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 Marauder's Era with four new best friends.

A/N: A bit short, but a calm before a storm.

Chapter 69: Malus Sodalitus*

9 March, 1979

Empire Pool, Wembley, London

They piled into the stadium, following the flow of people, arms linked and shoulders and hands held to stay together. They struggled against the incessant mass to mark out their own little space of floor before the stage. A whoop and holler echoed from each of them as they settled into their claimed territory.

Sirius clapped James on the shoulder. "You sure Lily didn't want to come?"

"Not to a concert for a band she doesn't like—"

"Blasphemy!" Peter shouted, having settled into a happy drunk state.

"—but no, we'll be celebrating my birthday privately."

All four of the others raised eyebrows and identical smirks. Sirius nudged his brother. "And just when are we getting a little Prongslet, huh?"

"When we're good and ready, thank you very much."

"Oh I'm sure you're good and ready," Sirius laughed, earning a light punch in the arm from James who never dropped his smile.

A whoop from onstage, heard above the whistles and shouts from the crowd. And then the keys started to play. A momentary lull in the noise fell from the audience, a respectful welcome. And then like a wave to the shore, a surge back again.

"Why aren't we in a band?" Peter stumbled over his feet, falling against Remus as he shouted out to his friends. Life and laughter shone out through Peter's eyes in a way that made the others realize it had been missing for a while. "Merlin's beard, we should start a band."

"Fucking hell," James said as he steadied Peter. "How did that never cross our minds?"

"Maybe 'cause none of us can play anything?" Remus shrugged, his eyes not leaving the stage.

Peter frowned just before his face lit up again. "But magic! Moony, we can do magic about it. Enchant some instruments and fake it 'til we make it. The muggles'll love us."

"The Marauders," James put his hands out in an illusory marquee. "Live in concert."

"Yes, mate. Yes." Peter nodded and pumped his fist. "Godric, this is the best idea we've ever fuckin' had."

Hermione and Sirius shared a look and shook their heads as the other three plotted out potential plans.

"Think I should grow my hair out like that?" Sirius spoke into Hermione's ear as he pointed at the band. Hermione laughed, carding her fingers through his hair and pulling slightly at the roots. Sirius' eyes fluttered at the feeling. "Yeah, no, definitely growing my hair out."

Hermione's responding laughter sparkled against the backdrop of bass and high-hat.

"This is the best night of our lives!" Peter shouted out above the music. "We're going to live forever!" The crowd around them whistled and cheered in response.

Remus grabbed Hermione's hands, twirling her around in the tight space until she was breathless, clinging to his arms as laughter spilled out from her. They weren't pretty dancers. It was all limbs and hair and hips and movements just slightly off beat. Remus felt alive as he danced and sang along, shouting out into the night. And Hermione just watched him, smiling and singing all the while.

Then a hot, heated weight settled over Remus, tracking his face, his chest, his arms. He looked out across the crowd to see a young man with short, cropped black hair watching him. A single gold earring blinked out across the space each time it caught the light. Their eyes met and the stranger made a show of looking Remus up and down before smiling appreciatively. Remus stumbled in his movements. Hermione followed his gaze. She nudged him encouragingly, smiling and nodding when he turned back to meet her eyes.

Remus looked back at the stranger, a rare type of smile gracing his face. He nodded slightly in a sad sort of way before turning away. Hermione squeezed his hand, brows furrowing in question.

Remus shook his head and smiled brightly down at her before leaning down to whisper in her ear. "Not the night for that. Tonight's for the five of us, together." When he pulled back, he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and another around James beside him. Remus threw back his head and shouted out, his voice catching in a rasp as he strained it against the need to be loud, to scream, to be heard.

"A big ol' place, isn't it?" The band onstage looked out at the expanse of people barely distinguishable beyond the lights. "What's it sound like out there?" The drums kicked back in. "Can you hear everything? Turn it up, alright."

The music was loud and energizing, contagious. Bodies pressed against bodies in a sea that swayed with every drum beat and guitar lick. Hands shot up from the ever-moving mass as if in praise of a holy moment, somehow recognizing above the haze of booze and smoke and sweat and sound that this was a shared moment of joy. Strangers singing with strangers, voices calling together in and out of harmony.

James leaned over to Hermione, hot breath hitting the hair slicked with sweat against her temple. "You know I've always thought muggles had a way of making their own magic."

Hermione looked up at him beside her, his eyes bright as he directed them back toward the stage. In her head, she took a mental picture of James like this, trying to seal in the memory as best she could. James, happy and smiling, loved. Caught in a rare moment of care-free bliss with his best friends at his side. This was the James she wanted to remember for Harry.

"Another new one off the album, this one's called She Brings Me Love."

Hermione remained acutely aware of Sirius' hands settling on her hips as he watched, enthralled at the band on stage. At different points in the songs, he'd squeeze her or pull her back against him. It seemed indiscriminate to her, but there was a method to it, something he was hearing in the lines that made him reach for her.

None of them ever stopped smiling.

Then, finally, the moment they'd been waiting for since James brought up the idea weeks ago to celebrate himself and Peter and Remus turning 19 years old. The reason they'd crammed themselves amongst the muggles. The excuse they'd given themselves for finding a pocket of freedom amongst their responsibilities and anxieties.

"This is the title track from the third album. Hope you like it. Called Run with the Pack."

Five sets of eyes met with smiles as bright as the stage lights. No one sang louder that song than they did. The five of them, together something wild. Pack.

A/N: *Bad Company

A/N: The lines for the band come from the live album of this performance. If you're so inclined, you can find it on under: Artist: Bad Company, Album: Live 1977 & 1979.