Chapter 10

A/N: I love you all sooo much! I haven't really been writing that much lately so I'm behind cause I'm graduating in a month so I'm a little frazzled with last minute college stuff, but I'll try my best to update. One more chapter to go after this in third year and then I'm going to go on a little break to finish fourth year… happy reading!

"If I could give you one thing in life, I would give you the ability to see yourself through my eyes, only then would you realize how special you are to me."

Hermione had set Crookshanks the task of following Pettigrew around when she couldn't, and she found that the rat had a very poor sense of smell, seeing as he hadn't smelled either of them as of yet. From what she had heard, he was a poor, timid excuse of a human being, and he was and even poorer excuse of an animagi. She curled her lip at the thought of the small rat- faced boy she had found in their Hogwarts yearbook.

Harry and Ron were shunning her. Because of a broom. A broom probably sent by the very person he had threatened to kill not a fortnight ago.

Hermione sipped her tea and snorted as she pet Severus' sleek messenger raven, Dougal.

Her thoughts wandered off…

She had often noticed that animals tended to shy from Severus, excluding Crookshanks of course, and that when he got mail, it would more often than not be given to the Headmaster rather than to him directly. So, she had given the temperamental raven to her temperamental man for his thirty- fifth birthday in January. Being the only bird in the menagerie that seemed to be the most frisky, she knew he would be the perfect present as they shared the same characteristically bite and scratch personality.

The day she had revealed her hypothesis about Pettigrew, she had seen that the bird didn't easily get scared as she came upon Severus' trashed chambers; him sitting in his favorite armchair surrounded by glass as Dougal pecked at his hair as he ignored him bringing up a tumbler of firewhiskey to his lips. Hermione stood in front of him, keeping her face perfectly blank. She had left him to get out his anger earlier in the day, knowing a cranky, angry, Severus was not a good Severus to be around. It was only a matter of time until his magic caused devastation if he did not satisfy his physical angers.

His fingers dug into her hips as he suddenly grabbed her and brought her to him, his head coming to rest upon her shoulder.

"Why do you put up with me?" he asks, and Hermione's heart squeezes in her chest.

They have gone over this many times before, and she gives the same answer each time.

She grabs his chin and lifts his face to hers, cupping his cheek, "You need to get it through your head, Severus, that I love you." She saw his lips part, so she covered them with her palm. "I may be young, but I am not stupid. I would like to think that I know you more than anyone else does, and I will be here until you ask me to leave." He pulled her into his lap, kissing her wrist. "I am not your parents, I am not Lily, Dumbledore, or the Dark Lord."

Severus says not one word, he just stares, and stares, until he leans forward until his lips come to the corner of her mouth.

She is hit with an not so sudden epiphany.

There's no going back now.

~.O.~

"What happened?" Hermione asked the Fat Lady as she came to the entrance of the common room now being guarded by trolls. Ser Cadogan had been the guard portrait for a while now, and something drastic must have happened for the Fat Lady to come back after Sirius scratched up her previous one.

She was in a daze, she knew her feelings about Severus, but she knew she was also too young to make a decision about something as big as this about someone so much older than her.

Ah, feelings are complicated… I don't know what I'm feeling… that's it… I have no idea what the warm feeling in my chest means...

"Sirius Black was back again, dear," she slurred, looking very twitchy as if he would jump out of the darkness at any moment. Hermione snapped out of her thoughts. She brought a wine glass to her lips, swaying dangerously as if she would fall out of her portrait. "I needed a little of this to build up my courage," she raised the endless wine bottle in her other hand, "That knight let him in, so the Headmaster compromised," she waved the glass to both sides to her vaguely to the large stone like shirtless trolls on either side of her painting. "Such a nice Headmaster, Dumbledore… Go on in dear, you might want to check on that red- headed friend of yours."

She swung open to reveal a once again, crowded common room filled with arguing older year students, dozing first years, and a pale furious McGonagall looking as if she could throttle a cowering Neville who stood in front of her.

"Harry," she sneaked into the crowd unnoticed, coming to a stop behind him, touching his elbow

"Where have you been?" he grabbed her in a hug, and she saw Ron glance at them from where he stood next to Neville, looking for all the world he was being tortured.

"In the library. Sirius Black was here again? How does he keep getting in?"

"He tried to stab Ron in his bed," Hermione got a pang in her heart, and even though she knew Sirius was after Scabbers, it didn't take away the worry that Ron could be possible collateral damage.

Can't be mad at them for ignoring me about the broom now...

"Neville, wrote down the passwords Ser Cagadon gave him for the week and Black found them in the halls somewhere."

Hermione pinched the bridge of her nose, something she had picked up from Severus.

Dear, Merlin...

"Yeah," he looked at her sideways from where he had pulled back for their hug looking around the room. "I'm sorry about the broom."

She gave him a look, still displeased at his immaturity, "You and Ron have a habit of getting mad at me for doing things that are to protect the two of you."

He looked slightly ashamed, "I know." They were quiet for a moment, each other seemingly waiting for the other to say something else, but Hermione had nothing else to say on the matter. She had given up on them looking at her true intentions and only seeing that she was just trying to 'ruin their fun because all she had were her books.'

"I'm sorry," he nudged her crossed arms, trying to get her to break down.

She was resigned, so she nudged him back. And then smiled.

"Do it again, and I won't bother being mad at you two, I'll just hex you then be on my way."

He shuddered, knowing she would, turning to where Ron was coming towards them.

"Scabbers is gone, and look what I found on my bed after that maniac tried to kill me."

Harry knew what was going to happen now, and he had no sympathy for his determined friend. "Ron," he tried warning, but it was too late.

Ron held up three long ginger hairs he dug out of his dressing gown's striped pocket.

Harry stepped back from where he had stood between them.

Hermione's eyes narrowed, and Crookshanks meowed innocently as he rubbed up against Harry's legs.

~.O.~

"Put your hood up," Hermione told Draco as they stood in the shadows before they entered a bookshop in the shadier part of Hogsmeade.

Being the last Hogsmeade trip as the Professors were afraid of Sirius roaming around, Hermione knew it was time to grab the book Severus didn't yet have in his collection. Ron had abandoned her as soon as Harry was out of sight, thinking she had let Crookshanks kill his stupid rat. In fact, the last they had seen of Pettigrew had been when she and her familiar had chased him into Hagrid's hut, and haven't smelled him coming out since; so he had still ought to be in there hiding from his clingy master. His avoidance probably also had something to do with the charm she had placed on Ron making him think spiders were trying to cuddle with him whenever he sat down.

Oops…

"Couldn't Uncle Severus have gotten this book? Or my father?" The blonde asked as he mimicked her actions and pulled up a cowl over their heads to mask their identity.

"He needs it today, and he has meetings with the other teachers about Black so he can't exactly sneak out of the castle." She placed her wand to her throat, and then Draco's, glamouring their voices to sound older and not as high pitched.

"What's so special about it?" The nosey boy asked as he took the innocuous looking leather bound book out of her hands as they exit into the sunlight in front of Honeydukes. "It's just another potions book."

"It is for the Dark Lord, Draco." She told him, and he immediately held it back out to her as they avoided the people they knew, knowing they shouldn't be seen together.

They were quiet, and Hermione had a suspicion that Draco wanted to ask something, "Out with it now, we don't have all day."

"How come Severus tells you so much?"

She looked at him, and only saw simple curiosity, "He has to talk to someone, Draco. Someone who won't judge him for doing the things he has to do." That's all she would tell him without going into detail about how she herself felt about the dark man.

He studied her face, then nodded in assent.

She changed the subject, "Has the Board of Governors decided about what to do with Buckbeak?"

Hagrid had been beside himself when he had told them the hippogriff was being put on trial after he had scratched Draco that day in class.

He grimaced, "I forgot to tell you, they are going to make an example of him. To teach Hagrid a lesson about bringing his little 'pets' for the classes to see."

"Oh," Hermione felt bad now. She didn't much feel bad about people being executed, but she didn't think animals deserve to be killed just because they were provoked into doing something by a stupid.

She slapped the back of her friend's head.

"Ow!"

"You're an idiot."

~.O.~

"Just as there are two sides to every story, there are two sides to every person. One that we reveal to the woman's another we keep hidden inside."

"Hermione.." someone was shaking her out of her warm dreams, "Hermione… Girl..."

"Severus," she whined, batting at his hand.

She heard him sigh, and then her head was lifted and he slid his legs underneath her to cushion her head, his fingers carding through her curls. She was taking on too much he had seen since the first month of school. Her face had thinned out even more than it already was, giving way to shadows underneath her glittering eyes, and her curls had seemed to become even more unruly with her lack of sleep.

He smiled down at her as she rubbed her eyes with her fists like a little kid would do, and his heart squeezed.

They had only known each other for three years, and in that three years, this little girl had brought back so much light into his life that he hadn't thought was possible since Lily had disowned him as a friend. She had brought laughter back into the house that had never known it, and made him feel as if he was the center of her universe.

She smiled up at him, and his heart thumped as her little fingers reached up and rubbed his stubbly jaw. Although most wizards preferred to shave with magic, he kept to his muggle roots and shaved with his father's old blade as wand- shaving didn't shave the shaft of the hair close enough for his tastes. She seemed to like it at the end of the day when it shadowed his jaw.

"That old fool shouldn't have given you that time turner in your third year," she snuggled up and nuzzled her face into his stomach. She had always been such a physically affectionate child, and it didn't seem as if she would grow out of it. Though, he couldn't say he minded one bit.

"I would have done it eventually though anyway, might as well be now. I'm still taking the same classes I would take next year, anyway. Besides, it's almost over." She blinked tiredly up at him, sitting up on his lap and wrapped her arms around her neck. "You look how I feel." He sat underneath her in his white wrinkled dress shirt halfway unbuttoned, bare feet touching the carpet Hermione had insisted on covering the cold floor with to make it more homey.

"You look how you feel," he wrapped his arms around her small frame, talking into her hair.

"What were you doing? You've been working for hours." She mumbled into his neck, starting to doze off once more. "Did the book help?"

"Yes, girl. I found the answer." He pulls back slightly and kisses the side of her head. "Your book helped immensely."

"What answer?"

"I found the potion that will bring back the Dark Lord's health."

Her eyes snapped open, and she pulled back. Looking at him astonished, but her thoughts turned confused at the look on his face. Cocking her head to the side in question.

"You're not going to like it."

~.O.~

Hagrid looked horrible. He did not cry, nor throw himself down on our necks, but he did look like a man who didn't know where he was, or what to do. Hermione felt tears brim in her eyes as she threw herself at him, breathing in the musty smell of his coat.

"I'm sorry, Hagrid," she choked out, knowing that if Crooks was about to be killed she would be crying non- stop and refuse to come out of her room.

He patted her back as she pulled away and wiped away the stray tears that had fallen, "I know, 'Ermione. Thanks for yer help with the case."

She set about making tea for the boys, trying to calm herself as she was, she shrieked so suddenly as she dropped the milk jug, the others jumped at the unexpected sound.

"'Mione?" Harry asked, but then saw the source of her surprise trying to scurry across the floor.

Hermione quickly caught the shifty rat by his bald tail and dropped him into Ron's hands. He grabbed the struggling thing and held him up to the light; thinner than ever, large tufts of hair had fallen out leaving wide bald patches, and he writhed as though desperate to free himself.

"He looks pretty good for a dead rat," she told him turning from where he looked up at her and opened his mouth, but she didn't want to hear it. Then she heard voices outside and went to the window, "They're here."

Watching the Minister, Headmaster, and the executioner, Mcnair, trudge down the hill towards Hagrid's hut and past the pumpkin patch where they crouched behind, Hermione felt and anger in her chest as she saw Dumbledore's silvery beard shining in the dying sun. He was revered as one of the most powerful wizards of the century, yet he couldn't help save a simple hippogriff.

Or it benefits him none to see Hagrid happy and a single beast alive and roaming around the castle grounds.

The boys started making their way around the patch as soon as the wooden door closed, but when they saw Hermione still crouched down, they paused.

"Hermione, hurry up!" They whispered furiously at her, beckoning her to hurry up the hill before the adults saw they were out of the castle this close to dark. "They're going to see us!"

She made a split second decision, "Harry, give me your cloak!"

He knew not to argue with her, knowing the others would be coming out at any moment, and handed over the invisibility cloak they had used to get out of the castle.

"Be careful," he told her right before they hauled up the hill and her body became invisible to the naked eye.

Going up to Buckbeak, she ran a hand over the soft feathers situated between his big orange eyes, and whispered to him as she untied his rope. Lowering the hood of the cloak just enough for him to see it was her, she hoped the little bit of cat in her from the polyjuice last year prompted him enough to trust her without attacking like he did Draco.

"Come on, Beaky," she whispered, picking up the ferrets Hagrid must have been eating to lure him into the woods where she could tie him to a tree so he wouldn't wonder off.

"That's a good boy," she stroked him once more as he bowed down on his knees, munching on his snacks. "I'll be back to get you later."

Running back up the the sloping hill, she saw Ron running after Pettigrew, who had jumped out of his arms, and end up under the Whomping Willow right as a dark shadow emerges from the forest shadows, and streaks toward him. Hermione's heart skips a beat as she yanks back the hood of the cloak and yells at the same time as Harry…

"Ron!"

But it was too late.

Sirius, in his animagus form of a dog, dragged the boy who got on her last nerve, but still loved, under the willow tree by the arm and down the hole that lead into the Shrieking Shack. Harry, the other boy she loved like a brother, stayed true to his savior aspect personality and followed them down the hole while the tree tried to bat at him.

"Stupids, idiot, complete bloody idiots," Hermione muttered, conjuring a patronus to send to Severus and bring him to where she knew the tunnel ended up. "Always getting into these situations."

Crookshanks pressed the knot of the trunk to freeze it, and she entered the very dark tunnel after him that seemed to go on for ages until it rose and twisted with dim light at the end a short way in front of her. Coming out into a very disordered and dusty room that had the paper peeling from it's scratched walls. There were stains all over the floor, and had boarded up windows. It looked as if a spell had been cast onto it to repair the worst of the damage, but there was only so much magic could do, and Hermione was surprised it looked this way after so many years. Based on the mended and torn wallpaper, this had to be the place Remus changed during the full moons. Such as tonight.

"Bloody hell," Hermione whispered, knowing they had to get out of here fast, but also knew they weren't that lucky.

Quietly as she could, she crept up the stairs, following the shiny stripe in the heavily dust coated floor and the footprints. Crookshanks stayed by her feet, meowing up at her as they heard a yell that sounded suspiciously like Harry's, and then another followed by a thud and Ron yelling.

Entering the room, she found a strange sight indeed. One that would have made her laugh if it had been in any other situation: Ron stood over a wrestling Harry and Sirius, one hand trying to grasp at his friend's shoulder, the other wounded one dripping blood onto the floor while still managing to hold onto his rat. Crookshanks had decided to join the fray and was clawing at Black's face and chest, getting Harry at some point and marking him across the side of his neck.

The redhead saw her first and yelled, "'Mione! Do something! They're trying to kill each other!" Then his eyes shifted to the people she had smelled coming up the stairs behind her, and his eyes flooded with relief. And then distaste.

Remus had pushed her aside with his wand drawn, sending the two fighting men flying in opposite directions, and Severus moved to stand between her and the side of the room Sirius had landed on. No matter how small it was, he was going to be between them no matter what.

Remus went to help Sirius up as Ron went to Harry, and Hermione got a good look at him, feeling a moment of sympathy for his wasted years in Azkaban, but then remembered he could have gotten Severus killed all those years ago with a stupid prank. His mass of filthy, matted, hair as long as her own hung limply down to his waist, and if his eyes hadn't been blinking in their sockets, she would have mistaken him for a vampire. His pale waxy skin stretched over his bones like paper, his veins showing through under his many tattoos as the poor light highlighted the darkness that was already there.

"Where is he, Sirius?" Remus asked, bewildering anyone who had no clue as to what he was after. Mainly the boys who blinked at Sirius' expressionless face as he pointed to Ron, who still held onto the struggling vermin that was Peter Pettigrew.

"Professor Lupin," Harry spoke up, looking shiftily to a now twitchy Sirius, "What's going on? Why are you defending him? You know what he did to my parents!" He still looked as if he would lunge at him, but saw the angry cat in the middle of them who had been thrown aside as well as they did.

Remus was showing the signs of the closeness of the full moon quite clearly now. "He didn't kill your parents Harry. Peter Pettigrew did."

Harry grew pale at the name, and now looked uncertain, "You're lying. You said he died."

"I was wrong." Remus nodded to Ron who now had a lump in his robes from where Scabbers now lay, his wand hand giving a little twitch, "He turned himself into the Weasley family rat while gaining information to use once he made his way back to the Dark Lord. Give it to us and we will show you"

The silence was an entity of it's own, only broken by Ron's protest.

"You're both mental."

And then a hiss and ripping fabric as Crookshanks followed his mistress' nod and clawed at Ron's ragged robes and caught the rodent in his teeth.

"Hermione!" Ron yelled at her, trying to get to his pet as Harry held him back with doubt written on his face, "Let him go! I'm going to kill that bloody cat!"

"Ron!" Harry screamed at him, "Let them do it!" Ron stopped struggling, now looking at Harry as if he had lost a few marbles of his own.

"Calm down, Ron," Hermione told him, just as Pettigrew turned around in her familiar's jaws and raked his tiny claws across the face making him yowl in pain. Remus went to grab him.

Spells and colors bounced off in a line behind his tiny scurrying and abused body, and Hermione went to a bleeding Crooks. Severus following beside her, making sure nothing hit her small body.

"My poor baby," she cooed as she picked him up right at the time one of the men's charms' hit Pettigrew and made his small rat body twist madly. His head sprouting from the little body, limbs elongating, and in the next moment, a short man not much taller than Hermione stood wringing his hands where Scabbers once stood.

Ron whimpered.

Sirius Black gave a yell of "He's mine!" that was followed by Professor Lupin screaming at him, and a tense Severus was knocked aside by the tattooed man as the two other boys cowered and ran to their friend who stood behind their hated professor. Once again, the grown men forgot they were wizards and tried to settle things with violence like typical men, so Hermione took it into her own hands to render the cowering man unconscious.

Man and boy alike turned to the girl in their midst, who mimicked the orange glare the familiar in her arms was given them.

"You're all infected with stupid," she told them all, excluding Severus of course who had not said a word since entering the Shack. "Bind him up before he wakes up." She shook her head, following behind Severus as he went to the stairs, "Wizards."

A/N: Reviews! Reviews! Reviews! XOXO