Turn back time - Hermione Granger in the Marauders era

Chapter 18 - Back to Hogwarts

Certainly not for the first time, Hermione, Lily, Mary and Marlene sat in their compartment on the Hogwarts Express back to Hogwarts. They affectionately greeted each other and complained about their families. Admittedly, Lily had gone through the worst ordeal with her spiteful sister and her fiance. They moaned, chatted and gossip the whole way to Hogwarts, talked non stop through the Christmas feast and still had something to gossip about in the Griffindor Common Room where everyone exchanged greetings. They sat in a little circle as James, Sirius and Peter walked up to them, eager for a reunion.

"Alright girls?" Sirius greeted smugly.

"Fine, Black. Nice holiday?" Hermione answered.

"Great thanks. What happened again James? Oh yeah, my uncle died, I ran away from home, almost got arrested before these death eaters came along, we smashed them with a car, everything got sorted out and then I brought a house." Sirius explained cooly.

"Impressive," Hermione smiled jokingly, staring up intently at Sirius.

"Yeah, I try my best to impress you." He said smugly.

Hermione rolled her eyes as Lily made a teeth sucking noise. "Have you seen Remus?" She asked them shortly.

"Yeah, just in our dormitory. But there's nothing you could say to him that you couldn't say to me," James answered quickly.

Lily rolled her eyes and stood up to push past him. "Do you want me to go with you?" Hermione asked supportively.

"No thanks, I can handle this on my own." Lily replied with a small smile, before walking up the boys Dormitory steps.

"Hey! That isn't fair!" James shouted.

"How come you can go into our Dormitory but we can't go into yours?" Sirius demanded.

"It's always been like that. The four founders thought that boys aren't as trustworthy as girls, and shouldn't be allowed in their dormitory. They were right." Hermione answered.

"Know it all," Peter muttered.

Sirius gave Peter a glare and he shuffled awkwardly. Lily walked up the stairs nervously, obviously she had never been up there before. She knocked on the first Dormitory and a first year boy opened the door and shyly asked what she was looking for: "The sixth years Dormitory."

He said it was the level above and Lily knocked at the first door. Silence. Then. "James, Sirius. Is that you?"

"I'm afraid not," Lily answered gently.

Remus didn't reply, but opened the door slowly. Lily stepped in anxiously.

"Hi Lily. Are you looking for James? He's downstairs I think."

"Oh yes, I'm looking for Potter because we're dating and I'm pregnant with his child," Lily said sarcastically. "Why would I be looking for him?"

"I don't know... what do you want then?" Remus asked shakily.

"To talk to you."

He swallowed and made a noise in his throat.

"I know what you are," Lily said gently, in a soothing tone.

Remus put his head in his hands. And Lily automatically sat next to him and touched his back tenderly.

"It's okay." She whispered.

"I'm sorry."

Lily blinked. "You have nothing to be sorry about. It's okay. I dont think of you any differently. We're still friends."

Remus looked up at her. "Are you sure?"

Lily smiled at him and sat on the bed opposite.

"Positive."

Then Remus beamed at her, a genuine, relieved smile and she laughed at his overly happy face. Then she looked around he Dormitory. "Euh, its a mess in here! Can't you boys just be a bit cleaner? At least it smells nice," Lily said, inhaling the soft smell of the bed she sat on. She could have just curled up into a ball and slept there.

Remus laughed. "I'm fairly clean, and so is Peter. It's James and Sirius that are the messy ones."

"Why am I not surprised?"

Remus chuckled. "You're sitting on James's bed by the way. That's probably why it smells so nice, he has a nice scent, don't you think?" Remus teased.

Lily jumped up immediately and stood by the door, as far away as possible from the bed. A faint blush crept into her cheeks as she struggled for words.

"Whatever." She said quickly. "See you later, Lupie." she said affectionately.

"Bye Evansie, thanks for...everything."

Lily smiled. "That's what friends are for," she said and closed the door behind her. Then she rushed away from the boys dormitories and back to her friends. Meanwhile, Remus lay on his bed thinking through their conversation, and how James would react when he told him that Lily liked his smell.