Fate Set Right

Chapter 2

September 1, 1974 (continued)

"Hey, Evans." The boy who could only be James Potter leaned against the door frame and smiled a smarmy grin that Hermione had only ever seen on Cormac McLaggen and Draco Malfoy. Such a display on that face instantly disconnected James from her Harry. Harry, who was somewhat shy and didn't want to draw attention to himself, would never look at a girl the way James looked at Lily: as if she were a conquest.

Knowing the future as she did, Hermione expected only one response from Lily.

She was terribly surprised to see the opposite.

"Go away, James," she replied immediately in genuine exasperation. "I was looking forward to a peaceful train ride."

"So why are you in here with Snivellus?" a handsome dark-haired boy asked with a chuckle, causing a short pudgy blond boy to laugh.

"That's awful," Hermione said, glaring at the group of boys.

It drew their attention to her for the first time. The dark-haired boy, who was truly a bit too handsome, smiled broadly as he slowly looked her over. "Well, well, well. Who do we have here? I haven't seen you around the common room before. What's your name, Kitten?"

"Kitten?" Sirius Black had whispered upon seeing her in the Shack. "No, I've gone mad, alone in the dark for all these years."

Hermione's jaw dropped, not only at the audacity, but at the fact that Azkaban had changed Sirius so much.

"She's Hermione," Lily said, much to Hermione's displeasure. "She's a transfer student."

"Well," Sirius said as he slid into the car and sidled up beside Hermione. He draped his arm over the back of the seat and grinned with obnoxious self-confidence. "It's great to see you were sorted into the best house of Hogwarts. But what Evans can't accept is that one should never hang around with snakes. Those are the Slytherins, by the way, and they always go dark. Bit obsessed with the Dark Arts, really. That's what Snivellus over there is."

There were chuckles from the boys who didn't notice the way Hermione's hair started to crackle as she raised her chin. "I, for one, know that not all Gryffindors are good," she spat, fighting the urge to look at the chubby blond she guessed was Peter Pettigrew. "It's said that Merlin himself was a Slytherin, so tell me how your logic works? And quite honestly, in the very short time I've been on this train, I have found his company far superior to yours and he's barely spoken."

"Maybe that's why you think his company is superior," James commented.

"Perhaps. At least he hasn't opened his mouth and revealed himself to be a pompous arrogant moron who honestly believes the color of his dormitory bed sheets makes him better."

"Actually, I believe that's demonstrated by the new robes and clean hair," James retorted.

"My robes are second-hand. And if you think your hair is considered 'clean' with the amount of products in it, then we certainly need to find you a dictionary. Maybe that will also help in our next conversation. By then, I'm sure you'll understand big words and understand that the ones I would use to describe you in this moment are not very flattering." She then turned to Sirius. "Kindly extract yourself from my personal space, you were neither invited nor wanted."

Sirius lifted his hands in surrender, standing and backing away toward a scowling James and Peter. "All right, but don't be surprised if in a week or two you find yourself changing your mind. I have a way with people like that."

"I doubt that," Hermione sneered.

Sirius merely chuckled as he turned, gesturing for the rest of them to follow. James glared at Severus before turning away. Just before the door closed behind them, Severus flinched and hissed through his teeth.