It was near midnight before the cold became too much for Hermione, despite the Bluebell flame and the heat that seemed to emanate from their joined hands. She and Sirius slipped back into the castle through the oak doors, making sure that no one was around.

"May I walk you to your common room, madam witch?" whispered Sirius grinning and offering her the crook of his arm. His cheeks were pink with cold and his eyes were bright; in that moment, he was so unbearably handsome that it made Hermione feel almost sad.

"Actually, I'm afraid that I forgot something in the library. I'll see you tomorrow?" she asked trying not to sound too eager.

"Of course," Sirius said as if there was no question. "But I don't mind waiting for you to get your stuff."

"No," she said a little too quickly. "I'm fine going it alone, really."

Sirius looked taken aback but stepped toward her and said in a low voice "Jane, I...I don't know what it is but I feel like I can tell you anything. Honestly, I haven't ever been interested in something serious. Lily is brilliant but I never understood James's singular obsession with her. But you...you're…" Sirius seemed frustrated with his unusual struggle to find words. He gave up. "Well, anyway, I just feel that maybe I understand it now I've met you."

Hermione felt as if her heart was both breaking and remaking itself at the same time. Sirius took her hand, squeezed it once, and before she could even look up, his hand was gone from hers and he was halfway up the marble staircase.

A storm of indecipherable emotions was rising up in Hermione and, without really seeing, she began to make her way back to the library. When Hermione reached the nook that she was beginning to consider home, she took a deep breath. She had made a promise to herself that she would venture into the Restricted Section tonight to find information on repairing the Time-Turner and she would do it, despite the emotion that was making her hands shake.

Being extra cautious, Hermione cast the Disillusionment Charm on herself before lifting the rope and entering the section of the library that she had been in only once before. She searched for hours, trying to deduce as much information from the spines of the wildly differently sized books as possible; Harry had told her once about a book that screamed when opened. As the night turned into early morning, Hermione began to truly wonder for the first time what she would do if she was unable to find the information that would allow her to return to her own time. At that point, would it be worth risking the future by revealing her situation to a younger Professor Dumbledore or Professor McGonagall? Would she be able to carve out some sort of life in the past? Hermione couldn't stop the thought before it came into her mind: a life with Sirius? Hermione couldn't believe the absurd thought. The repercussions of such a thing would be catastrophic at best and besides, she would miss her family, Harry, and Ron dreadfully. In the back of her mind, however, Hermione couldn't help the small part of her that wished for infinite time with Sirius.

In the end, Hermione found what she was looking for by shear luck. She pulled out an unmarked, maroon tome from a bookshelf, simply because it looked interesting, and hefted it to the ground. She held her breath and carefully lifted the front cover. She sighed in relief when the book made no response and as she spotted the title of the book, her heart gave a hopeful leap: The Making of Powerful Magical Objects.

Hermione ran her finger down the index, unable to stop herself from making mental notes to look at chapters on objects she knew little or nothing about. She noticed that the book included both individual magical objects as well as those relatively mass produced. She let out a soft cheer when her finger slid across "XLIII. Time Turners." Hermione began flipping through pages and paused to read about the making of the Goblet of Fire which, she found, was an object used during a tournament between magical schools. She promised herself she would look up the details of the Triwizard Tournament at a later time.

Hermione continued flipping to a chapter on the making of objects called Horcruxes. She was startled to find only a single sentence on the page: "Horcruxes are born from the darkest of magics and will not be discussed here." Hermione wondered why they would even include it in the book in that case. She was curious but she sent it from her mind to read about the making of Pensieves and a few other rarer objects. Finally, she turned to the chapter on Time Turners and spent the next few hours in careful study. Hermione looked up from the book believing she could recreate the Time Turner from the pieces of the broken one still in her bag and charm it correctly to allow her to return home. She felt elated at her discovery but also felt a creeping devastation that had everything to do with a certain dark haired, gray eyed boy.

With difficulty, Hermione placed the heavy book back in its place on the shelving and creeped out of the Restricted Section to her cushioned window seat. She was able to sleep for a while before sitting up suddenly, feeling wide awake at the thought of seeing Sirius again soon.

By the time Sirius found her with lunch for them to share, Hermione already had notes of a few failed attempts at recreating the Time Turner hidden in a notebook in her bag. She was reading the theory behind non-verbal magic when he sat down at the table. Hermione looked up at him smiling and noted that the vulnerability in his eyes from the night before had disappeared and was replaced with his usual casual, joking manner.

They spent the next three days following the routine they seemed to have established in an unspoken agreement; they studied during the day and walked around the grounds at night. Hermione was grateful that Sirius seemed to sense she wanted to avoid the Great Hall and regularly brought food for them to eat in the library and as they walked. Hermione discovered during this time that Sirius was working on a map of Hogwarts. Although the basis of the map had been done with his friends, there was still complex spell work left that Sirius tackled with unending energy. Hermione also broke down and admitted that she was working on non-verbal magic which Sirius was all too eager to learn with her.

It was on Christmas Eve, the night before he was to go to the Potters, that Sirius finally kissed her. They were standing with the goblet of Bluebell flame next to them in the grass and as close to the Whomping Willow as they dared, engaged in a lively discussion about Polyjuice Potion. A freezing wind whipped through the grass and Hermione shivered violently. Sirius stepped forward automatically, his hands reaching to warm her shoulders. When his hands made contact with her arms, however, electricity seemed to shoot through Hermione's entire body and she looked down in embarrassment. Sirius's fingers cupped her chin and lifted her face to his as he bent down to place his mouth carefully on hers. An unexpected bravery swept over Hermione and she stepped farther into his embrace, pulling him closer to her. She deepened the kiss and his hands weaved into her hair. When they finally broke apart, they were both breathless. Sirius, a mischievous grin on his face, took her hand and lead her into the trees of the Forbidden Forest.