September, 1971.

Hermione gripped the covers of her bed tightly, hearing an annoyed screech come from outside her room. Slowly, she shrugged herself off the blanket, slipping her feet in her slippers and making her way to the door, though, before she could open it, she heard the loud voice of her mother again.

"Sirius Orion Black, wake your sister up right now, or I will make sure she'll never want to leave that room ever again!"

It seemed like she had slept in again, and she groaned mentally as to why it had to be today, of all days.

"Calm down, she's just bloody sleeping."

Hermione bit down a smile. She could picture Sirius rolling his eyes at the black-haired woman. While she didn't want to face the wrath of her mother, she obviously didn't want her to get mad at Sirius, either. Gingerly turning the doorknob, she left the comfort of her bedroom and descended the staircase, padding to the kitchen. Kreacher was standing in front of the stove, while the rest of the family surrounded the large table.

"Good morning," she said as she plastered a bright smile on her face and approached them. She wanted to distract her mother, no matter how poor her attempt may be. "When are we leaving? Do you think I should pack more books? Wait, Sirius do you mind if I put some of my stuff with yours?"

Sirius rolled his eyes, though they sparked in amusement. "Good morning to you too, but I am not letting you get excited over books today. You should be thinking more about how you get to go to Hogwarts with me."

"Sadly, I am," she granted with a defeated expression.

Her twin narrowed his eyes at her and asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"What she wants to say is that," Regulus began as he put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a smile, "she would much rather go to school with me instead."

She grinned and nodded vigorously. "Oh, yes. You're practically the same height, so no one will notice who's who."

In one swift move, Walburga had raised her wand, and everyone quieted down, not surprised at all by her stance.

"That's enough! Be silent and let me remind you of what must happen when you get to Hogwarts." She glared at the twins and continued, "You two will be sorted in Slytherin and make it known that you are part of the noble and most ancient House of Black. Interact with Purebloods and Purebloods only. I would better hope that's clear!"

Sirius pinched the bridge of his nose and Hermione watched the woman wearily. She knew well that this was all they would get to hear until they boarded the train, and she wasn't sure she looked forward to that.

"Well . . ." Hermione interrupted her slowly, "it's crystal clear, and while I would love to continue this conversation, I know how much you hate being late and I think Sirius still has some packing to do. He might need help. Don't you, Sirius?"

She arched a brow at her twin, who gave her an enthusiastic nod. She moved to hold his hand and dragged him away from the room, not waiting for him to burst at their mother and get reprimanded for it.

As they reached his bedroom, he pulled Hermione into a tight embrace that choked the breath out of her.

"Thank you and your brains for getting her off our backs," he exclaimed, his voice muffled through her bushy hair.

"You know I won't always be able to help you once we get there. What if we get sorted in different Houses?" she reminded him, pulling back to look at him carefully.

Sirius waved his hand nonchalantly and pointed at his luggage. "We can figure that out later, but can you really help me with this mess please?"

Hermione sighed heavily. It was going to be a long journey.

"Hurry up!"

"It's not my fault you were busy with that mess you call hair."

"I wouldn't have taken so long if you had packed the day before!"

"How would I have known it would've taken me so long?"

"Are you serious? If you didn't know how long it would've taken, that's one reason why you should've packed sooner."

"First of all, I am Sirius and I—"

"Would you two care to shut up before I apparate you two in the middle of the tracks?" their mother bit angrily.

Hermione nodded carefully; she knew better than to continue talking.

She was terrified of what the woman could really do in public, amongst her future peers. She also avidly wanted to get farther away from the woman, her rules and orders included. So, after taking a deep breath to control herself, Hermione stepped forward and reached for her mother, deciding that a hug could do her some good. Perhaps for once, she needed a little physical contact that wasn't from her husband.

Had Hermione known that she'd trip over thin air and land right on the ground, she wouldn't have bothered. But here she was, trying really hard to get up with her hands on the hard ground, and struggling to not hex her brother into the other dimension for merely snorting, instead of helping her.

He better not dare to ask for help packing next time, she thought darkly. She got up on her knees, hoping they wouldn't get scraped, and saw a hand make its way in front of her face. Hermione clasped it and looked up, to see a raven, messy—truly messy—haired boy grin down at her.

Her own lips curled up in gratitude. "Thank you," she said kindly, looking back to glare at Sirius.

Her brother stopped laughing, probably after realizing he was in trouble. The other boy looked at both twins and beamed. "James Potter at your service."

Sirius dramatically bowed and shook his hand. "Sirius Black, the Third would like to show his gratitude for saving this young lady, that is Hermione Black."

Hermione rolled her eyes at his theatrics but shook James's hand, nonetheless, smiling tentatively at the boy. The corners of his hazel eyes crinkled slightly in amusement as he brought it up for a kiss.

She let go of it and turned around as she heard someone clear their throat behind her. "I don't believe we've met," the tall woman said, offering her a gentle smile. She had a few graying hairs but sported a head of black curls that matched her son's.

"I'm Dorea Potter and this is Charlus Potter. I highly doubt your mother talked about us. Am I right, Walburga?" she asked as she turned to the Black matriarch, an arched brow and a challenging look on her face that not many dared to show her mother.

Walburga glared at Mrs. Potter, and she pursed her lips in heavy disapproval. "I didn't deem it necessary for me to introduce my kids to blood traitors. Though, I suppose it's best for me to warn them about your son, don't you think?"

Really? she silently groaned in frustration. She'd hoped her mother would know better than to get into an argument today, of all days. They barely had ten minutes left and their mother didn't feel the need to bid goodbye to her kids. Hermione looked at Sirius worriedly, and he seemed to understand her concern instantly by the way he sighed.

"Mother, I'm not letting your blood purity nonsense let us be late. It was a pleasure to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Potter. Come on Hermione." He reached for their trunks as Walburga gasped and listed several profanities.

Hermione ignored her and turned around to hug Regulus tightly, who had been watching the whole encounter with wide eyes. "I really wish you could come with us," she grumbled, a frown growing on her face, "I'm going to miss you so much."

Regulus looked at her with an innocent tilt of his head, and he whispered, "Please don't get in trouble. I love you, 'Mione."

Hermione knew of the message underlying the word 'trouble'. She gave him a firm nod and waved, running to catch up with Sirius.

Once they boarded, they dragged their feet in search of a free compartment, and once they finally saw James already sitting in one with two other boys, they mutually agreed to join them. Sirius slid the door open and sat by the entrance, speaking up first. "Sorry about that, mate. That woman is kinda crazy. You see, the inbreeding got to her badly."

Hermione smacked the back of his head as she sat beside him, and James laughed. "No worries mate. I was waiting for you to join us. We've been discussing a few pranks we have in mind," he reassured and wiggled his eyebrows, clear mischief on his mind.

Sirius's eyes brightened at his words, and Hermione rolled her own. She could tell they were all going to get on with each other just fine.

"Anyways, this is Remus Lupin", James said as he pointed to the boy in the corner. His face was covered with faint scars and he seemed to be very nervous. A small tinge of pink appeared on his cheeks when Hermione offered her hand and he shook it rather quickly.

Then, James turned to the other guy who was sitting right next to him. His blue eyes were boring into hers, and Hermione tried to hide the gut wrenching feeling she got when she stared at him. She couldn't place as to why he discomforted her so much. Still, she smiled and offered her hand as she heard James say his name, "This is Peter Pettigrew."

Sirius followed, shaking both of their hands, "I'm Sirius Black and this is my little sister, Hermione Black."

She sent him a light glare and corrected, "I don't think a two minute difference makes you older than me, Sirius."

Hermione then cleared her throat, wrangling her hands slightly as she looked at the boys. "Sirius is right, though. I really hope you don't mind our mother. And I also hope you don't have to meet her again. She can be a bit . . . overwhelming."

James looked at her through his round glasses and slung his arm around her shoulders. "You know what? It doesn't matter as long as you're there." He ignored Sirius' protests in the background about 'sister' and 'kill'. Instead, he stared at her as he continued, "And, I have a feeling we'll be seeing each other quite often."

The corners of her lips twitched and it had to be the first time she was left speechless. Her throat suddenly felt dry as she said distractedly, "If you are talking about us being in the same house, I hope you're right."

Sirius caught their attention with a hum and explained, "Our mother wants us to be sorted in Slytherin, since it's tradition," he spat the word with clear spite, "but we don't want to, and I doubt we'd even have a chance."

James looked put out at the mention of the Slytherin house. "Eh. Gryffindor is in the Potter blood and who wants to be in Slytherin anyways—"

"I will have you know Slytherin is the best house to be in. I doubt you would have the brains to be sorted there," a snide voice interrupted James.

Sirius glared at the guy standing in the middle of the entrance and jumped in defense of his new friend. "No one asked for your opinion. Maybe your greasy hair let you think otherwise."

"Sirius!" she reprimanded. Hermione should've known his temper would get him into a fight soon, but she didn't think it would be that soon.

The pale, lanky boy narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to speak, just to be cut off by the red haired girl that stood right by his side. "Come on, Sev. Let's sit somewhere else," she hissed angrily, sending fierce glares at the whole lot in the compartment.

"Well," said Peter once they'd left. "That was interesting."

Hermione groaned. They hadn't even stepped foot in Hogwarts yet and two people already hated them. She let out a huff and pulled out a book to read, ignoring the boys when they started talking about Quidditch.

When Hermione woke up, she noticed that all the boys had fallen asleep, as well. Sirius's head was on her lap, while James was leaning on her shoulder. She noticed students walking on the other side of the door and realized they might be getting closer to the castle. She pushed her brother's head up and let it rest on the side of the wall. Then, her fingers reached up to cup James's cheek as she let his head lay against the window, instead. His glasses looked slightly askew, and she smiled at the sight as she fixed them up for me.

After heading to the washroom and wearing the robes she was meant to put on, she finally felt excitement seep through her bones, throbbing fiercely in her veins. She had been waiting for this moment for as long as she could remember. Learning had become a part of her, just like eating and sleeping, and she couldn't wait to see what all her classes had in store for her.

Reaching for her wand in reassurance, she had begun to make her way back to the boys, when sheer force stopped her from moving forward, and she fell for the second time that day

"I'm sorry. I didn't—" A scoff stopped her and her gaze snapped up to find the same boy, Sev, that Sirius had insulted just a few hours prior. A sense of guilt kicked in her gut and she realized as she stood up, that she really didn't want to start things badly with anyone.

So, she gave him a small, apologetic smile. "I'm really sorry for what my brother said earlier. I'm sure he didn't mean to be rude." Well, she wasn't actually sure but— "I hope we can be friends. I'm Hermione Black."

The boy ignored the hand that she'd offered for him to shake, and he crossed his arms, shoulders clearly tense. "I don't care who you or your friends are. Move out of the way," he told her with a biting tone.

It was then, that a guy, with a badge on his uniform and overly gelled, blonde hair, stepped in between them and scowled darkly, as though he hated that he had to even breathe the same air as them.

"What's going on here?" he demanded coldly.

She stared at him, her brows knitted in confusion, and she frowned at the intrusion. "Nothing. We were just talking."

Severus butted in and said, "Actually, she was the one talking, and I was asking her to stop bothering me."

This lying piece of— No, she was starting to sound like Sirius. Hermione suppressed the urge to argue back and before she could think of something kinder to say, the blond boy looked at her and arched a pointed brow at her. "Listen here girl, leave now before I make you."

"First of all, that was quite rude," she exclaimed, affronted at the behaviour of the student, but realization dawned on her when she noticed the green his robes were adorned with. Then, she turned to the boy she'd initially wanted to befriend. "And I was apologizing for something that wasn't even my fault, hoping you could be the bigger person and listen!"

Hermione stormed past both of them and entered back into the compartment with a huff, looking at the boys that were still asleep. She wondered what she had just gotten herself into.