"Dobby," Sirius called gruffly. Dobby immediately popped next the Sirius.

"Yessir, Master Potter's Siri, sir?" Dobby asked, looking up at Sirius hopefully.

"Firewhiskey," Sirius asked without looking his way. Dobby popped away and returned within 2 seconds with a bottle of firewhiskey and a short glass with Never Melting Ice. Sirius sighed heavily and poured himself a full glass. He turned back to the fire and began to drink.

I never got to see say goodbye to James. Lily. Another sip. What would they tell me? That I failed Harry when I went after Pettigrew. Sirius winced. Another sip. I could have protected them. Why did we let Peter become the Secret Keeper? They're dead because of me. Sip. Maybe they have information about Horcruxes! Some clue as to how to defeat Voldemort… A pause, then another sip. Lily has to know something. She was so smart. Beautiful. Unstoppable in the world, turning everything around her to gold. Her home, her family. I loved her. God, how I loved her. Sirius downed the rest of the whiskey in one large gulp. He stood up, shakily, as he made a decision.

Sirius used the armchair to turn himself toward Hermione's room. And the resurrection stone.

The first thing Hermione noticed was the smell. Alcohol was emanating from somewhere close to her bedside table. Years of hiding and sneaking caused Hermione to automatically wake up but stay very still. She knew that someone was in her bedroom and that someone had been drinking. She heard a small crash.

"Shit," said a very drunk Sirius Black. Hermione knew in that instant that he was after the resurrection stone. She had noticed the way he had been looking at it and she knew that the firewhiskey was numbing his sense of self control. Luckily, her self control and foresight had caused her to put the stone into her expanding bag and only she knew the charm to open it. Sirius knew all that but still he tried prying it open with his bare hands. Hermione gave a small sigh as if she were just coming awake so as not to startle Sirius.

"Mhm, hey Sirius," she said, faking sleepiness as she turned toward him. "You OK?" Sirius stopped red handed and looked at Hermione with wide eyes.

"Yea, Hermione go back to sleep. I just, uh, wanted to examine the resurrection stone. Didn't want to wake you or Harry," at this he glanced around as if suddenly wondering if Harry was in the room with them. Hermione was not so easily fooled.

"Let's just do that tomorrow when we're all awake," she said, and sat up in bed, reaching beneath her pillow for her wand. Sirius, for all his drunkenness, noticed her reaching and lunged toward her hand. He pinned her wrists to either side of her and straddled her body. Hermione knew he was acting on animal instinct and didn't struggle. Sirius suddenly realized the position they were in and eased up on her wrists but still didn't let go.

"Hermione," he began to take short breaths, "I need to see Lily again," his voice cracked on the last word. "She was…. I need to say goodbye. Maybe to talk to her. Or, hold her." At this, Sirius began to cry and raised his hands to his face. Hermione, freed from his grasp, gently pulled him off of her and laid him on the bed next to her. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair.

"Shh, now it's OK," she said soothingly. This only caused him to whimper into her hair. Hermione didn't know how to handle this grown man in her bed, weeping. She had never even had a man in her bed before. She sighed heavily and continued to pat Sirius's back. He gradually started to calm down and Hermione eventually only head the occasional sniffle. She began to pull back when she heard the first soft snore. She untangled his arms from around her back and began to push him away when he unexpectedly took her face between his hands and kissed her softly. Hermione was stunned and froze, eyes wide open, with her hands on his chest. Sirius kept his eyes closed and moaned deep in the back of his throat.

"I love you Lily," he smiled with a sigh. "Good night." Sirius turned away from Hermione and immediately began to snore. Hermione exhaled the breath she had been holding and slid out of bed. She hadn't even bothered undressing when she got into bed so all she grabbed was her bag and quietly left the room. The first thing she noticed in the common room was the firewhiskey on the side table. She touched her lips and still felt the sting of the firewhiskey on them. She went to the table, took a long drag from the bottle and walked into the third bedroom off of the common room. She locked the door, hid her bag under the bed and climbed under the covers.

She wondered if Sirius would even remember what happened tomorrow. She wondered if confronting him was even the best option. She definitely wouldn't tell Harry. What would she say? Oh by the way, I had my first kiss last night, with your Godfather. She would talk to Sirius, about how he tried to find the resurrection stone. But if he didn't remember kissing her and calling her Lily, then she had no plans to remind him.

Hermione woke up and immediately looked around her room to make sure she was alone. She slowly sat up in bed and stretched. Life had taken an even more interesting turn since Harry Potter had come back into her life. Hermione stood up and began undressing.

A warm bath and some organizing sounds amazing, she thought. Hermione stepped out of her blue trousers and stripped off her shirt. Once in the bathroom, Hermione noticed that a steaming bath was already waiting for her, complete with lavender bath salts and fluffy white towels.

The castle knows my intentions, she thought with a slight frown. That's interesting. And invasive. Hermione lowered herself into the bath and began to organize her thoughts.

Whoever has all three of the Hallows becomes the Master of Death. I currently have the Stone and the Cloak. They're in my bag, she glanced toward her most prized possession currently hiding under her bed, and they're safe. With the Wand… I could be… but do I want that? The power, the responsibility…. I could help Harry defeat Lord Voldemort. Hermione sank lower into the tub. I could give the cloak and the stone to Harry? Sirius cannot handle the power of the stone. Can Harry?

Hermione lost time as she contemplated the ramifications of having all three of the Hallows versus giving them to Harry. She needed more information before making an informed decision. And the man with that information was dying. Hermione stood up and toweled off. Once she got to the bedroom, she braided her hair and pulled it into a tight bun on her head. Her clothes were clean enough so they went back on. She retrieved her bag from under the bed and made sure that the Stone and the Cloak were still there. When she came out into the common room, she saw Harry drinking a cup of tea by the fire, alone. Sirius must still be asleep, she thought. He stood up when he noticed she had come in.

"Good morning, Hermione," he said. "Tea?" He gestured toward the side table which now contained a steaming cup of tea instead of the firewhiskey it had held the night before.

"Yes, please," she said, moving to the chair beside him. He poured her a cup of tea and cocked an eyebrow at the cream and sugar. She shook her head and gratefully took the steaming mug he offered to her. They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, both sipping their tea, lost in their own thoughts.

"I'm sorry about last night," Harry said, clearing his throat. Hermione stiffened and stared straight ahead. "When I gave you the stone in the Great Hall… I had to feel connected to the real world. The living. That's why I…," Harry looked at her until Hermione was forced to meet his eye. "I haven't stopped thinking about you, Hermione. Ever since the day that I left, I have thought about you every single day."

Hermione forced herself to meet his emerald eyes. She knew this was hard for him. And if she was being honest, there was not a day that went by that she didn't think of him. But she was still hurting. From his leaving, her parents in Australia, Sirius thinking she was Lily, the Master of Death situation… Her heart was light thinking about being with Harry. She missed them together. Their camaraderie, their adventures, their casual glances and touches. Harry could undoubtedly see the internal struggle she was going through.

"I know we are rebuilding our friendship," Harry said, giving her an out. He looked back towards the fire. "But I just wanted you to know. If you ever wanted to move further with me, I would love the opportunity to spend the rest of my life with you." Hermione's mouth dropped as she openly stared at Harry. She set her tea down and smiled. She was reaching towards his arm when the bedroom door slammed open. Harry and Hermione both jumped as Sirius stumbled out of the room.

"Ugh, my head," Sirius moaned as he walked towards the fire. He laid down on the floor at Harry and Hermione's feet. "How did I even get to bed?" He asked as he threw his arm over his face. Harry laughed, oblivious to the fact that Hermione had her eyes narrowed at Sirius.

"Firewhiskey?" he asked Sirius. Sirius only managed to groan. "How late were you up then?"

"Couldn't tell you," Sirius said. "I know I was drinking in front of the fire. Thinking about everything, you know?" Sirius managed a quick look at Harry. "I was thinking about your parents, Harry," he said. Harry nodded softly.

"Yea, so was I," Harry said. Hermione noticed the way his voice changed and she looked at him. Hermione reached over and grabbed his hand. Harry looked down at their hands and then up at her. Hermione gave him a small small and kept holding his hand as she looked down at Sirius.

"Sirius, did you just drink and then pass out last night?" she asked. She had to know what he remembered.

"Yea, I think so," he said with his eyes closed. "I was thinking about the stone and I thought I saw Lily. She told me everything was OK," Sirius sat up and looked at them both. "I believed her. We need to put that stone somewhere secure. It's not safe just to carry around." Hermione nodded.

"I still have it. We can put it in a magical safe, once that requires two of us to open at any time," Hermione was thinking about the charms needed for such a safe. "It will keep us accountable." At this she glanced sharply at Sirius but he didn't seem to notice. He was pouring himself a strong cup of tea. "Harry, what do you think?" Hermione asked.

Harry gave her hand a squeeze and smiled. "That's a great idea. Do you mind holding onto it until we get back to Grimmauld Place?" he asked her.

"Sure," she said. "And I'll work through the specific charms we need to finalize it. Is it about time to meet with Professor Dumbledore?" she asked, looking around for a clock. Sirius moaned.

"Awh, do we have to?" Sirius asked.

"Why, yes of course we do," Hermione said abruptly, letting go of Harry's hand and standing up. "And you would do well to remember your limit of Firewhiskey before you make poor decisions while drunk!" Hermione walked towards her bedroom. "We leave in 5 minutes." The door slammed, leaving two stunned men in the common room.

"What happened?" Sirius asked Harry.

"Who knows," Harry said with a smile. "But it's your fault, mate. She yelled at you. She held my hand." Harry stood up and stretched. "You should apologize so we can go talk to Dumbledore.

Sirius grumbled as he stood up. He walked over to Hermione's bedroom and knocked softly.

"Hermione," he said. "May I come in?" he asked.

"Yea," Hermione said from the other side of the door. Sirius entered looking abashed and saw Hermione leaning against the doorframe of the bathroom. "Shut the door," she said. Sirius obliged and was surprised to see Hermione holding out her wand in front of him. She held her finger up to her mouth and quickly performed Silence wards around the room. Sirius remained quiet and watched her with unease. When she was done, she began to pace back and forth in front of him.

"Sirius," she began without preamble, "last night you got drunk and tried to take the resurrection stone from my bag." Hermione stopped pacing when she heard a sharp intake of breath from Sirius. She looked at him and realized he started to tremble slightly, whether from the shock or the massive hangover but she quickly conjured a chair and he sank into it. She conjured another chair for herself and sat in front of him.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione," he said, running his hands through his hair.
I remember thinking about how it would be amazing to see James and Lily again and maybe they had information that could help us," he looked back up to see her face harden.

"I do not think you can be trusted with the Stone," she said. "Your best friends died and you spent over a year in Azkaban. I think you need to strengthen your mind and get your heart in the right place before you can be around the Stone again." Sirius's head sank and he began to nod. "I know you love Harry," she said with compassion. "I do too." Sirius's head snapped back up to look at Hermione. "We need to be as strong as we can for him in the coming months if he is to survive Voldemort," Hermione said.

"You're right," Sirius said. "Of course you are. I will see a mind healer, and maybe see if HArry would be interested in one as well. He is physically strong but we are both dealing with our demons." Sirius looked at Hermione. "You are helping him more in the past few days to deal with his demons than I have for the past 3 years that he has been living with me." Hermione gave a small nod of acknowledgement. "We need you Hermione, and I'm sorry I tried to take the Stone from you last night. Please tell me that I didn't do anything else stupid, like vomit all over you?" Sirius gave Hermione a small smile trying to break the tension. Unfortunately, his question only made Hermione lean away from him and grimace slightly. Sirius noticed and his eyes widened. He sat upright and looked her in the eye.

"What happened Hermione?" he asked. "I need to know so I can make amends." He looked at her imploringly. "Please."

"You…," Hermione struggled through the words. "You called me Lily," Sirius exhaled a large breath and leaned forward on his knees. "You told me you loved me." Hermione looked away. "You kissed me."

"Shit, Hermione, that is not…. I didn't mean…," Sirius stood up and knelt in front of Hermione. "I am so sorry. That is completely unacceptable." He reached out to grab her hand but thought better of it. "Please look at me." Hermione turned to look at him with tears in her eyes. "I will make amends. I never want to make you feel uncomfortable. I fucked up." Hermione gave a small sob and Sirius reeled backwards as she launched herself into his arms. He lightly stroked her hair as she sniffled into his shoulder.

"Oh, how the tables have turned," she said softly, causing them both to break out in laughter. She pulled away and he put his hands on both of her shoulders.

"You mean so much to both of us," Sirius said. "I will protect you from everyone, including myself. This will never happen again." Hermione smiled.

"I know," she said. "Because I would kick you ass." With that, they both stood up. Sirius removed the chairs and walked towards the door.

"Shall we?" he asked, holding out the door for Hermione. She straightened out her clothes and took a deep breath.

"Let's go," she said