A/N. My feet are killing me. You know that whole thing about pregnant women and sore feet? It's real. My FOMB won't even rub my feet *sad face*.

In this chapter I've separated the notes between Hermione and Sirius because I didn't like how ff . net ended up auto-formatting them in the last chapter. Too squished together.

This chapter is a little short, but I got out what I wanted.

...~oOo~...

Chapter Eight: A Reason Revealed

Bad Hair,

I know we don't have to meet until tomorrow, but I need help with that blasted essay. When are you free?

In Danger Of Failing Muggle Studies,

S.B.

...

Sirius Black,

Last week, you demanded we meet EVERY day because of that essay. Surely you can finish it alone. It is due tomorrow, if memory serves, and how much more could there possibly be added to it? Besides, I need a day to do my own studying instead of yours.

I Have A Name You Know,

Hermione

...

BAD HAIR,

Oh, please, as if you haven't already covered the entire syllabus in your studying. I swear, you're a hermit. It's borderline pathetic.

And YES it is due tomorrow WHICH IS WHY I NEED YOU TO EDIT IT, OF COURSE. Anyway, I still don't understand one thing - MICROWAVES. Come on. They have stoves. They have fireplaces. Why do they need yet another device to warm food? It makes no sense, they have no purpose.

As Far As I'm Concerned Your Name IS Bad Hair,

The Amazing Sirius Black (With Amazing Hair)

...

S.B. -

Frankly, I do not find anything incredible about your hair. All of the girls in my dorm go on and on about it and how silky and gorgeous it is, but I just don't see it. Perhaps you, in all your narcissism, could explain it to me?

I don't want to edit your essay, because then I would be doing everything that a teacher would and correcting it for you when, in the end, you get a perfect score for all of MY hard work. So, no. I do not want to edit your paper.

It No Longer Surprises Me That Your Initials Are S.O.B.,

Hermione

...

That Sign-Off Was Clever, I'll Admit,

Okay, maybe not EDIT it, but maybe you could just look it over and point out major grammatical errors? I would ask Remus, but he isn't feeling so well and if I asked him, he'd probably rip my face off. He's nasty when he's sick.

I Will Not Say The "P" Word Before You Ask,

S.O.B.

...~oOo~...

Hermione was thankful when she and Sirius went to separate classes after that note-exchanging nonsense. She'd only been tutoring him for about two weeks and he was already driving her crazy. She wondered if he did it purely to annoy her - all the extra sessions, all the questions in the middle of class, all the prodding about editing essays. She was thinking maybe he traded stalking for harassing.

But Hermione was tired. Almost every day Sirius had Hermione teaching him about Muggles until curfew. And it would have been worth it if he quitted it with the pranks - which, of course, he hadn't. Far from. If anything, the pranks came more often, but at least he seemed careful not to potentially dismember or disfigure anyone in the process.

It was right before dinner that Hermione made her decision. She marched into the Great Hall where supper was just beginning to be served and she went straight up to where the Marauders sat, laughing and teasing. Remus's head was resting on the table in lieu of a plate and they were levitating kidney beans into his nose.

"Sirius Black," Hermione said without preamble and the kidney bean dropped into Remus's ear instead when they all spun to see her.

Sputtering awake, Remus frantically scratched at his ear and when a bean fell out, he glared at his friends.

Hermione went on, "I will not be spending any time after dinner reading your essay."

Scowling, Sirius said, "Come on -"

"I will, however, read it during dinner," Hermione said, holding out her hand. "Hand it over and I'll have a look and return it to you in the common room."

Brow furrowed, Sirius said, "But -"

"Better yet, Hermione, why don't you sit with us?" Remus said, scooting over a little to make room for her.

"Yes!" James agreed automatically.

"Definitely!" Peter chimed in.

"No," Sirius said, but he'd already been outvoted.

Hermione looked at each of them reluctantly and then glanced down at the spot where she normally sat with Alice and Lily, but neither had arrived yet. Remus gave her an encouraging smile and Hermione begrudgingly sat down.

It felt very weird, sitting right beside the man who would one day be her teacher, especially since he didn't know she knew he was a werewolf and that he was unwell because the full moon was two days away. It was worse because on the opposite side of Remus was none other than the future-infamous Peter Pettigrew.

And right across from her were James Potter, her best friend's father and also his godfather beside James as well.

It all gave her a throbbing pain in her temple.

"So, Hermione, we hear you've been tutoring Sirius," Remus said with something of a sympathetic smile. "How has that been?"

"Glorious," Sirius answered for her. "Hasn't it been, Hermione?"

"I asked her," Remus said, "not you."

Hermione shrugged. "He is a... willing student."

"No need to be nice about it," Remus said. "I know what it's like. I tutored him in History of Magic in our Fourth Year. It was hell."

Hermione chuckled and nodded. "He's... special."

"If you are going to continue to talk to me like I'm not here," Sirius said with a small grimace, "at least read my paper." He thrust parchment into Hermione's hands.

Sirius's handwriting was... elegant, but sharp and heavy-handed. Dark and gothic-like. And it took her forever to read because all the thick lines of ink melded. She'd gotten quite a bit of practice from his note-flinging, but still she wished he'd at least try to write clearer.

Accepting the paper, Hermione set it beside her plate and began to read the opening when Peter said:

"Hermione, what's your favorite candy?"

Blinking, Hermione looked up and said, "Pardon?"

"Candy? What's your favorite?" His beady eyes were on hers intently. Honestly, for a moment Hermione couldn't believe she was looking into the eyes of a traitor. He just looked so... innocent.

Hermione thought for a big before answering, "Sugar Quills, I think."

"Mine is Licorice Wands," Peter answered.

"Peter, is this your random question of the day?" James inquired. He turned to Hermione and explained, "Every day, Peter asks a very strange question for no reason whatsoever. We're not sure whether he realizes it or not, but he does."

Peter's brow furrowed. "I'm asking for a reason!"

"Really?" James asked. "And what is that?"

"What if I want to get her a Christmas gift?"

"Christmas isn't for another three months, Pete."

"A Thanksgiving gift then!"

Hermione was shaking her head. "No, no - you don't need to get me a gift, I -"

"Quiet, you twits," Sirius said. "She's reading my essay. She hasn't gotten time for your silly questions."

"She's your tutor, not your slave, Sirius," Remus said firmly. "Leave her be. We're sorry about how he's been acting, Hermione. He never really learned how to behave."

With a small smile, Hermione said, "I've noticed."

Sirius frowned, his eyes darkening. "And here I thought we were making such progress, love."

Rolling her eyes, Hermione said, "Progress? The only difference in these last few weeks is that you get to torment me even more."

"But I haven't disfigured you."

"Oh, how lucky I am," Hermione said with the definite sting of sarcasm. "Sirius Black hasn't nearly maimed me in two whole weeks. I should just thank the heavens, shouldn't I?"

Peter, Remus, and James all snorted and chuckled under their breath. They knew how infuriating Sirius could be firsthand, so it was refreshing to hear it from someone else as well.

Narrowing his eyes, Sirius said, "I don't have to be nice, you know. I could be a dozen times worse."

With a sigh, Hermione dropped the sarcasm and said, "I know you could. And for that, I suppose, I thank you."

Then, before Sirius could say anything, a voice from directly behind Hermione said, "Are you being held here against your will?"

It was Lily. Hermione turned and smiled at the girl and said, "Not quite. Well, sort of. It's complicated."

"Do you need rescuing?"

Shaking her head, Hermione said, "I'll be back in my usual spot soon."

Lily's eyes raked over each of the boys' faces, lingering on James, before turning in a gust of red hair, green eyes, and was down at the other end of the table before you could say "Head Girl".

Hermione handed the essay back to Sirius and said, "It's fine. You'll get a good grade on it." She turned to the rest and said, "Thank you for allowing me to sit with you. I know this is somewhat of an elitist section of the table and I appreciate the conversation. Have a good evening, Remus, James, Peter."

And she walked away.

Looking down at his parchment, Sirius scowled. "I bet she didn't even read past the opening. And she didn't tell me 'good evening'."

"You have an unhealthy fixation," James said, shaking his head.

"Well if it isn't the pot calling the kettle black!"

James shook his head. "Lily knows how I feel. I know how I feel. You, however, are so deep in denial it's pathetic."

Rubbing his forehead, Sirius said, "I'm not in denial. I just know something isn't right about that girl."

"And how do you know that?" Remus inquired.

With a deep breath, Sirius said, "I'm surprised you haven't noticed, Moony. The night she arrived, when she was sleeping on the couch, I changed into Padfoot to see if I could snoop around her without waking her up. And when I did, I noticed something peculiar about her scent - she wreaked like Grimauld Place. She'd been there, I knew it. And now, there's always that small lingering smell of my old home on her. And I don't know why."

...~oOo~...

Sirius's paper received a ten out of ten. But when Hermione met him at their usual studying spot in the abandoned classroom the day they were due to receive their scores and Sirius was staring at the ceiling mournfully, Hermione was expecting the worst.

"Oh, no," she said, walking over to him. She bit her lip. "How bad was it?"

Lying on his back, hands tucked behind his neck, Sirius didn't look at her when he said, "I got a perfect score."

Jaw dropped, Hermione stood shocked for two beats before smiling and saying, "Congratulations! I'm glad you did well."

Folding his arms over his chest, he said, "I'm not."

Raising an eyebrow, Hermione said, "And why is that?"

"Because I was hoping to do terribly so that Dumbledore would 'pull the plug' on these stupid study sessions," Sirius said bitingly, sitting up and gathering himself off the floor.

Hermione's smile fell into a frown at his tone. "That wasn't the impression you gave me when you sent me notes every day to study when we're only required to twice a week."

"I wanted to look good for Dumbledore," Sirius said, his face cold and detached like his tone. "And I wanted him to think you were the one slacking off while I was being obedient and eager, even. But now I've got a perfect score and he's going to prolong this hell."

There was a crease between Hermione's eyebrows when she said, "I'm sorry I didn't realize that sooner, otherwise I wouldn't have agreed to waste my time on you." She hiked her bag of books higher on her shoulder.

Sirius shrugged, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Obviously you're not as smart as you thought."

Shaking her head, Hermione said, "Well, better late than never. I won't be tutoring you any longer. After all, you're only hurting yourself. Dumbledore hasn't called an end to your punishment yet, and by ending these sessions you're in breach of your agreement with him. In lieu of tutoring, you'll be getting detention. And I don't very much care." Hermione then gave him one last scowl before turning and walking away.

...~oOo~...

Challenge: 1. Favorite part and line? 2. Do you think Sirius will ever confront Hermione about why she smells like Grimauld? 3. What other kinds of assignments should Sirius have for Muggle Studies?

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~