A/N: Aaand here we go again! Keep on reading and reviewing :)

Chapter 43: Revealing the past

April 15th 1979 (Easter Sunday)

They were listening to Potterwatch, hearing familiar and friendly voices after so many months, feeling suddenly connected to the outside world for the first time in a long while. They were laughing, and Hermione could feel hope filling her heart, finally, after many inconsolable nights and weeks. Ron had come back, and now everything seemed a bit brighter. Perhaps they were going to make it. Perhaps they were going to survive the war. It was something she hadn't even dared to think about, not before now.

Now they had a weapon they could use to destroy the Horcruxes. And they had actually destroyed one already. Hermione couldn't even remember the last time she had been this cheerful. Seeing both Harry and Ron beaming and chuckling at the wireless, on which they could hear Fred and George joke about Voldemort. It was something she reckoned they had needed. They had been so used to the isolation, to the loneliness, to fear even, that Hermione had forgotten there were others who fought on their side in this war as well. They weren't alone, after all.

But their moment of cheerfulness was short-lived. Like a flick of a wand, everything went pear shaped. Harry had said his name. Voldemort. They were captured by snatchers, and it was all downhill from there.

"Hermione?" Remus asked worriedly, sitting down beside her. Hermione could see the others following him into the sitting room, surrounding them. She didn't dare to look at their faces, where she knew she would see a variety of looks reflecting pity, worry, sympathy and concern.

Hermione took a deep breath, brushing her tears away. "I have something to tell you guys…" Hermione said with a wavering voice.

"Okay," Lily said softly and sat on Hermione's other side, taking her hand gently between hers.

Hermione swallowed deeply. "You're not going to like it. What I'm about to say. And…and…it's dangerous. If even a bit of it gets out…" She rambled, not really thinking straight.

Could she ask her friends to make an Unbreakable Vow? Would they betray her? And if not, what if someone read their minds? Voldemort already knew about a time-traveller…was she digging her own grave? She knew it was irrational to tell them anything, but she was drowning. The weight of her guilt and her memories were pushing her under the surface, and she wasn't sure if she was able to resurface without help.

"Hermione…You can trust us. We're your friends," James murmured from one of the conjured sofas next to the one she was sitting on.

Hermione gritted her teeth. "I'm…I was…" She stammered, her blurry gaze fixed on the coffee table in front of her. She couldn't look at them as she took a deep breath and started to speak. "My name is Hermione Granger. I'm a Muggleborn. And I was born on September 19th, 1979," She said and pressed her eyes closed.

Several sounds; gasps and confused voices filled the silence.

"W-What?" Lily mumbled, the first one recovering from the surprise. "What does that mean? Hermione, is everything okay?" She asked, placing a hand over her friend's forehead.

Hermione shook her head in a slight frustration, finally looking at the others. Alice, Frank, Mary and James sat next to each other on one sofa, the girls watching her with looks of confusion, while James seemed to be more contemplative than anything else. Peter and Sirius were sitting on the floor, both watching her intently. Recognition flashed in Sirius's eyes.

"No, Lils." Sirius muttered, his eyes fixed on Hermione's, an unreadable expression taking over his features. "What she meant is that she's from the future," he said slowly.

Hermione pressed her lips together, trying not to think of how accusing his voice sounded.

"Hermione?" Remus asked with a puzzled look. "Are you serious? You are…from the future?" He asked incredulously.

Lily huffed. "That's impossible. I mean, I knew you were adopted, but, you know, that was because of what happened to your family, right?" She said hesitantly, staring at Hermione with an unsure look.

"What?" Alice said quickly, looking perplexed.

"What she said," Mary said tightly, staring at Hermione in bewilderment.

Hermione sighed wearily. "I, um…I told Lily, and well, Sirius too that I was adopted by Aberforth. Which I was, actually, after I arrived here…"

Sirius cleared his throat. "So none of that happened? The attack? The Death Eaters beating you? Abusing you?" He asked darkly. "Because I swear to Merlin, Hermione – "

"Hold on for a moment, Pads," James said with an annoyed voice, staring at Hermione with surprise while Alice, Mary, Peter and Frank spluttered something unintelligible, only now hearing about the attack. "You're adopted? And what is this future crap? You're really from the future? You're not messing with us?" James asked with a demanding voice, his hazel eyes burning into hers.

"But, that's –" Lily objected.

"– An attack?!" Mary interrupted with a shrill voice, staring at Hermione in shock.

"Hermione?" Alice whispered with a dumbstruck look.

"Everybody, put a sock in it," James said warningly. Lily scowled at him and Sirius rolled his eyes but James ignored them. "Hermione?" James asked tightly, a grim look taking over his features.

Hermione swallowed hard and looked at the floor. After what seemed like several minutes, she spoke. "It's true," She said quietly and took in a shuddering breath. "I came here at the end of July, 1977. I came from the year 1998," Hermione said and glanced at the others hesitantly. Everyone stared at her with mixed looks of surprise, suspicion, bafflement, and worry.

"I was attacked. We were…my friends and I were on the run. Running away from him." Hermione explained, and she could hear Alice and Peter gasp, and a strangled noise erupt from Sirius's throat but she didn't look at them.

Hermione knew that what she was doing was dangerous. She knew she would probably end up dead sooner than later because of this, but she had to tell them. She was tired of carrying the weight of the world, or rather, the fate of their world on her shoulders. And they deserved the truth. But she had to draw a line somewhere. Hermione knew she couldn't tell them about the Horcruxes, because if Voldemort found out about what they had done, that they had destroyed four of them, it would be catastrophic. They would all be dead before the last one was found. "They took us. My friends were locked up in the basement while they had some fun with me. A Mudblood," She said through gritted teeth, trying to supress her tears, trying not to see the memories of the incident at the Malfoy Manor as she spoke.

"Fuck," James breathed, while Lily drew a sharp breath and brought her hand in front of her mouth, horror in her eyes. Remus cursed under his breath.

"He's still alive in 1998?" James asked with a hint of dread in his voice. "And the Death Eaters?"

Hermione gave him a solemn nod.

"Shit…" James whispered.

Sirius clenched his jaw and frowned at her. "How do we know you're not shitting us?" He warily. "I mean, the incident in Malfoy Manor I get, but time travel…that's…I dunno, six kinds of crazy," He said with frustration.

James watched Hermione thoughtfully and then exchanged an obscure look with Sirius.

"Dumbledore trusts me. He's read my mind. If that's not enough, then I don't know what more to say…" Hermione muttered and gave her friends a helpless shrug. Then she remembered something she had that could help them believe her. "I, um…I might have something I could show you…to, you know, to prove myself." She said carefully.

There was a silence. "Well?" Sirius said impatiently.

Hermione gave him a small nod and reached for her disillusioned beaded bag, which was still attached to her hip as she hadn't really had the time to remove it after the mission. Merlin, had it only been hours since the Horcrux had been destroyed? It seemed like weeks. Hermione shook away the thoughts regarding the mission and instead put her hand elbow deep inside her bag.

"What?" Lily mumbled, shifting next to her.

Hermione cleared her throat. "It's, um, undetectable extension charm…" she said sheepishly, and heard Remus hum quietly. Finally, she found what she was looking for and pulled the tattered, old parchment from the bag, placing it carefully on the table.

Remus took a sharp breath. "Where did you get that?"

Sirius, James and Peter stared at the parchment with dumbfounded looks.

"Well, what is it?" Mary asked edgily, eyeing the parchment incredulously.

"The Marauder's Map. The map of Hogwarts. The one we made. And the one the caretaker took." Sirius said with an exasperated look. "So you nicked it from him?" He asked, and James arched a brow at Hermione.

"Guys…" Peter quipped after waving his wand at the Map and muttering the password. "It's not our map," He said and glanced at his mates. "…Check out the fourth floor."

Everyone leaned from their seats towards the coffee table to stare at the parchment where a handful of small dots, labelled with names, moved around the map which was showing every part of the Hogwarts castle and grounds.

Lily scoffed. "You have a map of the school? And…you're following the movements of its inhabitants?" Lily asked menacingly, her voice rising. The boys shared a look of discomfort.

"Merlin, you guys are worse creeps than I thought," Mary muttered, scrunching up her nose at her boyfriend. Remus winced next to Hermione.

Sirius arched a brow at her. "Can we just focus on Hermione here?" He asked and looked at the Map again, where the passage behind a mirror on the fourth floor was marked with several x's. The twins had made the small change into the Map before giving it to Harry, marking the passageway as not in use since it was caved in her time. "What is that?" Sirius asked from Hermione with a blank look. "Have you changed it?"

Hermione shook her head. "The passage was caved in in my time. And no. I haven't done anything. You can very well check it if you'd like. Check it from my magical signature," she said with a defiant look.

James waved his wand over the parchment and after a moment he narrowed his eyes at Hermione. "Then who? Where did you get this?"

Hermione sighed. "My friend had it. He got it from Fred and George," she said tightly.

James's brows lifted with surprise. "Molly's children?"

"Yes."

James shook his head. "That doesn't necessarily prove anything. But…if Dumbledore trusts you…" He muttered and glanced at his mate. Sirius was chewing the inside of his cheek, staring at Hermione in silent contemplation.

"Assuming you are speaking the truth, how did you get out?" Remus asked, changing the subject back to Hermione's arrival.

Everyone stared at Hermione in anticipation while she worried her lip. "A Time-Turner. When the fun was over, they decided to dispose me with a curse, and it hit the Time-Turner on my neck instead. I was hurled back to this time. Or this timeline at least…" She said wearily.

"Timeline?" Remus asked with a frown.

Hermione took a deep breath. "Dumbledore thinks I'm in an alternate timeline," She said with a strained voice.

"Why?" Remus asked curiously. Hermione could see her friends frowning at her in confusion.

"Because…some events are not the same…and I've managed to change some of them," She said slowly.

Lily gasped. Mary let out a nervous laugh. James spluttered incoherently. Peter winced.

"What?" Sirius asked, eyeing her closely. "What have you changed?"

Hermione's throat constricted. What had she changed? Many things, she reckoned. And many of them she felt guilty for. "I'm, I…" She mumbled, trying to gather her thoughts. "The fates of others," She said vaguely. Everyone was silent, as they processed her words.

"What about Marley?" Sirius asked quietly. Hermione pressed her lips together while she heard yet another set of gasps around her, her eyes locked with the grey ones that had changed her life forever. Well, them and another set of identical ones.

"W-What?" Alice asked with a trembling voice. "Hermione?"

Hermione felt a lump in her throat, her eyes burning slightly as she looked at her friends. "I…I knew." She whispered, scrunching her face as the guilt and sorrow washed over her. Mary stared at her with a pained look while Alice choked down a sob.

"Y-You knew?" Lily whispered mutedly next to her. Hermione's eyes flickered back to Sirius's for a moment before she looked away. He was staring at her with a look of disbelief.

Hermione gave Lily a small nod. "I knew that she and her family had died during the war, but I didn't know when," Hermione explained. Sirius cursed loudly and stood up. He gave her a dark look, gritting his teeth before he stormed outside, slamming the door after him.

Hermione took a sharp breath, a tear escaping from the corner of her eye. She knew she had done everything there was to be done to change Marlene's fate, she knew that now. But it still hurt, she still felt guilty, especially now when she saw her friends' faces.

Alice breathed heavily, gripping Frank's and Mary's hands for support as she sat between them. Mary swallowed several times, as if something was stuck in her throat, her eyes trained on the floor. James eyed Hermione with an unreadable look before he sighed and stood up.

"I'll make sure he doesn't do anything stupid…" James muttered and squeezed Lily's shoulder as he passed her on the way to the hall.

"Hermione…" Lily muttered, and Hermione turned to look at her friend, her expression a mix of confusion and betrayal. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Why hadn't she told them? Would it have changed Marlene's fate? "I wanted to." Hermione said quietly. "I told Dumbledore. The Order. They knew there was going to be a raid," Hermione said, her voice wavering a bit. "But they didn't know where, they didn't know who. No one did," She said heavily.

Alice sniffled and took a shaky breath. "Then you did everything you could, right?"

Hermione nodded. Even though it didn't feel like it. The door slammed open.

"What else?" Sirius demanded as he stormed back in, James trailing behind him. "So you knew about Marley? You knew about m-mum and dad? Prongs's parents?" he said with a trembling voice and came to stand in front of Hermione, a threatening look in his eyes. "You knew about Jason? And Allie's parents?" He asked darkly, and Hermione could feel everyone's eyes at her.

"No. I didn't know." Hermione said sincerely, and it was the truth. She'd known there were no Mr. and Mrs. Potter when she had met Harry, but she hadn't known her friend's grandparents had died during a raid. And now she wasn't that sure if they had originally died during a raid but instead died of natural causes, and this was yet another thing she had managed to change for the worse.

Sirius probably saw the hesitation in her eyes as he frowned slightly before he spoke. "And McGonagall?"

Hermione swallowed deeply. "She didn't die in my time."

Sirius scoffed. "So basically, what you mean by changing people's fates, you've managed to fuck them up?" He said with a hint of a sneer on his features, and Hermione narrowed her eyes at him.

Anger rose inside of her. Even though she gladly blamed herself about McGonagall's death, she knew her old Head of House had died because she had tried to destroy Voldemort. She had been trying to save the wizarding world from another war, just like Hermione was trying to. And then there was the fact that Hermione wasn't changing everything herself. She hadn't done anything and her parents still hadn't ended up together.

"You're an arse, Sirius Black!" She huffed, her eyes stinging with tears. "McGonagall died fighting against Voldemort. She fought to defeat him, so that there wouldn't be another war twenty years in the future," Hermione said heatedly. Everyone stared at her with alarm in their eyes, and Sirius's defiance faltered.

"Believe it or not, I have managed to do good too," Hermione gasped bitterly.

Sirius's jaw twitched. "Tell me." He said simply, his stormy grey eyes boring into hers.

"Sirius…" Lily said warningly, gaping at the raven-haired wizard.

"No. I want to know. I want to know everything." Sirius grit out stubbornly.

Remus sighed. "Pads –"

"I fucking want to know!" Sirius growled, glaring at Hermione.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. "Your brother," She said quietly.

Sirius's eyes widened. "Reggie?" His voice faltered slightly.

Hermione nodded. "He died fighting against him in where I come from. But I've managed to prevent it."

"How do you know it won't still happen? Or if it won't happen differently?" James asked quietly, glancing at his mate who was gaping at Hermione.

Hermione clenched her jaw. "I don't! Nothing is certain! Even if I do or don't do things, something might be different from what I know," she growled, frustration taking over. "You know what I found out after graduation?" She asked from her friends with a shrill voice, and could feel everyone shifting with unease. "My parents didn't end up together in here. I do not even exist in here –" She choked, and took a calming breath.

"Hermione…" Remus muttered, placing a calming hand on her shoulder.

Hermione shook her head. "And my friends. My family. Everyone I left when I was forced to come here. I don't even know what happened to them! They could be dead for all I know," She gasped, tears seeping down her cheeks. She saw her friends cringing and flinching as they eyed her with sympathy and shame.

There was a long silence. "Mione…I'm so, so sorry," Lily whispered next to her, sniffling quietly. "I wish you'd told me sooner. I wish you didn't have to carry this…this weight with you."

Hermione let out a shaky, mirthless laugh. "Yes, well…me too," she said darkly, staring at the floor. She took a deep breath. "But it is mine to carry, and I'm…we're going to destroy him. Dumbledore and I. The sooner he's gone the more lives we can save…" She said quietly.

…Circe, she was going to hell for this…

"What?" Sirius demanded with a low voice. "Who else?"

Hermione's brow twitched, but otherwise she gave Sirius a blank look.

"What?" Lily asked with a tense look, her eyes flying back and forth between Hermione and Sirius.

Hermione turned to look at her friend, feeling stricken.

A moment after, Lily's eyes flashed with recognition. "We're not going to survive this, are we?" Lily whispered.

"Lils," James muttered.

"No, James," Lily said harshly before turning back to Hermione. "Mione?" Lily asked tightly.

Hermione sighed. "I can't tell you. And even if I did, nothing is certain anymore." Hermione said quietly. "The less I speak about the life I lived, the better. Because he knows. He knows that there's a time traveller. If any of this gets out, he'll kill me…He'll kill everyone." Hermione whispered.

Lily took a sharp breath while Remus grabbed Hermione's hand. "You can trust us, Hermione. We are not going to tell anyone. Your secret is safe with us."

Everyone was silent for a while, mulling the information Hermione had told them. After some time, Alice stood up and walked to the kitchen to prepare tea. Sirius sat down on the coffee table, pulled a bottle of Firewhiskey from the insides of his jacket pocket and summoned a set of glasses from the kitchen. He poured the liquor into several glasses next to him on the table before bringing the bottle to his lips and taking a hefty swig straight from the bottle.

"So let me get this straight," Sirius said while Frank went to the kitchen to help his wife. "Voldemort knows about a time traveller, but he doesn't know it's you, right?" He asked with a deep frown, and Hermione gave him a nod.

Sirius took another gulp while James, Peter, Remus and Mary all took glasses of Firewhiskey from the table. "And you are the only one who can destroy him faster than how he was killed in your…timeline?" He asked tightly, his eyes searching her face.

Hermione worried her lip. "Well, I'm not the only one. Dumbledore, Gideon and Fabian are –"

"Yeah, okay. So only you, Dumbledore and the Prewetts know how to proceed, right?" Sirius interrupted, eyeing Hermione closely.

Hermione gave him a hesitant nod.

"And going to these secret missions doesn't exactly keep you safe, I reckon?" Sirius asked bluntly.

Hermione sighed. "No," she said quietly.

Sirius took another swig. "So you stay safe from now on. If Voldemort's out there, looking for you, the best chance for you is to stay hidden. Like, not leave your house, hidden…" he said plainly.

Hermione huffed. "I'm not going to hide in my home, Sirius." She said with a hint of annoyance. She almost laughed at the irony of all of it. How Sirius had been the one, the prisoner in his own home, how James and Lily had done the same.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think Sirius is right…" Lily said tentatively, and Sirius sent Hermione a triumphant smirk. "I mean, I don't understand why Dumbledore hasn't suggested it to you himself?" Lily asked with confusion in her voice, and Hermione cringed.

Dumbledore had suggested it before they had left to the moor, to destroy the diadem, but Hermione had refused.

"There are spells we can do to protect you. Like, I don't know, a Fidel –"

"Please don't say a Fidelius Charm, Lils," Hermione grumbled, and Lily arched a brow at her.

James huffed. "I think it's brilliant. I mean, think about it…We choose a Secret Keeper for you, and then –"

"I'm sorry, could you three speak English?" Mary grunted, eyeing her friends with an irksome look.

Alice came back from the kitchen, levitating the tea tray and nodded in agreement. "What she said."

Lily pursed her lips. "The Fidelius Charm is an ancient charm that involves a concealment of information inside a living person," Lily explained to her friends.

"Ooh…" Mary muttered. "That makes sense, right?" She asked from the others, and everyone seemed agreeable.

"No!" Hermione shouted, standing up abruptly. "I…I can't do this right now…" She muttered, shaking her head as she walked quickly towards the stairs and up into her room.

A moment later Hermione was lying on her bed, staring at the canopy and trying to think of a solution for everything. Voldemort had known about a time-traveller over a month already. What were the odds that he would find her? And how would it happen? On her way to work, perhaps? Or from one of her friends' homes? The Order missions were certainly over for her. And now she had only given him more ammo against her, since eight more people now knew her secret. Hermione trusted her friends, but it took only a dose of Veritaserum or a skilful Legilimens to find out about her. And not even the Unbreakable Vow could protect her from that.

Lily entered to Hermione's room after a soft knock on the door. "Mione?" Lily asked quietly as she walked closer towards her friend. Lily lay down on the bed next to her, letting out a weary sigh. They were silent for a while.

"I'm pregnant."

Hermione shot up into a sitting position, staring at her friend in utter shock. "What?!" She shrieked, and Lily too stood up, clamping a hand against Hermione's mouth.

"Shut up, you daft! No one knows," She hissed, glancing at the door. She flicked her wand and cast a silencing charm before speaking. "I suppose you didn't expect that," Lily said with a smug smirk as she plopped back down to lie on her back.

Hermione spluttered. "W-What? I'm…Um…No…H-How?" She rambled and stared at her friend in wonder, an unbelieving smile tugging her lips.

Lily gave her friend a quizzical brow. "Didn't reckon you for one to ask how it's done," she said teasingly. Hermione narrowed her eyes. Lily chuckled. "I just found out today, and even James doesn't know yet…I've been feeling ill for ages, and well, I guess this was the reason…" She said with a mild shrug, and Hermione shook her head in astonishment.

"Oh, Lils…I'm so happy for you," Hermione said with a huge smile on her face. She could feel her eyes moisten with tears of joy. Lily was pregnant? A mix of unbearable joy filled her.

And then dread followed.

She was pregnant already? But Harry was born at the end of July, 1980. Things were changing again. Would there be a Harry anymore? What if Harry wouldn't born in this timeline?

Lily grinned back. "Me too. But, um…Do it for me, Hermione?" She asked, her features becoming serious. Lily eyed her friend with a pleading look in her eyes as she stood to sit on the bed. "Stay here. Stay safe." Lily said carefully. Hermione worried her lip.

"My kid needs his godmother," Lily said softly.

A second passed as Lily's words hit her. Hermione choked back a sob. Tears seeped down her cheeks as Lily enveloped her friend into a warm hug.

"Okay. I'll do it," Hermione whispered with a trembling voice, sniffling against her friend's hair.

June 23rd 1979 (Saturday)

Two months. Two frustrating, excruciatingly long months had passed, and Hermione had been trapped inside her home. She hadn't stepped outside since April, and it was beginning to show.

"I swear to Merlin, Black, if you do not fix it, you won't live to see tomorrow!" Hermine shrieked to Sirius's sniggering back that vanished through the flames of their fireplace.

The raven-haired man had spent the night on their sitting room couch, and apparently watched the telly instead of sleeping. Something had happened, and now all there could be seen on the screen, was static.

Remus had run downstairs, evidently woken up by Hermione's screams, and after realising his friend wasn't in danger, he cleared his throat nervously. "Um. It's only a television, Hermione…"

Hermione whirled to glare at her friend, who seemed to shrink from her look. Remus was still wearing only boxer shorts, and he draped his arms around his torso, seemingly feeling self-conscious. Hermione let out a sharp huff. "For you, perhaps. For me, it's a lifeline. You know, not being able to step outside this house? At least with the telly I know what's going on in the world," She said through gritted teeth, waving at the now broken television set.

After revealing her past to her friends, and then speaking with Dumbledore, Gideon and Fabian, Hermione had eventually agreed to go into hiding. They were close now, only one Horcrux left, and the war was clearly reaching its peak. It wasn't safe anymore on the streets, and the Order missions and raids were now more unexceptional than they were not. Voldemort knew about the time-traveller, and based on Snape's information, he was searching for her. When over a dozen people now knew about her, it was only a matter of time when he would find out her identity.

Hermione was the Secret Keeper of her home, of herself, and had trusted the hidden information to her friends, who were now bound by the Fidelius Charm and not able to pass the information on. It was the only way. Even though Hermione trusted her friends, she knew everything could be extracted from a person with threats, with Legilimency, with torture, and with Veritaserum. The only downside of the arrangement was that she wasn't able to step outside. Even with disillusionment charms or invisibility cloaks, it was too risky. After making her decision, Hermione had owled Viridian and explained that due to personal issues she had experienced lately, she needed some time off. Viridian had been quite understanding, since it wasn't unexpected these days, unfortunately. Due to the continuous disappearances and attacks, several others had quit their jobs and gone into hiding, or moved to stay with their relatives. Everything started to remind Hermione of her last year in her old life, their year on the run. It was just a question of time when the Ministry was taken over by Voldemort. Again.

Remus summoned his t-shirt and sweatpants and rubbed his neck uncomfortably after getting dressed. "I…I'll just head to Godric's Hollow to see if Lily knows what to do...Okay?" He asked hesitantly.

Hermione sighed wearily, her annoyance fleeting after seeing Remus's helpless look. They all wanted to make it easier for her. They all wanted to help her. "No, don't. Lily will be here later on, so I can ask her to take a look at it then…I have to start making preparations," She muttered and went towards the kitchen.

Remus followed her and fixed them both a cup of tea. "Can I help with anything?" He asked as he offered her a cup and leaned against the counter, eyeing his friend with a worried look.

Hermione sipped her tea. "No. Thank you, Remus," She said with considerably softer voice. "Allie will be here in an hour, and Mary's here already, right?" She asked and when Remus nodded, she continued, "They will help me to get everything ready for the evening."

"Good. What are you planning to do?" He asked, watching Hermione as she flicked her wand and set a cupcake baking into motion.

Hermione shrugged. "Nothing much to do if we are locked up in here…" She said with a hint of bitterness, and cleared her throat. "I mean, what is normally done in a slumber party…" She muttered, flipping the pages of a cookbook.

Lily had insisted that she wanted the girls to have a slumber party instead of a hen night. The redhead had explained that she missed the times the girls were spending a night together in a huge bed filled with food and sweets as they exchanged gossip and stories. Hermione had suspected that not going to a club, or outside for that matter, had something to do with Hermione's house arrest, and the fact that Lily was pregnant. Everyone in their group knew about the pregnancy by now, as Lily was already in her second trimester. James had been ecstatic after she'd told him, overwhelmed with joy, as had everyone else in their group once they'd found out.

Remus smirked. "I dunno…A pillow fight?"

Hermione snorted. "Wouldn't you like to witness that…" She said dryly, and Remus gave her a mischievous grin. "Actually…now that I think about it, you better tell Sirius that we are indeed engaging into a pillow fight, you know, like the kind of he's read about in his magazines," Hermione said and gave Remus an arched brow and a half smirk.

"Sure you want me to do that? I mean, he might just barge right in here," Remus said and laughed.

Hermione shrugged. "We'll close up the floo and wards."

They shared a laugh as Remus started to make them breakfast while Hermione made other preparations for the night.

"Never have I ever…tried to flirt my way out of a Troll in a school essay," Lily said and gave Mary a pointed look. The brunette narrowed her eyes at her friend and took a shot of Firewhiskey.

They were in Hermione's and Remus's sitting room, and had transfigured the couch into a large mattress, on which they were all lying and sitting on in various poses. The mattress and floor around them was filled with pillows, blankets, snacks and drinks. This time it had been Mary who had insisted that they needed a bottle or two of the strong amber liquid, even though Hermione and Alice had told her they were content with their elderflower wine, while Lily was on the pumpkin juice.

"Do tell!" Hermione said and giggled with Alice and Lily, eyeing Mary's flushed face.

The girl in question shrugged. "It was fifth year, and Professor Peakes, our DADA teacher, had given us an essay to write. And, well, Marley and I had this kind of…competition over the Professor, like, which of us would get him," She said slyly, and the girls burst in laughter. Mary chuckled before she continued, "Yes, I know. As if a teacher would look a student in that kind of way," She said dryly and turned to Hermione with an arched brow.

Hermione spluttered. "W-What is that supposed to mean?" She asked, slightly affronted.

Alice coughed, making a noise that sounded very much like 'Gideon'.

Hermione scoffed. "You can't be serious. We are friends, for Merlin's sake!" She exclaimed, staring at her friends with incredulity.

The girls exchanged meaningful looks, before Mary cleared her throat. "Even if you are oblivious to the way he's looked at you, we aren't," Mary said primly, and Hermione rolled her eyes, muttering something that sounded much like, 'You're all delusional'.

"Anyway, as I was saying, Marley and I were competing of Peakes's attention, and I succeeded by failing my essay deliberately. Peakes gave me a Troll, and well, I tried to flirt my way out of it, only ending up in detention from making a move towards a Professor," Mary explained, grinning widely as the others sniggered around her.

"I can't even understand what you two saw in him…" Lily muttered disapprovingly. "I mean, he was an adult, like, I don't know, probably twenty years older than us. And a teacher!"

Alice shrugged. "I think half the girls in Hogwarts were head over heels for him."

Mary nodded. "You just had eyes for Potter," She said and waggled her brows at Lily, who huffed and nudged at Mary with her foot. "I bet even Hermione here has had a crush on a teacher, eh?" Mary asked, waggling her brows at Hermione's direction.

Hermione blushed.

"Ooh, you do, don't you!" Alice exclaimed enthusiastically.

Hermione tried to seem nonchalant. "And luckily, I don't have to answer to that," She said with a sweet smile.

Mary smirked at her. "We'll see…"

"Okay, so, Mary, you are up," Lily said, while unwrapping a chocolate frog.

Mary hummed for a while, tapping her lip with a finger as she contemplated her next statement. "Never have I ever…fallen asleep or spent the night in a library." Mary said, smirking at Hermione.

Hermione grimaced. Mary clearly meant that night Hermione had spent with Regulus, in the Room of Requirement, and then told everyone afterwards that she had fallen asleep in the Hogwarts library. So, technically she hadn't been there, but everyone still thought so. "Um…" Hermione muttered.

"I KNEW IT!" Mary yelled, a triumphant look on her face. "You were shagging Black, weren't you?!"

Lily and Alice both snorted. Hermione flushed bright red.

"I'm…sorry?" Hermione said with a wince. Lily, Alice and Mary sniggered.

Mary waved her hand in dismissal, a grin tugging her lips. "Your turn."

Hermione tried to clear her mind from thoughts regarding Regulus. She hadn't heard of him in several months, not since last December. "Um…Never have I ever, um…I dunno…never have I ever kissed a girl," Hermione said eventually, not really coming up with anything clever.

She was utterly surprised when Lily and Alice both blushed and downed their drinks, Lily her pumpkin juice and Alice the contents of her wine glass.

"Well, fuck me running," Mary said as she gaped at her friends, a huge grin plastered on her face. "Care to enlighten us?" She asked with amusement while Alice and Lily both squirmed with discomfort. Hermione was speechless.

Lily sighed. "Well…it was the summer after third year, right?" She said and glanced at Alice, who nodded. "Neither of us had kissed anyone before that, and, well, basically we wanted to try it before we would kiss boys," Lily said, trying to appear nonchalant. Alice scratched her head awkwardly. Mary and Hermione giggled.

"So…your first kiss was…with a girl?" Hermione asked eventually. Alice and Lily both gave shameful nods.

"Did you go to second base?" Mary asked, smirking while Hermione snorted loudly.

"NO! Of course not!" Lily snapped, while both she and Alice looked mortified.

Mary and Hermione shared a sly look while Lily cleared her throat. "I believe it's my turn…And I think retribution is in order," Lily said and narrowed her eyes at Hermione.

Brilliant. Hermione thought.

"Never have I ever…Had a crush on a teacher," Lily said primly.

"Bottoms up, girls!" Mary exclaimed gleefully.

Hermione rolled her eyes and downed her drink. She knew Lily could've had said much worse things, so she grinned at her friends when both Alice and Mary downed their drinks and said in unison, "Peakes."

"It was, um, Gilderoy Lockhart." Hermione said simply, knowing fully well they would know him from Hogwarts.

Mary guffawed. "Not the third year Ravenclaw?"

Lily gasped. "Hermione…He's a…child…"

Hermione gave her friend an arched brow. "He was very much an adult when he was teaching DADA in my second year."

Lily stared at Hermione with an unbelieving look. "A DADA teacher. Lockhart. But he's…he's –"

"He's a twat," Mary quipped, and when Lily narrowed her eyes at her friend, Mary shrugged. "He is!"

Alice chuckled. "So…were you like…flirting with him?" Alice asked and waggled her brows.

The girls burst in laughter. Hermione pursed her lips but eventually cracked a smile and laughed with her friends.

"Well, that's easy. Fuck Hooch, marry Pomfrey, kill Sprout." Sirius said with a smirk as he poured Firewhiskey into five glasses and then snatching one for himself.

They were at Sirius's place, starting James's stag night. The guys too had decided to stay in for the night, since they knew they would probably be an easy target if they'd be legless and out and about on the streets where the dangers loomed.

James supressed a shiver and scrunched up his nose. "You'd bang Hooch?" He asked incredulously. "Doesn't her eagle-stare make your bollocks shrink?" He asked and took a swig from his Butterbeer. Sirius barked a laugh.

"I'd fuck Sprout for sure, marry Hooch and kill Pomfrey," James said with a shrug.

"Mate. You realise you'd have to fuck Hooch if you'd marry her?" Sirius asked with a snort. Remus, Peter and Frank sniggered.

James shrugged. "I dunno…It could be one of those sexless marriages."

Remus shook his head with amusement. "Well, that's a healthy way to think about marriage while celebrating your stag night, mate…"

James rolled his eyes. "Okay. So. Meadowes, Vance, Figg?" He asked with a smirk.

Peter sniggered. "Fuck Vance, definitely. Marry Meadowes, kill Figg," He finished with a cringe.

"Same." Sirius, Remus, James and Frank said in unison.

"Okay. Snape, Sluggie, Aubrey?" Peter asked with a chuckle.

"Ew, Pete." Sirius said, making a gagging sound. "You realise we'd rather die than touch anyone of them?"

Peter shrugged. Everyone was quiet for a while, contemplating their answers.

"Fine." Sirius grunted and took a shot of Firewhiskey. "Fuck Snape, marry Aubrey, kill Sluggie."

Everyone burst in laughter.

"Bloody fuck you're giving me a stroke, Pads!" James wheezed between laughter.

Remus scratched his jaw. "If I'd be totally out of it, I'd fuck Sluggie," He said with a shrug.

"You're fucking disgusting, Moony," James said and shuddered as he gave his friend an appalled look.

"Well, what says Prongs?" Sirius smirked slyly at his friend.

James arched a brow at his friends. "I'd fuck Aubrey, marry Sluggie, kill Snape. Obviously."

"And marrying good old Sluggie's not disgusting at all?" Sirius said with a wry smile. "Okay…So how about the Dumbledore brothers and…Moody?" He asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Mate…You're killing us…" James said with a groan.