A/N: Hello lovelies! Hope everyone is doing well! Sorry it takes me time to get updates posted but, I have a lot going on at the moment! So 2-3x a month is where I'm at right now, maybe less but more if we're lucky. Anyway, this chapter is a bit shorter than the last 3 and I apologize for it. It's more of a filler chapter however there are details that are important, so keep them in mind. A lot of you have been asking if Hermione had failed the time before - these questions WILL be answered in due time, I promise. I can't give it all away, else you'd know the story!

anyway, I send a lot of love to my beta, ravenclawmidwife. She is extremely talented and is so wonderful in helping me out where I do wrong! I tend to tongue-tie myself/writing a lot, so she fixes it where it needs to be! I ask for you to give her a round of applause! Hopefully she'll stick around :)

leave me love! I can't wait to see your response! Xo Blue

Hermione steadily listened for the click of Sirius's door to shut before she moved. She removed her arm from her eyes and sorely crawled to her pillows and snuggled beneath her blankets. She wouldn't deny that she felt exhilarated… but there was a thick layer of guilt-frosting on her post-coital bliss."

Pulling the duvet to her chin, she closed her eyes and squeezed out tears that were begging for an exit. She shuddered - How could I be so stupid? Harry would be so disappointed. "I'm so sorry…" she whispered, wiping her dripping nose. "I'm so sorry, Harry." She wondered if, wherever his soul currently lay, he'd hear her, but she thought that maybe that idea was too good to be true. She also wholeheartedly hoped that if he indeed was out there in the universe looking out for her, the state of her virtue wouldn't be in his realm of consciousness.

Her pillow was drowning in puddles of snot and tears as she rocked back and forth, quietly crying out her apologies to her dead best friend. His green eyes were tattooed into her retinas - all she could see in them was lifeless sorrow.

Just as her eyes were succumbing to the sand of sleep, she heard a faint, "Padfoot!"

She leant up to one arm and listened - perhaps the exhaustion was getting to her - but then there it was again, "Padfoot?"

"Stop it! Maybe he's sleeping," a woman's voice said.

Hermione reached over to the lamp on her nightstand and turned it on as she followed the voices - "Doesn't matter - he always answers."

"He could be on a mission!" the woman argued. "How would you feel if you get him found out? Hm?"

Opening the drawer, Hermione peeked in and found a shard of broken mirror resting on a velvet cloth. On the glass, she saw the very familiar face of, "Harry…" she shakily whispered, then threw the drawer shut and jumped from the bed, shivering. Her stomach was turning in knots and the shakiness wouldn't go away. Freezing, she reached for the shirt that had been discarded earlier at the end of her bed. She tossed it over her head and tried to steady herself. "Okay…" she breathed. She walked back to the stand and listened again. "Just give it a rest, call back tomorrow."

"Wait!" Hermione called, before she knew that she said it. She opened the drawer, picked up the mirror and looked into it. Harry with blue eyes stared back at her - yet it wasn't Harry, it was James. James Potter.

…

James jerked his head back into the frame with a look of exasperation - as if he wanted to smile, or maybe laugh, but all the same be serious. "Who are you?" he asked finally.

The woman, who Hermione could see, had fiery red hair and the most magnificent pair of green, slanted cat eyes spoke up once again, "Is it not Sirius?" she asked, pulling the looking glass into her own hands. "Oh! Who are you?"

Hermione's cheeks reddened. "I'm Hermione. I'm a friend - well, not really a friend. I am actually his flat-mate… Sirius's, I mean."

"His... flat-mate?" James asked skeptically. "Sirius doesn't do… especially not with… women. As all women, for Sirius, are trouble."

"That's not true. Sirius is very capable of having a woman as roommate, give him more credit, James," the woman said. "I'm Lily Evans and this is my fiancé, James Potter. We're friends of Sirius. Is he 'round? It's odd he's left the mirror sitting about. Is he 'right?"

Hermione smiled - it was so weird, but beautiful, to see Harry's parents together, even though not in person yet. They were still here and they were alive. "Sirius is fine. He gave me this room and by the looks of it, he forgot to clean out his nightstand drawer. I'll get him for you now, though."

Hermione opened her bedroom door, holding the broken mirror in her empty hand. She dropped it by accident, revealing her naked legs when she bent down to pick it up - however, she didn't really notice, being too star-struck by the fact that Harry's parents were okay as of right now. She knocked on the door to Sirius's room. It took a few tries until he answered. He leant against the frame, shirtless(to Hermione's embarrassment) and a cigarette hung from his lips. A few scratch marks covered his clavicle and a love bite clung to his neck, forcing red into Hermione's own skin. "Hermione, you back for more?" he asked in that husky voice that made her weak in the knees.

Before she could answer, she pressed the mirror into his hands and turned away. He looked down to see two familiar faces looking back at him. One held the expression of you better tell me everything! And the other one featured a raised eyebrow, berating him silently.

"Prongs! Lils! How goes it? Not heard from you in a while! How's the family?" Sirius asked, ignoring their gestures and damning himself for saying something as stupid as that to her.

James answered with a knowing smirk. "Mum's good - dad's feeling better. How are you? Gotten into anyone's knickers lately?"

"James! That's none of your concern!" Lily squeaked.

"Lily! It is my concern because he's my best friend."

Sirius kinda chuckled, "I'm great. Works been going smooth. I have heaps to tell you when you get back. Any baby news yet?" he said, this time looking towards Lily.

"I am sure you do have a lot to tell James," she said with a sarcastic glint in her eyes. "No baby yet; you know we like to do things the old fashioned way! So after the wedding."

"But we haven't given up practising, if you get my meaning!" James winked, earning him a slap on the arm by his fiancée.

"When will you be home?" Sirius asked.

"Soon. I've got to go though." Lily frowned. "I have to be up tremendously early to go with Dorea to York for a luncheon tomorrow. Goodnight, Sirius!" she said then, kissing her future husband on the cheek. "Don't stay up too long, you."

"See you, Lily!" Sirius grinned.

Once she was gone, James turned back to the mirror with a wide smile and enormous eyes. "Soooo…"

Sirius opened the door to a small patio outside his bedroom. "Sooo…" he said back.

"Who is she? How long have you been seeing her? Is it serious? Obviously if she is living with you, it's serious. And I see those markings on your chest, so you're not hiding anything. What was it like? Do you feel more like a man now? And I know you're wanting to do it again, because once you feel that - damn, you can't ever go back," James finished breathlessly.

Sirius lit up another cigarette and laughed. His white teeth glimmering in the moonlight. "Her name is Hermione. I haven't been seeing her. It isn't serious. She needed a place to live. Yes, these markings on my chest are from doing the deed. It was amazing. Manliest feeling in the world. I do want to do it all over again and a thousand times more. And you're exactly right; I'll never look at my hand the same. Really, compared to that, it's let me down." He studied his hand with disappointment.

James's smile only got wider. "Well how do you feel? What made you decide on her?"

"It's a funny story really…"

"Tell. Me. Everything."

Sirius chuckled, "Gods. Remus was right. We really are worse than girls."

….

The Animagus woke to the aroma of coffee swirling up his nose. He stretched his arms above his head and curled his toes to release all the sleep still creeping through his limbs. It was one of the best nights of sleep he could remember having in a long time.

The clock on the wall said it was only five in the morning, which was much too early to be awake. He rolled to his side in hopes to get more sleep, only to see the light from the living room peeking through the cracks of his door. "Why are you even up right now?" he whispered to himself but directed to Hermione.

When Hermione had brought him the mirror after their go-around, she seemed hesitant to be near him and that didn't settle well with Sirius. He felt kind of let down that she ran off like she did. However, it was his fault for saying something so daft as "back for more?". He rolled his eyes at himself. He hoped like hell that she didn't regret it, but he had an inkling that she was already there.

He closed his eyes and brought up a memory of her naked body, and he felt that reminder reach his groin. Reluctantly deciding to get out of bed, he headed for the shower. He opened the door as quietly as he could and peeked out to see if Hermione was anywhere to be found - as much as he'd love to see her, he knew it'd make matters downstairs only worse. When he felt he was in the clear, he tiptoed to the bathroom.

Hermione heard the sound of running water as she stirred in her sugar. Sirius was up. She hadn't slept at all, as she was too nervous from talking with Harry's parents and, of course, everything else that had happened. It was just too much to sleep on. So once she heard the early birds whistling their morning tunes, she rolled from her bed fiending for caffeine. She walked over to Sirius's room - his door was left open and the bed unmade. For whatever reason, she went in and began to fix the blankets. A part of her wanted to sit and wait on him to tell him what they did last night was wrong, but at the same time, she felt it'd be best to avoid him altogether. Seeing him just now wouldn't be fun or comfortable for either of them. Fetching her coffee from his dining table, she found a black spiral book she had overlooked before. She was, naturally, curious and opened it to find dozens of charcoal sketchings. Beautifully drawn images, mostly of people, their profiles, eyes, and hands; she saw no one familiar, but all still gorgeous. Come to think of it, she remembered the Sirius of her time always carried around a notebook but he never allowed her to see. He'd say, "Your eyes are too kind to see such things." She didn't think that now, of course, as she had seen many things her so-called kind eyes shouldn't have ever seen. However, she began to feel a bit intrusive. She closed the book and placed it back onto the table, adjusting it as though it had never been touched.

She could smell the scent of soap wafting from the bathroom. It was manly, with a hint of patchouli to it as well. Sirius was humming. Hermione tried to listen a little more closely to see what song it was; maybe when she was ready, they could talk about their favourite artists or something. She turned the knob of the door quietly and steam came rolling out, hitting her square in the face. She wiped the condensation aside and listened. Those hums weren't actually a melody, she realised, when a quick, "Oh...fuck. Ahh..." was heard. She nearly dropped her cup and managed to close the door as silently she could and sped away.

Sirius was lathering all the way down the length of his cock. His body tightened as he was stroking himself. He was imagining Hermione with her breasts on full display and her wet curly hair sticking to him as her fingers ran over his backside. His abs tightened as he pictured her legs wrapping around his waist, pulling him closer to her. He wanted to devour every inch of her all over again and find places he never knew were possible to reach. He wanted to taste her sweet nectar, to suck on her tongue, like candy. Just imagining her saying his name, let him loose over his fingers and onto the wall of the tub. "Oh...fuck. Ahh…" he murmured. Then the atmosphere changed. Cool air hit his shower curtain. He looked out to see the door handle turning and the latch closing. He kicked himself for not being subtle.

…

Hermione sat on her bed, desperately wishing Sirius would hurry and go to work. Seeing him wasn't what she wanted most in life at the moment. She finished her coffee and set the mug on the bedside table, waiting. She wanted more but thought better of going out there to get it, and hearing Sirius's private thoughts was enough to keep her awake for days. Also, knowing her current streak of luck, if she summoned the pot, Sirius would surely get hit with it and burn his bits to pieces. She waited and waited… she was sure he had to work, but maybe he owled for a day off. Then it came...that inevitable knock on her door. She didn't answer at first. Sirius knocked again. He's persistent. "Come in," she answered, sitting with her arms crossed and as close to the headboard as she could get, trying her best to not look inviting.

He was dressed in his Auror robes and he looked very smart, she thought. Hermione felt her cheeks heat at the sight of him. "I'm off to work, you have any plans for the evening?" he asked, as if nothing were wrong.

She shook her head.

"I was thinking maybe I would catch a bite to eat and then meet up with Remus, if you'd like to come along," he said with all sincerity in his voice.

She would love to see Remus again, but wasn't sure if it'd be a good idea to go with Sirius by herself. She licked her bottom lip as if in deep thought. "Well, I don't know. Surely you'd like some guy time?"

He shrugged, "Honestly? I'm looking for an excuse to spend time with you again."

She looked at her empty cup. "Oh. I don't know." Her shoulders dropped. She didn't want to sound mean but it needed to be said. "What we did last night…"

Sirius's frame tightened - he just knew she had regretted it. "Look, I am sorry. I mean, I'm not sorry it happened because it was amazing… but..."

"Was it?" she asked, interrupting him.

The man furrowed his brow in confusion, "What? Yes. It was amazing... Heh… more than that. I'd say you're an ace. Of course, I've no one to compare to, but honestly, I don't want to compare. I really enjoyed my time with you. I don't want you to think that I regret it, because I don't."

She felt her body go hot. She was embarrassed for him and herself. These types of things shouldn't come so easily out of one's mouth, especially to a woman. "I just don't think we should do it again. We should forget about it. Pretend as if it never happened. Because it shouldn't have happened." She spoke softly, avoiding his eyes - even in her time, something about his eyes would reel her right in.

"Why would I pretend it didn't happen?" he asked, his confusion only escalating.

"Because! It shouldn't have! It's not what's supposed to happen, you and I! "We-" she waved between them, "-are not supposed to happen! Now if you don't mind, I need to… I have a lot… go. Have a good day." She stood, pushing him to the door. "Goodbye."

He was stunned by her attitude: he didn't think she'd be acting so strangely about it. He subtly nodded his head, disappointed, "Ok. I'll see you later then." He turned to leave.

"Sirius…wait," she said, stepping back from him. She could see the hurt all over his face. He had been nothing but kind to her - then she basically used him. And this is how I am repaying him! "I'm sorry. I can't get caught up in things like this. I've used you and I shouldn't have. I've lost too many people and I don't want the chance to get attached in a way like that just to feel loss all over again."

He nodded, "I understand, but you see, if you want to put it that way… then I used you as well. Have a good day, Ace."

Slightly taken aback by his bluntness and the use of the pet name - as she already hated them - it brought back a memory, one she thought she'd forgotten.

...

Hermione sat at the piano in Grimmauld Place, not pressing any keys, only staring at the black and white pattern, in deep thought about the next step they - she , Harry, and Ron - needed to take. Arthur, Ron's dad had been attacked by Nagini, the snake of Lord Voldemort, to the point that if Harry hadn't the premonition, Arthur would be dead.

"What's going on?"a deep, husky voice asked.

Hermione looked up and into the kind blue eyes she found so hypnotising. She knew whatever Sirius would say next would make her feel better; even if "better" was the last thing she wanted to feel. The Christmas tree's lights shone around him like silhouetted wings. He stood out like a dark angel. "Only thinking," she answered.

"Knowing you, you've got about a hundred different things running around that head of yours. What is it?" He moved to sit beside her on the bench. He rested his hand on her knee to comfort her, but gripped tightly as if he was protecting her.

"Just that. A hundred things." She shook her head. "All of this that's happened. Mr Weasley didn't deserve what he got. He is one of the kindest, most gentle men I have ever met and he didn't deserve it. Lucius Malfoy is surely behind it. He's always had it out against the Weasleys," she said.

"That's the thing, kid. Bad things happen to good people all of the time." He felt her head rest on his shoulder. "You know in the time of war, things happen that you just can't understand. People die every day. Everyone loses people that they love - people get hurt… people are manipulated, tortured - and feel stuck in the middle trying to find the right side. The winning side. People go missing, only to be found… differently," he said quietly. "Not everyone is who they make themselves out to be. Not everyone deserves what they've gotten."

Hermione took in every bit of what he was saying. Even if parts didn't sit well with her. She was still so full of questions. "So you're saying that Lucius Malfoy is a good guy, then?"

"No. That isn't what I am saying at all. I'm saying his intentions aren't necessarily in the right place. Maybe he feels trapped and he's trying to protect his son or his wife…" Hermione sat up and looked back at him. He bore a sad smile and his face was telling, but of what she didn't know. He spoke again with what it seemed like reluctance, "You'll never know in these times where someone's true allegiance lies. Lucius, believe as you may, wasn't always a bad guy. Had you known him way back when, you would understand what I mean."

Hermione twiddled her thumbs and shrugged. "Well, until I see otherwise, I guess I'll go on only wondering."

With eyes still a torrent of emotions, he nodded, "You're Ace at everything. You'll figure it all out."

She snorted. "Ace? I'm not so sure about that. Brains with academics, maybe. But street smart? Not so much."

He smiled, "I know enough of how your mind works. You'll figure it out." He pressed his lips against her temple, "Ace," he whispered and walked away, leaving her with even more questions than she had before.

Hermione ran to the bathroom and spewed right into the sink - she didn't possess the willpower to make it to the toilet. It was only a coincidence. It had to be. Sirius didn't know her from now in the future - he could only possibly know her future self… right? She wondered in what timeline she had really been born. Was she only existing in limbo? Was her life really in the 1990s, or here and now? The past - was that her real future? She gathered herself, splashed her face with cold water - her knuckles turned white as she held onto the sink's basin. If Sirius had known her, that meant she had come back before - which meant things between she and he weren't all that bad. And if his intentions toward her were good then… she stared at her reflection, wrapping her mind around the situation, when the realization finally hit her - Future Sirius, the Sirius in her memory, knew about the sex they'd had. "Oh my god!"