Disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling. All characters, places, descriptions, etc (unless original and created by me) belong to her.

Summary: It was a small pack, of course, just the five of them, but together they were something wild. Hermione finds herself in the Marauders' Era with four new best friends.

A/N: So for those of you who were reading the first time around, you'll notice a big change in this chapter. Initially, Hermione was going to reveal to someone (you'll see who) that she was from the future, but I've since decided to change that. Anyway, hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!

Chapter 41: Ubi Mors Ibi Spes*

1 April 1978

The Great Hall

Hermione stared at the Daily Prophet in her lap. The date at the top glared back at her as if mocking her good mood. As her smile slipped from her face, Hermione ran a thumb over the small black letters. 1 April 1978. She turned the paper over and thumbed through the back pages until she found what she was looking for.

The birth announcement had always been a section Hermione had explicitly ignored. As a muggleborn, she had never known any of the couples mentioned growing up. Once she had arrived in the 1977, however, Hermione had found herself reading the section religiously, halfway hoping and halfway fearing she would find a familiar name. As she scanned down the page, she let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding when she found the names she was looking for.

"Proud parents Molly and Arthur Weasley are happy to announce the birth of their sons Frederick Gideon and George Fabian. The twins were born at 4:20 a.m. on Saturday, April 1, 1978 at St. Mungos. Fred and George are the fourth and fifth sons of the family."

The noise of the Great Hall faded away as she continued to stare at the words before her. Memories of the twins swam through her mind. Hermione had never been particularly close with either of the brothers but had always considered them part of her extended family. A wave crashed over Hermione as she was hit with an intense feeling of being untethered. The hopeless feelings that had plagued her mind during the weeks immediately following her arrival in the past began drowning out all other thoughts.

She wasn't supposed to be here. She was a mistake. She was alone. She was stuck. She couldn't change anything. Harry was never going to speak to her again. Sirius and Remus were going to hate her when she got back. If she got back. She could be stuck in this time forever. She would never get to see her boys again. She would be forced to watch them grow up. And she would be alone.

"Pup! Hey Pup!" Sirius' voice shattered the walls that had been closing in around her. "You in?"

"Sorry, what?" Hermione blinked at Sirius. All four of the Marauders were staring at her with excitement swimming in their eyes. Their broad smiles made them look like first years. Hermione's lips twitched.

"The plan? The prank?" Sirius threw his arms in the air. "Our legacy!"

"It's our annual prank for April Fool's Day," Remus explained as he rolled his eyes. "We've got it all planned out. Do you want to join in? I can assure you it won't lead to detention. Well, probably."

Hermione forced herself to smile at the boys before her, but her mind was franticly searching for an excuse. A small part of her was desperate for a good laugh and a day of adventures with the Marauders, but her whole body seemed to be slowly giving up. All Hermione really wanted to do was crawl back to the Common Room and hide behind the curtains to her bed.

Salvation came in the form of a red-headed witch.

"Oh no you don't!" Lily's voice preceded her as she slipped into the seat beside Hermione. "Hermione and I have plans to study today, so you won't be stealing her."

Hermione looked at Lily with confusion in her eyes. She was about to speak when she felt a sharp kick to her shin. Her eyes flashed at Lily, but the girl just smiled wider.

"Right," Hermione said, not entirely sure what she was agreeing to. "We made plans. To study." She turned back to Sirius. "Sorry."

"S'alright, Pup." Sweet Merlin, Sirius' smile was never-ending. Hermione fought against her urge to cringe. "You'll just have to wait and see what we've got planned like everyone else."

Hermione remained quiet for the rest of breakfast. Her hand never released the copy of the Daily Prophet clenched in her fist.

For the rest of the morning, Hermione found herself in the warm presence of Lily Evans. Lily dragged Hermione outside to sit on the banks of the Great Lake. Lily had brought books with them in case the boys wandered over, but they were soon forgotten. Hermione had sat in silence while Lily spoke in her soft voice. Lily spoke about the weather and the food at breakfast. She spoke about how James had misbuttoned his shirt again and how she didn't understand how that boy ever managed to properly dress himself. She continued to speak as Hermione looked out onto the calm water and played with the edges of that morning's paper. She only grew silent when the first tear fell from Hermione's eyes.

"When you're ready, Hermione," said Lily. Hermione squeezed her eyes shut at the motherly tone.

"My chest hurts." She reached a hand up to clench the fabric of her shirt, pressing tight against her chest. "It hurts all the time."

"I'm here, Hermione. You don't have to talk if you don't want to, but I'm here." At Lily's words, Hermione struck out her hand to blindly search for Lily's. Once the two connected, Hermione squeezed as hard as she could. "You've lost someone." It wasn't a question, but the way Lily said it made Hermione open her eyes.

"Have you?" Hermione blinked, trying to remember the stories she had heard about Lily Evans.

"My dad." Lily sighed and squeezed Hermione's hand. "It happened a couple years ago."

"I'm so sorry, Lily. I had no idea."

"Not many people do. And it's okay. He was sick for a while, so I knew it was coming. It wasn't easy. I mean, it was the worst day of my life, but I least I was prepared, I guess."

Silence fell over the two girls.

"Why are you really here?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, why did you come to Hogwarts this year?" The question was pressing, but it was clear Lily was trying to approach the subject delicately. "And don't try to convince me on that Beauxbaton story."

"You don't believe me?"

"Not for a second."

"Why?"

"Hm, same way I knew about Remus' condition, and yours, and the boys' secret. I pay attention."

"You must have a theory then."

"I'll let you know if I was right."

Hermione sighed. "You really want to know, don't you?"

"I'm not trying to press you, Hermione. I know it sounds like it, but I'm really just trying to understand. I like you a lot and I do trust you. I just want to be someone you can trust, too."

For a moment, Hermione considered it, telling Lily the truth, the whole truth. She pictured how it would go—Lily's initial disbelief, the things Hermione could say to convince her, the subsequent questions. Merlin, there would be so many questions. Would she answer them? Could she? Could she damn Lily that way? Force upon her the knowledge of her own demise?

No.

But looking up into Lily's eyes, the same eyes of her best friend, her light and leader, Hermione felt a warm glow build in her chest. She'd forgotten what hope felt like. Maybe she could open up, maybe she could share. Just enough to ease the burden.

She opened her mouth and spoke.

"They're so eager to fight, the boys. Sirius and James talk about it nonstop. And I guess I get it. I was just like them at first. All I wanted was to protect and defend, but I didn't realize.

"This isn't just an ideological struggle. It's war. This isn't black and white; it's grey and twisted. It's brother against brother, friends betraying friends, enemies putting their lives in each other's hands. It's dirty and reckless, and we're not at all prepared. None of us. Dumbledore may say he has a plan, but you better believe it's on a need to know basis.

"I've seen the wizards on the other side. They have no problem striking you down, a child, where you stand. War does not shield the young. It's a bloody free-for-all.

"So to answer your question, no, I didn't come from Beauxbaton, but I—I can't tell you more. I'm sorry. If it's any consolation, Dumbledore knows, and he still trusts me."

Lily nodded.

"James told me—he said you had to leave people behind. That they don't know where you are. That you don't know if they're alive."

"Like I said, I've seen the wizards on the other side." Hermione rubbed her chest. Although the bright purple mark from Dolohov's curse had faded as she healed, Hermione could still feel it there, pulling at her skin like a phantom scar.

"Oh, Hermione." Lily pulled her into another hug. Somewhere in the back of Hermione's mind, she realized that this was probably the most she'd ever been hugged by a girl her own age.

Dinner was well under way by the time Hermione and Lily made their way back to the castle. The seriousness of Hermione's confession and their subsequent conversations did not prepare them for the state of the Great Hall. It seemed the Marauders had in fact had quite the April Fools' Day plan.

Everyone was shouting. Food and plates was exploding off the tables. Spells were flying from the professors as Hermione and Lily stood at the front of the hall. And above it all was the laughter of the Marauders. The girls pushed their way through the crowd to reach the boys.

"What in the name of Merlin is going on?" Hermione asked. The boys turned to give her identical smirks.

"Nifflers." Peter said as he tried to contain his giggles. "We let loose nifflers."

"You let loose nifflers? How many?" Lily's eyebrows had reached new heights.

"Four," said Sirius. "We even named them to keep track." He winked at Hermione.

Hermione's face broke into a grin and she turned back to look to the professors table. Five cages sat on the floor at Dumbledore's feet. Four of them were filled with unhappy little creatures playing with small piles of treasure. As they moved about their cages, Hermione saw flashed of red paint. It would appear the Marauders had written the names on the nifflers' backs.

"1" "2" "4" "5"

"Wait a second…" Looking around the room, Hermione realized the flying plates and food were a result of students searching for the elusive niffler, panicking when they touched one another, and then overturning their immediate area. Hermione looked back at Sirius.

"Yeah, they found them all a couple hours ago," Sirius shrugged, his face somehow the picture of innocence. "But for some reason they're convinced there's another one out there."

A/N: *Where There is Death, There is Hope