Time lost. ...EPILOGUE UP!

Hermione finally reached the Leaky Cauldron about three hours later. She felt exhausted and took a room immediately. Once inside she stripped off her clothes and soaked in the bathtub. Her mind crossed when she chanced to think upon the stunning kiss from earlier. The implications, the complications all made her pounding headache worse. Shortly she went to bed and fell into a deep sleep filled with dreams of wicked men and ticking clocks.

The sun filtering through her window, along with Hermione’s internal clock, indicated that she probably should get up. Hermione’s headache had dulled with the passing of sleep and she felt anxious. She knew that she was boarding Hogwarts Express today.

She needed to go to Diagon Alley and get her schoolbooks and wand. A sheet had arrived late last night with her schedule. The owls never seemed to fail to find someone. Double Potions, Arthimancy, DADA, Muggle Studies, Ancient Runes and History of Magic. Luckily, she had studied all of it before and that meant she could relax more this time around.

Hermione brushed her teeth and got dressed. She grabbed a muffin from the meager buffet downstairs and headed out with her satchel in hand. Diagon Alley looked cleaner somehow. Witches and wizards seemed happier. This was a more relaxed time. She headed for Ollivander’s. The train would be leaving in a few hours and she had little time. She entered the shop and walked over to the old wizard skulking about the counter.

“Hello. I need to buy a wand.”

She got very nervous that he would suspect something because of her age but she mentally prepared the sob story of some evil, cruel Potions Master with sexy lips breaking it. Right.

Ollivander stared across at the young woman. She was quite old for a student, but sometimes witches destroyed their wands by accident.

“Of course my dear, Let me see,” replied Ollivander, with a gentle smile.

Ollivander searched several choices before allowing her to settle on a Dragons tail and Unicorn horn combination encased in white birch. She paid him and shifted the weight of the wand in her hand. The power emanating off the wand given to her was stronger then her old one. She was eager to use it. However, she still had things to do. She headed to Flourish and Botts and completed her necessary purchases.

Hermione struggled to carry her books and her satchel to the train station. Getting to Platform Nine and three quarters was proving to be a difficult task with the encumbrance of the books in her arms.

The gateway allowed her to the other side and she sighed in relief seeing that the train had not left yet. The whistle sounded in warning and she staggered onto the train searching for a compartment.

Once inside she got on her knees to put the heavy collection of books down. She whisked her wand out and shrank her books down to fit into her bag.

“Reducio!” Hermione commanded authoritatively.

“You are very confident for a first year.” The voice belonged to a beautiful red headed girl who looked like a Irish princess down from her tower.

Hermione recognized the eyes of Lily Evans. She spent most of her youth fixated on the those eyes in the form of her son, Harry Potter. Hermione flushed and opened her mouth to speak, when she was cut off by a silky drawl.

“That is because she is not a first year, Lily.” Severus appeared from behind her with a sly smile. “Hermione is a transfer. “

He moved around Lily and stared down at Hermione. Hermione idly wondered if she would ALWAYS be on her knees around him or if it is just her luck.

Lily looked surprised at Severus’s interjection. “I’m impressed that you are making an effort to get to know the new students, Severus. It shows great character on your part.”

Severus scowled at Lily looking put out. “I didn’t, this little thief was on my lawn two days ago.”

Hermione gasped and stood up. “How dare you! I didn’t steal a bloody thing!”

Lily frowned at Hermione. “Language, please.”

Severus smirked at Hermione, his gaze raking over her and then Lily. He was cataloguing her faults. She could tell. That bloody bastard was comparing them. Her eyes blackened with anger and she muttered an apology to Lily.

Lily’s expression softened, looking at the miffed girl. Obviously, Severus was antagonizing her. Lily spoke gently, “Come on; let me find you room in a compartment. You can’t just sit out here all trip.”
She helped Hermione gather her bags and steered her down the hallway. Hermione turned to look back at Severus. Severus's eyes grew cold and he whipped his robes around and stalked in the opposite direction.

“Any compartment will do. My arms are tired,” sighed Hermione. Lily paused and then walked back to a compartment that she had passed. She knocked on the door. Hermione leaned up against the wall tiredly before she numbly walked inside. She grabbed a seat and shoved her bag underneath before bothering to look up.

“Hey now, what’s the deal Evan’s? What’s with the spy?” A chorus of male voices chimed together to complain.

Hermione felt a prickling in the back of her neck as she listened to the Marauders. They were making a great deal of noise. She felt a shudder in her chest similar to a sob and she swallowed it. Her cheeks flushed crimson red as she realized how silly she must look.

She closed her eyes against the tears she felt about to fall. God they were so alive. Sirius and Lupin was the hardest blow. She had not thought about how much it would hurt to see them so healthy and alive. She did not account for how much of a fool she would act. She slowly counted to five backwards. Lily started yelling at them to be quiet and an unnatural silence filled the previously lively compartment.

Lily stared at the girl who turned so pale in the last few minutes that she was beginning to regret her decision to bring her in here. Hermione could handle Severus Snape just fine but these boys made her look nervous and withdrawn.

“Whattsamatter wit her? “

“She just die or what?”

“Looks like she just saw a Dementor.”

“Guess she got a look at your snout Peter.”

Laughter burst forth from the merry crew until it met with her silence, and they awkwardly paused to stare at her.

Hermione jerked her head up. “Sorry, I’m just homesick,” replied Hermione.

It was not a lie. Hermione suddenly missed Harry and Ron very much. Seeing the four boys, reminded her of her own school days when things seemed so simple. Despair and grief was not so common a place and she remembered the excitement of the first day of school. School gave the possibility of learning and new adventures.

Two things that Hermione thrived on, which subsequently fell flat in her real life. She suddenly grinned. She had an opportunity to do it all over again. Maybe this time she could get to know Lupin and Sirius better.

“I’m Hermione, Hermione Granger.” Hermione smiled timidly.

She suddenly offered her hand to the four boys as they introduced themselves.

Lily relaxed with a grin. “Well I’ll just leave you to it then.”

“Come on Evan’s. We don’t bite much.” James grinned and pushed his messy hair from his eyes. James looked so much like Harry that it displaced Hermione for a moment.

“Speak for yourself mate.” Sirius flashed a wicked grin at Hermione and winked.

Peter chortled while Remus rolled his eyes.

Hermione recalled the first time she saw Remus, she thought he looked messy and dishabille. As a youth, his messy sandy brown hair was short but still managed to fall across his eyes. He was a lanky boy with a shy demeanor. The boy was the complete opposite of Sirius.

Hermione was still recovering from the difference in Sirius's appearance. Darkly good looks combined with an easy smile and roguish appeal, she had no problem seeing why every girl in Hogwarts would moon over Sirius.

Peter who disgusted her, was likewise hard to look at, simply because he was such a betrayer. It took all her willpower not to reach across and strangle him.

Lastly, James… Good looking, clean cut, arrogant with all the confidence of the eternally youthful. The same youth that was trying, and FAILING to get Lily’s attention.

“Yeah Lil, don’t you want to save her from Sirius? What kind of prefect are you?” He grins shamelessly.

“Oh, I think the new student who can hold her own against Severus Snape will be perfectly fine in the company of buffoons,” replied Lily with a snort as she slams the compartment shut.

The Marauders turn to stare at the girl sitting before them. Each boy carefully takes stock of her. They note the dark curly hair that falls loosely in waves about her shoulders. Her petite features were almost pretty, rich brown eyes with long lashes and a narrow straight nose. A dark green Muggle sweater fit snugly against a very promising rack. She has a lean narrow torso with long legs encased in tight black jeans. Her body definitely made up for her mediocre looks. The boys whistled appreciatively.

“You took on Snivellius? What are you mad?” Peter chattered out, breaking the silence.

Hermione looked up at Peter for a moment, before addressing the other three. “Well, its not exactly hard, is it?”

The boys exchanged looks. “Well, he is a greasy git of a bat, but he can be scary.”

Sirius broke in. “Yeah luv, Leave the psycho’s to us. I would hate for a pretty girl like you to get hurt by a pathetic snake like that.”

Sirius scooted over closer to her on the train seat, slowly invading her personal space. Hermione quirked an eyebrow at this behavior but refrained from saying anything.

“He is a bit of a prat. But, I can take care of myself. I’m not as innocent as I look.”

Sirius grinned shamelessly. “So delighted to hear it, luv.”

He slung an arm over her shoulder and Hermione felt her heart flutter at his boldness. Damn, this assignment is going to be hard. Hormonal teenagers, Death Eaters, and an opportunity to irrevocably buggering up all of history. WHY is Sirius sliding up against her? She is not supposed to attract him. Err… was she? Her fingertips twitch slightly as the desire to grab her timeline and research overwhelms her.

“Yes well, anyway… I am not worried about Pro... Severus Snape.” She muttered scooting further down away from Sirius.

She blinked as she could have sworn she saw the person in question staring at her through the window before disappearing.

Bugger.

Sirius having lost his fun, begins to talk about Quidditch with the other boys. The train ride was over quick enough.

The boys left her to go inside and she went with Lily for sorting. After hustling inside with the first years, she was called to be sorted into her house. She wondered if she would not get into Gryffindor. Last time it had been a narrow escape from Ravenclaw.

“Hermione Granger!”

She made her way to the Sorting Hat. The Headmaster, this elderly wizard she recognized from her Hogwarts a History book, placed it on her head.

The hat had barely touched her head when it shouted. “Gryffindor!” The tables erupted in cheers and Hermione flushed at how easy it was.

She ran happily over to the table where the Marauders sat and Lily hugged her in excitement. “I was so hoping we would be in the same house!”

Hermione was patted on all sides and she felt a flush of excitement run through her. She looked around the hall and saw other houses congratulating and welcoming new students. All except Slytherin, They sat unmoved by the proceedings, occasionally clapping but otherwise quiet.

At the middle of the table, a pair of pale eyes surveyed her with disdain. Lucius Malfoy stared down his elegant nose at her with disgust. Severus sat next to him scribbling furiously in a notebook. Lucius tilted his head and murmured something to Severus.

Severus looked up and across at the newly appointed Gryffindor. He sneered and whispered back to Lucius.

Hermione felt something like foreboding crawl across the back of her neck. She tried to shrug it off, but it stuck. She darted her gaze back at Severus who met her eyes. She knew that he was an accomplished Legilimens.

She froze in her seat as she felt him trying to probe her thoughts. She felt a strange heat between her legs at that searing gaze. She flushed slightly.

His dark eyes were unblinking, bottomless and cold as they hypnotized her, probing into her thoughts.

Ah ha, she was a Muggleborn. Afraid of being sorted in Ravenclaw. – Rather stupid that, better Ravenclaw then bumbling Gryffindor- Afraid of Him, Severus... Good. She was not a complete dunderhead. She should fear him.

Hermione gasped feeling Severus's presence invading her thoughts and concentrated, focusing her energy and threw a wall up slamming him out.

Severus blinked. The little witch was an Occulmens. A good one too. What was she hiding from him? He tucked a strand of hair behind his ear and turned to Lucius.

Severus whispered softly. “I have a new project, Lucius. That little Muggleborn Granger was skulking around my house before school started. We need to make sure she doesn’t know anything.” Severus unconsciously rubbed his forearm where the Mark rested.

“Well, she is in your class, Severus. Get it done.” Lucius clipped out, wrinkling his patrician nose. “Mudbloods. Absolutely disgusting.” He rose from his seat, followed by Crabbe and Goyle.

“Keep me posted, Severus.” Lucius swept from the Great Hall.

Hermione watched this exchange, her food left untouched on her plate.

Sirius looked over and saw Severus alone at the table. He produced his wand under the table and made a nod at Hermione.

Sirius whispered. ” Aguamenti!”

A thin stream of water shot out of his wand and hit Severus squarely in the back.of his pants.

“What’s the matter Snivellius? Couldn’t make the loo then?” Sirius burst out laughing and Hermione watched in horror as Severus stood up.

The water dripped down Severus's backside and down his leg. It indeed looked like he had pissed himself.

Hermione’s gasped from the inherent cruelty in Sirius. Although she knew it happened regularly, it was upsetting to witness. Her gaze met Severus’s humiliated one.

The hatred that reflected there made her sick to her stomach. Laughter echoed around her at the Gryffindor table but both her and Lily did not chime in. Hermione raised her wand to Severus with astonishing quickness.

“Arefacio!” whispered Hermione softly.

The water dried as Sirius stared at her in astonishment. Severus dropped his hate filled gaze from her to Sirius.

“Correction, only dog’s piss themselves. You would know a lot about that, would you not Black? Seeing as how you are such good friends with one.” Severus murmurs silkily.

“Shut your mouth Snivellius!” Sirius stood up with his fists clenched, just as a teacher interfered breaking it up.

Hermione realized that Severus, James, Peter, Lily and a flabbergasted Sirius were all still staring at her, once things had settled.

Hermione felt herself flushing from head to toe. She stood her ground for another moment before grabbing her bag and fleeing the Great Hall.

The spell I stole from Latin – ( I don’t think its in the book. ) arefacio -facere -feci -factum [to make dry].