January 1st, 1979 – 00:30 – Department of Mysteries
"I'd normally ask for a kiss, since it is midnight on New Year's….But I think I'll wait until later." Sirius's singsong voice teased Hermione as she burned crimson over the washbasin in the washroom. Sirius was leaning back against the tile wall behind her, twirling his wand between his fingers as he waited for her to clean herself up.
"I'm sorry. It must have been the..portkey." Her voice hesitated as she remember her deceit.
Pushing himself off the wall, Sirius walked up behind Hermione, his hand moving to rest on the washbasin next to hers and he pushed a stray curl behind her shoulder gently. "I've never seen a witch react this badly to a portkey." His voice was tender, as if he was truly concerned about her wellbeing. Hermione should have known though; she had heard stories about Sirius from Remus and other members of the original Order after his passing, remembering the cocky wizard over a drink as they'd shared memories of his playful demeanor that often got him in trouble."It's okay...you don't need to lie. I know the effect I have on women."
Hermione's head snapped over to look at him, "Excuse me?" Her brow furrowed and she pushed herself off the porcelain pedestal, head shaking as an unintended laugh left her throat.
"No...absolutely not." Her hands rose, fingers sliding into the curls at her hairline to push them back as her laughter built to a low roar. Pulling the mane back she gathered her hair, pulling the elastic band around her wrist around the mass of hair to hold it back in a messy ponytail.
Sirius's hand went to his chest in mock hurt as he stumbled back from the witch towards the other sink. His hand reached out to clutch the side as if he was struggling to stand under the sting of her laughter. "Oh you wound me, Sweetheart." Grey eyes danced as their gazes connected. "You sure?"
"Yes. It will never happen."
"Never? Is that a challenge?" Thick black brow lifted as his body twisted, leaning back against the washbasin, his arms crossed over his chest. Black robes shifted up his frame, and although he had clearly followed orders to dress the part for tonight's mission, Hermione could see the muggle shirt and blue jeans beneath.
"I believe I was told to meet Alastor…..Where is he?" Not even giving his question a dignified response, she moved to straighten out her jacket, tapping the left pocket to make sure her wand was still secure inside.
"Moody got called away. Something about a rogue hex and paperwork." His hand rose to wave off the conversation as he pushed off the pedestal to walk to the door. Pulling it open he turned, glancing at the witch over his shoulder. "You're stuck with me tonight, Little bird."
"Great…" she moved quickly to walk after the taller wizard, pushing open the heavy door before it could close completely behind him. "My name is Hermione by the way, and I'd prefer you use it," she announced quickly as she hurried her stride to walk beside him.
"Her-what?" His head turned to look at the witch in disbelief. "If you're given to give me a made up name, you at least have to try harder than that." Shaking his head he reached out, opening up another set of double doors.
Hermione allowed her body to slip through and she paused, waiting for him to lead the way. "It's not made up!" Cheeks flushed in frustration. This wasn't the first time she had heard of someone giving her a hard time over her name. "It's from the play," her voice half-whispered as the last line left her lips. The words were like the bell to Pavlov's dogs; she couldn't help but need to explain the origin as she had for the last 19 years.
"What a mouthful." Sirius chuckled as he directed the small witch to the lift, his hand gently sliding to her lower back as he guided her into the metal cage of the Ministry lift. "I think I like my name for you better." His hand rose to slide the lever to his intended level before he turned his eyes back upon her.
"Wonderful." Shaking her head she looked anywhere but at him. She could feel his gaze on her as she turned to watch the passing Ministry floors. The only thing that made Hermione aware she was definitely not in her own time was the absence of the magical paper messages that fluttered about the Ministry at all hours of the night. Her right hand rose to touch the cold bars that held the lift together as she leaned away from Sirius. "Where are we going?"
"Well...it wouldn't be a proper introduction to the Order without a drink, would it?" His eyes danced, hiding his true intention behind the sentence as he watched her mind tick. It was as if he could watch the cogs and gears behind those pretty brown eyes turn to life as she tried to figure him out.
Before she could open her mouth to protest he reached out, placing a hand upon her shoulder. "We heard rumor of wizards organizing at the Hog's Head….We're popping over and waiting to see who shows up. Easy mission to pop that cherry, don't worry, little bird."
"Hog's Head Inn at Hogsmeade? By Hogwarts." Her voice cracked in disbelief. 'Aberforth would never allow that to happen!'
"The very one…." his voice trailed off in thought as he turned to look at Hermione once more, his eyes studying her face. "Where did you go to school?" His attention was brought back to the front of the lift as a small bell chimed, letting them know they had reached their destination.
His hand slid from her shoulder as he turned to open the lift doors. Sirius allowed Hermione out before he followed, walking down the large atrium towards the Apparition point at the end of the room.
"Hogwarts." The breath following her admission hitched and she glanced up at him briefly before looking forward. 'Great job, Hermione. Get it together.' Her tongue darted out to wet her dry lips, right hand slipped into her jacket's pocket to retrieve her wand.
"Well now I know you're lying…. I would have remembered you."
"Maybe you were too busy chasing skirts or pulling pranks?"
As they reached the apparition point Hermione paused, her free hand darting out to curl around his arm instinctually. The intimate gesture caused Sirius to smirk. "I would have remembered your skirt though. I imagine it fit around…" his voice paused as the arm she grasped slithered from her grasp to curl around her hips. Fingers spreading open across her hip farthest away from him and he pulled her body into him. "..this waist quiet nicely."
Chocolate brown eyes widened in response to his actions. Sure, she'd been hit on before but never in such a brazen fashion. The flush that had faded from her cheeks earlier returned in full force, the red even spreading to the tops of her ears.
Her mouth opened but before she could respond his eyes lifted from hers and they were pulled from the Ministry. Her surroundings went black and she felt as if she was being pulled in all directions, as if the only thing grounding her to the moment was Sirius's arm around her. As the invisible bands around her chest began to tighten, her body turned into his instinctually. The hand holding her wand tucked against her chest as her other one slid from his arm to clutch onto the front of his black robes.
With a loud crack they landed just outside the village, their Apparition echoing off small buildings. As her body began to calm from their travel she pushed off against his chest, turning her body away from his. "You're a prat!" Boots stomped against the snow in the direction of twinkling lights. The village was covered in a soft blanket of snow, having only fallen hours before. Her boots broke the pristine blanket in anger.
Laughter was the only sound that followed as Sirius stumbled back from her shove. "Aw...come on...I was only joking," he called after her, jogging to catch up to the witch who could move surprisingly fast when mad.
"My time here isn't a joke, Sirius Black! I am here to HELP you." Pausing her stride, her body swirled and she moved toward him, wand pressing against his chest as she rounded on him. "I expect to be treated with respect." Her wand pressed against his sternum with each syllable. "And for the love of Godric, stop calling me Little Bird!" If she could ignite fire with her eyes the whole village would be ablaze. Her breath left a visible trail in the air from the heat of her words.
"Alright...Alright!" His hands rose in the universal sign of surrender as he took two steps back from her, trying to free himself from being on the receiving end of a wand from an upset witch. "I'll play nice Hermione. How about we start over, yeah?" With a small smile of peace he extended his left hand. "Nice to meet you….Name's Sirius Black." As he introduced himself a charming grin spilled over the boyish features. As his robes hitched up she noticed a thick black leather band encircling his wrist, but poking out beneath it was the beginnings of the familiar ink he had. Except in this time it was not faded from age and weather, but fresh and bright.
"Hermione Granger." Dropping her wand to her side, her free hand slipped into his. Brown eyes locked on his. She couldn't help but notice the roughness of his hands, even the tips of his fingers felt as if small calluses had formed from years of abuse. She slipped her hand from his, allowing her fingers to ghost against his palm as she pulled back. Tucking a stray curl that had escaped her ponytail behind her ear, her gaze broke from his.
"Sounds familiar." His hand rose to his lips as his fingers tapped against them in pretend thought. "From a play, right?" His brow perked up as he cocked his head to the side. A slow smirk began to form as he watched the witch before him turn her attention back to his face.
"Yes...a muggle play." Eyes rolled as her head shook in disbelief. Is this what her time dealing with Sirius would be like? One giant build up to an inevitable punchline. Turning from him again, she began her path down the familiar dirt road, although this time much less angry than before.
Hermione knew this little village like the back of her hand; she could recite the shops names in order from beginning to end of the street. She could even name which ones contained hidden passageways back to the school. To think she would be here a mere couple of years later with one of the creators of the map that allowed her to possess this information was strange. What was unimaginable was that she would be here with him when he was still a young man, only a few years post-graduation.
"Is the Order worried these meetings are being held so close to the school?" Her voice broke the silence as they walked past the darkened storefronts. Just the twinkling lights from the occasional lamp posts guided their way towards the end of the road where the Hog's Head was.
"They're meeting in the Hog's Head because it is so close to the school," Sirius explained. Reaching out to grab her slender wrist, he pull her body to a stop just a few steps away from the dimmed lighting outside of the Inn. "Hermione, you do realize they're recruiting from within the school, right?"
Of course she knew. The rational part of her knew that it happened, just based on age differences in Death Eaters. Hell, they had recruited from within the school during the Second Wizarding War. Malfoy's Dark Mark was a clear confirmation that they did not have an age requirement to become one, just a searing hatred for Muggles and Muggle-borns was required. Or in Malfoy's case, a broken boy who wanted too badly to have his father's approval. Still, verbalizing the fact was a hard pill to swallow. "Yes, of course." Her tone was flat, carefully masking any emotion she might have.
"Didn't Moody brief you before you showed up?"
"Yes. It must have just slipped my mind." The truth was nobody had briefed her for this. Sure there was case files for her to go over in the Ministry, but the First Wizarding War with Voldemort wasn't exactly documented well. It had happened so fast that by the time they had begun to properly gather information to document the murders and gatherings, October 31st, 1981 happened and Voldemort went into hiding for the next ten years. This was part of her mission, document the details and send her reports to Alastor before she returned back to 1999. With these reports they could prevent future Dark Wizards from doing as much damage as Voldemort.
"Have you got a robe?" Sirius's voice broke her away from her thoughts, dark eyes turning up to him.
"What?" she questioned, brows furrowing in confusion.
Removing his hand from her wrist, he gestured to her clothing. "You're going to stand out in there with Muggle clothes on. Especially if you're supposed to be friendly with wizards who find this look unappealing." Adjusting his own black robes, he pulled the hood over his head, only the ends of his black hair and chin truly visible. "It does look nice on you though….never understood the baggy robes pureblood birds insist upon wearing. I like a pair of tight Muggle jeans on a witch's backside."
"Sirius, just stop." Hermione was certain she was the same color of Ginny's hair. Her only saving grace was that they were still in the shadows, so Sirius couldn't see the obvious embarrassment she was in. Reaching into her purse Hermione began to dig around until her fingers landed on the soft fabric. "Oh!" She'd never returned it to Harry after The Battle of Hogwarts and their time hunting Horcruxes. Removing the beautiful cloak from her purse she shook out the material with a quick snap. Fingers worked on clasping at the base of her throat when her attention was drawn up to her companion.
"Did you get that from Potter?" he questioned as the familiar fabric caused her to disappear before his eyes. Sirius probably figured it was safe to assume she might have met other members of the First Order, especially if Moody thought the witch competent enough to go out on a mission.
"Um..no. Alastor left it for me to use," she lied. "Didn't say where it came from. Just that it might come in handy." Pulling the hood over her curls, her body disappeared completely. Without knowing she was already there it would appear Sirius was entirely alone talking to himself in the middle of the street.
"I bet Moody didn't even let Prongs know he swiped it," Sirius muttered under his breath as he walked to the heavy wooden door. Pulling it open, he held it for half a second too long, allowing Hermione to slip inside unnoticed before he shuffled inside from the bitter cold.
The lights were dimmed and only the murmur of low tones could be heard. The few patrons left in the Hog's Head at this hour did not even bother to turn and look up at the new visitor to the establishment.
Rough wooden tables were scattered around the room, half of which were filled with wizards and witches that wished to remain hidden underneath the shadows of the flickering candlelight. Hermione's footsteps were muffled under the sound of Sirius's boots against the filthy wooden floor.
Moving to the bar, Sirius leaned over the sticky wooden bartop to place his order of firewhiskey. As the younger of the Dumbledore brothers filled the order, Sirius slid the four Sickles to him. Hermione stood a few paces behind him, making sure to avoid the occasional passerby.
As dark eyes scanned the room, they landed on a familiar face. Although half-hidden under a cloak, she could recognize the dark haired wizard anywhere. Dolohov. She had sparred with him twice in the future, and knew the viciousness he held.
Moving close to Sirius, her hand shot out to slide against his arm, careful to keep her hand hidden under the cloak during the process so she did not alert anyone who might have been watching Sirius that she was there. Pausing his movement she leaned up, her mouth close enough to his ear he could feel her breath on him. "Back left….Antonin Dolohov has some guests."
Sirius didn't turn his head toward the corner at her words, instead he leaned his body into her grasp in recognition. "I'll be right over...see what you can hear." It was almost as if his lips didn't move. The words were a breathy whisper into the air before he turned, beginning a slow path around the room as if he was a patron searching for the perfect spot.
Hermione made her way over to the huddled men, careful to avoid squeaky planks of wood on her trip. As she got closer she could make out the Hogwarts symbol on the breast of a set of robes.
"He'll reward you for your work, Crouch."
"But when? When will he let me take the mark?"
"Soon. Be patient."
"I've waited long enough!"
"He will let you know when it's time." His hand curled into a tight fist and the whites of his knuckles began to shine through as the rage the wizard felt set in. "Do not question the Dark Lord's methods, Crouch! You should remember you place and keep your impatience to yourself," his voice hissed as a sneer crossed his features.
Hermione's mouth went dry as the realization set in. This was a young Barty Crouch, Jr., already working with the Death Eaters, and apparently providing information directly to Dolohov. Shifting her slender frame, Hermione attempted to gain a better vantage to see if she could identify the two other members that accompanied Dolohov and Barty.
Barty's eyes dropped to his hands at the reprimand and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He appeared to be about 16 or 17. Hermione remembered those years well, but not as an adult reminiscing on her happy, carefree teenage years. Those were her years fighting for her life, her years hunting the Horcruxes.
Her body bared scars from her skirmishes with dark wizards and witches. Even the sight of Dolohov made a familiar deep purple blemish ache with remembrance of the present he'd left her. She was just a child at the time, fighting for something that she didn't quite understand, but felt within her soul, and fighting for her best friend's life in the process. She had those years taken from her and here was Crouch, Jr., willingly giving his youth to follow a wizard who made false promises of a better life for wizardkind by destroying other people. People he deemed beneath him, who held mud in their veins instead of pure magic. Her stomach churned in disgust.
"Be ready in next month. We'll get you and the rest to Salisbury to help take care of our little pest problem," Dolohov snickered out the last of his words, taking a piece of paper off the table between them and pulling it into his robes. "Keep an ear out for more information, Crouch. We will always be available to pass it along until you're out of that pathetic excuse of a school."
As Dolohov rose from the table and began to make his move to leave, Hermione's heart fluttered. They needed that piece of parchment. It held the location of an upcoming attack.
Before she could allow herself to act upon her thought, Sirius stumbled into the fleeting Dolohov, spilling the firewhiskey from his tumbler down his chest. "Oh…'cuse me." His words slurred as he reached out to mop up the mess he had made.
The shove from Sirius sent Dolohov into a nearby chair, causing the note he was holding to float to the ground in the chaos. Moving quickly for the fallen parchment, Hermione snatched it up quickly and stuffed it into her pocket beneath the cloak as the sounds of a very upset wizard snapped at a drunk Sirius.
"Watch it, you fool! I could have your fucking head."
"Whoa...whoa. I-s'a accident." Sirius's hands rose in surrender as he backed up from Dolohov.
Shaking the Firewhiskey from his robes, he sneered at the retreating cloaked figure. When Barty rose from the table with his companion to jump on the cloaked Sirius, Dolohov's hand rose, gesturing for the boys to sit. "Don't...a drunk is not worth your energy." He spit in the direction of Sirius as he watched him retreat. "You have to stay out of trouble while you're in school. The Dark Lord has plans for you Barty, he would not be happy if they were disrupted," he warned the teenager before taking his leave. His cloak billowed behind him as he moved to the door, completely unaware of the missing parchment.
Hermione watched the scene with her breath held. As Dolohov took his leave from the bar she moved to follow after him, no longer trying to conceal her footsteps as she darted for the door. Pushing the heavy wooden door open, the cold night air bit against her face. She pushed the cloak over her shoulders as she withdrew her wand. Her gaze fell upon the snow and she easily found his footprints leading away from the village.
The vinewood wand was firm in her grip as she prepared herself for a fight, body turned to make chase after the Death Eater. She was so focused on stopping Dolohov she had not noticed the sound of someone following her.
"Hermione!"
She halted her pursuit and turned to find Sirius running to her in the street, his own wand drawn, prepared to defend the witch, or stop her. She could not tell which. "Stop yelling. You're going to draw attention to us," she hissed as she moved toward him.
She pulled him between two empty storefronts and she put a finger to her lips. The gesture silenced the wizard who looked furious at her actions. His body shrugged out of her grasp and his hand rose, resting against the building beside Hermione's head. "What the fuck did you think you were doing?" Gray eyes raged like a thunderstorm as he caught her gaze. "You can't just attack a wizard in public! We're not at war here."
Hermione's heart froze. This Sirius was so young, he had not gone through the same loss that caused his opinion in the future to become dramatically different. Opening her mouth to retort him she stopped herself, pulling her eyes from his she looked down at the wand still held firmly in her hand.
"We need to go somewhere we can talk," she whispered. Ducking her head beneath his imposing arm, she popped her head out of the alcove to look down the street before back to him. "Can you Apparate from here, or do we need to get further out?"
"I think I can manage." Sirius' tone indicated he was clearly annoyed. The arm bracing him against the building dropped and he guided her body towards his. His hand slid across her waist and curled around to rest upon her lower back as he prepared to Side-Along her.
He paused, waiting for her hands to rest against his chest, and as her fingers curled into the fabric of his robe, the familiar pull of Apparition overtook Hermione yet again. Except this time, she did not scold herself for leaning into him. Her forehead pressed into his sternum. As she allowed herself deep breaths to cope with the sickening speed of travel she noticed his scent. Tobacco, dirt and something she couldn't quite place. Perhaps cologne? It was a rich, musky fragrance, and the combination made her mouth dry. Although she would tell herself later that it was the Apparition, definitely not her best friend's Godfather.