Author's Note: I was rereading this, and I noticed that I kept on saying, "Oh my gods"- well, that's because I'm reading Percy Jackson. Don't mind that. I don't really talk about what type of shoes Hermione wears, because I'm terrible at matching shoes with clothes. Sorry. Hermione's costume is now the story picture. That's sort of what I imagined in my head, I guess. Close enough.

-GinnyBond321

Previous Chapter

"Can I ask who it was?" he murmured.

"No," Hermione mumbled. "But you know her."

Sirius' head shot up. "Who?" he said in a slightly demanding voice.

"Can't say. She didn't do it yet."

"Wait- what?"

"Nothing," Hermione said, standing up.

"Get some sleep, Sirius. Big Quidditch match tomorrow. If you lose, I will knock you out with my hex."

"Hey! But- Wait!" he cried after her, but Hermione had already made her way up the stairs to the dormitory.

Hermione sat at the Gryffindor table, not eating anything. She saw Sirius walk in with in his Quidditch robes, and her heart fluttered. She raced up to him, grabbed him by the hand and yanked him to the table.

"Geez, Herman!" Sirius yelled.

"I'm just nervous!" Hermione cried.

"You're not even playing," Sirius said in an amused voice, and taking a large amount of bacon.

"But I'm watching, aren't I?" Hermione fretted.

"You should eat something," he suggested lightly.

"I don't want it."

"C'mon! Even if we don't win, which we will, we still have Hogsmeade to look forward to."

"I know. Take a shower before we go, because I'm not going with anyone that smells like a pigsty."

"Hey!" Sirius exclaimed, and Hermione laughed.

"I'm not kidding."

"Hmph," Sirius grumbled.

Ten minutes later, they all were walking down to the Quidditch field. Hermione walked next to Sirius, who was strapping on his Quidditch goggles.

"Good luck," she murmured as he walked off towards the different entrance, the one for the actual players Hermione saw Harry disappear into so many times before.

"Thanks," he said confidently. Hermione was walking off before she heard footsteps behind her.

"Hermione!" it was Lily and Cassandra. Hermione smiled.

"Let's go find some seats," Cassandra said brightly. Hermione nodded.

"You know," Lily said, "I was never the girly-girl, but I must admit that we need to get together at Hogsmeade."

Hermione groaned. "Madam Rosmerta already got me all of these embarrassing clothes! She even got me a bathing suit, and it's a bikini!"

"Why, you don't like bikinis?" Cassandra asked. Hermione shook her head.

"I've never wore one," she admitted.

"Then you wouldn't know, would you?" Cassandra said, smiling.

"Besides, we're going shopping for a Halloween costume!"

"What?" Hermione asked, confused.

"Potter actually throws pretty good Halloween parties," Lily said. "We need costumes."

"Well- I guess it can't hurt. Nothing too-" Hermione said.

"-I know. Nothing too slutty," Lily said, laughing. "I agree."

"You know what, Lily? You should give James a chance," Hermione said. She wasn't the one to play matchmaker, but if they were going to end up together anyways, she might as well give her a little push. Lily groaned.

"Not you, too!" she cried as Cassandra laughed.

"Aw, come on! I thought Sirius was terrible, but now look what's happened!"

"Yeah, Lily!" Cassandra chirped. "It'll be so sweet!"

"No!" Lily said.

"Just talk to him!" Hermione insisted.

"Fine. But when Black goes into Zonko's, which he will, and he'll be there for an hour and a half at least, you're going with us!" Lily shot back.

"Alright!" Hermione said. They were climbing up the steps to the seats, and they took the ones in the front.

"Gods, I'm so nervous," Hermione whined.

"It's going to be just fine," Lily said.

"We've seen Black play for years, Hermione," Cassandra said. "He's really good. We're- I mean, Gryffindor- is going to win."

"I'm still nervous!" Hermione said. "I can't help it!"

Hermione cheered as the Gryffindor team walked out on the field. Sirius waved at Hermione. The Slytherin team came out, and Hermione was tempted to boo with the other Gryffindors, but thought the better of it. James and the Slytherin captain shook hands, and they kicked off.

"Oh, my gods. Oh, my gods," Hermione muttered.

"Stop fretting!" Cassandra said.

"Do the bludgers ever hit the crowd?" Hermione asked. She wouldn't be surprised, with Sirius.

"Only twice."

"All by Sirius?"

"Yep."

Hermione gulped. Sirius slashed at a bludger wickedly so that it hit the Slytherin chaser's head, making him drop the quaffle. Andrew Rush, a Gryffindor chaser, zoomed under him and grabbed it. He twisted in and out of various people, and he launched it at the Slytherin goal posts. Hermione got to her feet as the keeper missed it by a long shot. James was hovering twenty feet above, squinting his eyes to see the snitch. It was so weird that Harry would do the same thing in less than twenty years.

Hermione gasped as Sirius hit a bludger so hard at a Slytherin chaser he almost flew off his broom. The bludger twisted around, and headed for the sky.

"Wow, he hits hard," Hermione muttered. Cassandra nodded.

"One of the bludgers caught me in the nose, once," she commented. Hermione made a face.

"Were you alright?"

"Of course. It was Sirius' fault, though."

Hermione snorted. "Of course."

Hermione saw it a half-second before James did- a gold glint feet away from her, zipping up and down like a fly. Suddenly, James was racing towards Hermione, Cassandra, and Lily at top speed, hand outstretched towards the snitch. James grasped the snitch, and he turned so quickly that Hermione screamed a bit. She stood up to cheer along with the rest of the Gryffindors, and most of the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. Hermione watched as Sirius and the rest of the Gryffindor team slammed into James in the air. Hermione and Lily (Well, Hermione dragged her along) raced out to the Quidditch field. As soon as they touched down, Hermione launched herself into Sirius' arms. Sirius was so surprised that he fell over backwards, and Hermione was lying on top of him. Sirius' eyes bored into Hermione's, and he eagerly leaned forward. Hermione placed a finger on his lips, shaking her head.

"Not even first date," she murmured.

"Hey! But he was a creeper!" Sirius complained. "I'm an exception!"

"Stop being such a whiner. Come on, you little hypocrite," Hermione laughed, getting off of Sirius and pulling him up with her.

"Bad luck, Padfoot," James grinned at him as he got up.

"Shut up," Sirius grumbled.

"Come on, guys! We won! Sirius, get showered. You stink like a dog-" Hermione giggled, "-And we're going to Hogsmeade right away. Hurry!" Hermione said, pushing him. Sirius grinned.

"Fine. But I'm going to Zonko's first."

"Good. Lily, Cassandra, and I are going to go shop for some torture device they want me to wear."

"Halloween costume!" Lily interrupted.

Hermione nudged Lily, and nodded her head at James. Lily huffed and turned her back to a grinning James.

"You promised!" Hermione said.

"Later!" Lily said, and started to walk away. Hermione smiled at James.

"I'm trying to get her to talk to you-" Hermione started.

"Really? You did? When? Where? Will she? Right now? Hogsmeade?" James went on like an over-excited puppy.

"Yes!" Hermione exclaimed, laughing.

"Thanks, Herman!" James exclaimed, hugging her so tightly that Hermione had to take a step back to regain her balance.

"Okay, Prongs, back off," Sirius said lightly, nudging him.

"Aw. Jealousy!" Cassandra said in a sing-song voice, coming down to meet them. Sirius was about to say something, but Hermione cut in.

"Go shower, you! Or I'll hex you!"

"Such a calm, forgiving girl," Sirius said sarcastically, but heading to the showers.

Cassandra dragged Hermione along. "Where are we going?" Hermione asked.

"Divination classroom. I forgot my book there," she said. Hermione nodded, she understood her perfectly.

Ten minutes later, they were up in the hot, circular Divination tower. Hermione closed the trap door behind them. The divination teacher, Professor Periwinkle, was sitting in her chair, back faced towards them.

"Professor-" Cassandra started, but was cut off. The teacher was muttering to herself, and scrawling on her parchment.

"Today, an invasion... South of Hogwarts... Servants of the Dark Lord... Muggle-borns beware... Though not evil... But so much more... Best be wise... Won't be fair," she said, copying what she said on her parchment. Hermione realized that she was gazing into her crystal ball.

"Er-" Hermione started, but Cassandra heard none of this, for she was too busy looking for her book.

"Found it!" she cried. "Thanks, Professor!" Cassandra said as she dragged Hermione out.

"Er... Are Professor Periwinkle's predictions usually correct?" Hermione asked, knowing that her previous Divination teacher was almost the complete opposite.

"Usually? Please. Not a single one of her predictions have ever been wrong," Cassandra said with a strange sense of pride in her voice. "She came all the way from France to teach here."

Hermione nodded, not sure whether to tell Cassandra about what she heard. Hermione decided that she better not, because if she held the whole school from going to Hogsmeade on a false alarm, not only would she be in trouble, but even more people would have a reason to hate her.

Hermione stepped into her dormitory, quickly changing into jeans and her newly restored lilac-colored shirt. She skipped down to the common room, planning to wait for Sirius, but he was already there.

"You shower quickly," Hermione noted.

"I'm not a girl," Sirius added.

"Well, you seem to praise your hair."

"I do."

"Then how so you get it so shiny in five minutes?"

"Effing magic."

"Of course. Let's go."

"Can I show you around before you leave?" Sirius asked politely. Hermione remembered that this was supposed to be her first time at Hogsmeade.

"I know where everything is, thanks," Hermione said. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Of course," he muttered.

"I know. Let's go, Siri."

"After you, Herman." Sirius slung an arm over Hermione's shoulders as they walked out.

...oOo...

"Took you long enough!" Lily said as Hermione approached them at the entrance at Witch's Dresses and Fun Costumes, a store that Hermione had never once stepped foot into.

"Sorry," Hermione said. "Sirius and I-"

"-Were snogging?" Cassandra finished hopefully. Hermione shook her head, and Cassandra went, "Hmph!"

"No, Cass. We just took a long time to walk."

"Whatever. Come on!" Cassandra said with excitement as she pulled Hermione into the store.

Hermione looked around. They were in an enormous shop with racks and racks of costumes in the very back, and thousands of displays of dresses in the front. A long, black gown caught Hermione's eye, but Cassandra and Lily dragged Hermione to the back.

"What do you want to be? A healer? Professor? Sexy Professor?" Cassandra asked, eyeing a specific costume.

"No. No, gods no. How could such a innocent Ravenclaw drag me into this?"

"Every girl has this little sassy bitch in them. Every once in a while, I decide to let her out," Cassandra said, racking through a new area. Lily was looking at some Healer costumes. Hermione had no idea what to wear. Then, a brilliant idea hit her.

"Greek goddesses!" she cried. Lily and Cassandra looked at her in confusion.

"What?" Lily said, but Cassandra caught on.

"Great idea! I call Athena!"

"Lily, you should be Artemis!" Hermione said. "We just need to find you a silver bow and arrow..."

"Hermione- you should be Aphrodite!" Cassandra squealed. Lily looked at them.

"I have no idea what you two are talking about."

"Me? I don't know..."

"Come on! It's right over there!" Cassandra pulled Hermione over to a rack. Hermione glanced at the tag.

"It says Venus."

"Roman, Greek, whatever. Still technically the same goddess."

Hermione took the dress out.

"Wow," she murmured. It was a white dress, but starting at where the thighs would be, the white cloth faded into red. There was a low v-neck, and the v-neck had red lace around the edges. Two pieces of cloth traced down the arms like wings. It wasn't quite sleeves, but it was beautiful all the same. Hermione wasn't quite sure how to explain it. There were high heels that looked like they were made of glass, like Cinderella. The dress was long enough to cover to shoes, so Hermione wouldn't have to necessarily wear them. They didn't seem like they would go well together, but surprisingly, they did. There was also a gold headband, that wasn't a headband that was in the head, but around the forehead; like those exercise headbands, but made of gold and had a large golden flower on it.

"It's beautiful," Hermione breathed. Cassandra nodded.

"It was made for you. Buy it. I found this-" Cassandra said, yanking out a long, sparkly-grey dress. It was sleeveless, and when Hermione leaned in, she realized the sparkles were actually microscopic owls made of silver. It sounded really, really weird in her head, but it was very pretty. Cassandra also took out a mid-thigh silver dress, with a silvery rope tied around the waist. It had sleeves to the mid-forearm, and there was a silver bracelet included. It was complete with silver sandals with laces, and a normal silver head-band.

"So much silver," Hermione muttered.

"But it's so pretty," Lily squealed.

"I didn't know you were capable of squealing," Hermione said, nodding.

"Let's pay."

Ten minutes later, they were out of the shop. They had decided to go visit The Three Broomsticks before going off to find Sirius, Hermione's actual date. Lily and Cassandra took a shortcut through an alley, Hermione just behind them (She had dropped her bag, and had to make sure her costume was still alright). Hermione ducked through the alley, and she dropped her bag.

Two men in black robes and skull masks held Cassandra and Lily, one hand over their mouths, and the other holding a wand to their heads. Lily and Cassandra eyes were very wide, and they were inward screaming. Hermione gulped, for there was a third coming for her. Hermione yanked her wand out of her pocket, and made an angry swish through the air. The death eater blocked it, but only just. He hit Hermione with a disarming spell, and the wand flew out of her hand.

"Pathetic," he spat. "Stupid children. You said that Professors would be taking this shortcut!" the death eater screamed at the one holding Lily.

"They were supposed to!" he roared back.

"Whatever! Let's get rid of these, first. Crucio!" he said at Hermione. Hermione fell to the ground, screaming. Pain shot through her entire body, making her want to die, to get away- it felt like fire was rushing through her veins, or if her blood cells had spikes on them and were poking holes through her veins.

"Hmmmmmppppphhhh!" Lily and Cassandra cried.

Hermione was still on the cold concrete ground, breathing heavily. Then, it came again- the pain so unbearable that Hermione started to imagine Bellatrix above her, casting the curse.

Hermione was screaming for all she was worth, but it was no use- the death eaters didn't cast a single sound spell, yet nobody heard.

"Crucio!" the death eater said again. As Hermione squirmed in unbearable pain again, she let out a final cry for help.

"SIRIUS!" she screamed. "SIRIUS!"

Nothing. The death eater laughed.

"Don't yell, silly girl! Nobody can hear you!"

"Stop playing, Dalton! Just kill her off already!"

"Crucio!" the man named Dalton roared again, ignoring the other. Hermione's eyesight was fading, and she was losing the feeling of her limbs. In the darkness, she heard a final voice.

"Hermione?" a obviously worried person said.

"SIRIUS!" Hermione screamed again, desperate. She was about to tell him to get away, to run and get help, but she didn't have the energy. The death eater cursed. Hermione tried to breath, while still lying on the ground. She closed her eyes, accepting her fate.

"Crucio!" Dalton yelled once again, just when Hermione could see Sirius' shape step into view. Sirius dropped a very large bag of Zonko's stuff on the ground.

"Hermione," he whispered. "HERMIONE!" he roared, launching himself at Dalton. Hermione could feel the tears pouring down her face as she passed out.