down next to her.

"What are you working on?" James asked.

"Oh, homework for Ancient Runes," she replied.

"When did you have that?" Peter inquired.

"Just this afternoon," said Hermione, still focused on her essay.

"How did you find it? None of us have Ancient Runes," Lily asked.

"Oh, er," Hermione said, looking up from her essay with an almost guilty look on her face. "I found a Ravenclaw girl who showed me the way."

Lily nodded and snuggled into James's arms in his favorite armchair. Sirius watched them, thrilled that they had finally found each other and were so happy. For so many years, the Marauders were an impenetrable foursome. But James had pursued Lily for years, and it was nice to have her in the group. Sirius stretched his arms and pulled out his Transfiguration book, turning his attention back to Hermione.

"Have you done the Transfiguration homework already?" he asked her.

"Of course," she said absently.

Sirius and James just looked at each other and shrugged. Soon, all six of them had textbooks and parchments in front of them, intending to complete their massive load of homework, but Sirius, James, and Peter started distracting one another. It began with bits of parchment, enchanted to fly in front of the other's face. Then, those bits of parchment began seeking orifices, with paper balls now flying into noses and ears. Peter sent a well-aimed one right into Sirius's mouth, making him leap from the sofa gagging and coughing to spit it out. Lily, Hermione, and Remus rolled their eyes and tried to ignore the chaos until they simply gave up. Finally, Sirius stood and announced that he was starving, and it was time to go to dinner.

(())

The next day was double Potions. Everyone in Hermione's small group of friends had earned an Exceeds Expectation or higher on their O.W.L.s, so they all walked down to the dungeons together. Hermione gazed around the dungeons. It looked dramatically different than it did in her year. Despite the fact that it was still the same stone dungeon, it somehow seemed more welcoming. There were torches on the walls that gave the room a cozy glow, and there were fabric curtains and pillows that brought a softness to the room. A long row of four chairs sat empty, and Hermione filed in behind Peter, Lily, and James. James gave Lily a gentle pinch on her backside, making Lily turn and glare at him, though her familiar green eyes were twinkling mischievously. Lily sat next to Peter, leaving Hermione paired with James. Sirius and Remus sat down together in the row behind her. Professor Slughorn was waiting at the front of the class rubbing his hands together excitedly.

"Oh, my Seventh years!" he exclaimed as everyone filed into the classroom. "My favorite year to teach. We can do so many fun things that I'm not allowed to do with the younger students."

Hermione shifted in her seat nervously and noticed that some of the other students were doing the same. She wasn't entirely excited for Slughorn's idea of "fun" potions.

"I thought we'd start the year off with something exciting and frivolous," Slughorn announced. "Today we'll be brewing Love potions."

"Love potions?" Hermione said to herself, rolling her eyes. He wasn't kidding when he said frivolous.

"This potion I have up here is called the Amortentia potion. Can anyone tell me about it?" he asked.

Her hand instinctively shot into the air. He had brewed the very same potion for them in her Sixth year.

"Miss . . . I'm sorry I don't know your name," he said, chuckling.

"Granger," came the chorus of replies from her friends, before she had a chance to answer. She smiled to herself.

"Miss Granger," Slughorn continued with a smile.

"It's a very powerful love potion that captures what each individual finds attractive. It smells different to each of us according to what we like," she answered.

"Five points to Gryffindor," Slughorn said. "Yes, she is precisely correct, and we are going to brew our own Amortentia potion today. It is a very difficult potion, but I'm confident that my Seventh years will be able to complete it to standards."

James sighed next to her as the board filled with instructions.

"This will be tough," he said quietly.

"Yes," she replied.

The pair went to the front of the room, James giving Lily a quick wink as they picked out their ingredients. James and Hermione worked next to each other, whispering hints and suggestions to each other as they worked diligently on their potions.

"Cut them diagonally," Hermione said. "I cut mine across the first time and they all fell apart."

"Thanks," James whispered as he sliced the mushrooms that were going into the potion.

At the end of class, James and Hermione both had mother-of-pearl potions that were giving off the characteristic swirling smoke of the Amortentia potion. Down the row, Peter had a dingy grey potion, which was making Lily wrinkle her nose and lean away, burying her face in James's shirt. From behind her, Remus was laughing and saying Peter's potion smelled like rat droppings. Hermione smiled, as she had a feeling that rat droppings were not something Remus found particularly attractive.

"Mine smells like Lily," James announced.

"Not surprising," Hermione replied, smiling.

"What does yours smell like?" he asked.

Hermione took a deep inhalation and let the spirals of smoke swirl around her as she remembered the last time she smelled the potion.

"Fresh cut grass and new parchment," she said, and then the smell that had surprised her so much the first time hit her nose and her eyes popped open. "And . . . I . . . it smells like . . . something I just can't put my finger on."

"Oh, yeah? Well, whoever the bloke is, I bet he'd love for you to put your finger on him," James said with a smirk, and Hermione giggled, though she heard Lily say, James! in a scolding sort of voice.

Hermione had been embarrassed in Sixth year to tell Harry what she had smelled in her Amortentia potion. She now knew why: it was a smell she had smelled only once before, on their late-night ride on the back of a Hippogriff. It was distinctly masculine: notes of sage and leather. Since Hermione was quite sure she didn't harbor any feelings for Buckbeak, she had thought at the time that she was attracted to Harry's scent, and she was far too shy to admit to that. But thinking it over, she knew how Harry smelled: like the cedar of his school trunk. This smell was quite different. Thinking back to that daring escape, she could narrow the smell down to either Harry or . . . Sirius. Hermione's stomach did another flip flop. Did her Amortentia potion smell like Sirius Black?