ICYMI: I posted a chapter on Wednesday, so if you haven't read that yet, you might want to!

And a huge thank you to I was BOTWP for catching an error so I could fix it! Amos has now been replaced with Boris (his younger brother). Otherwise I would've created an oops with Cedric. Thanks again, love!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 12: Dirty Deeds

"Come right in, forget about him.

We'll have ourselves a ball; dirty deeds, done dirt cheap."

Dirty Deeds – AC/DC

4 December 1977 – Hogsmeade Village

"Things are much different this year," Lily commented, picking up a bar of chocolate and tucking it in her basket. Her eyebrows drew together as she studied a sugar quill, "I mean, we graduate next year and we've both got boyfriends."

Hermione shook her head, grabbing a few bars of chocolate for Remus' Christmas present, "We can't put our lives on hold-"

"The war is going to be bad," the redhead whispered, her green eyes filling with fear, "The Prophet has been reporting the…disappearances often enough and Professor Dumbledore seems worried. James is talking about joining the Order."

She perked up, playing dumb, "The Order?"

"Professor Dumbledore has a group of people that fight for the Light. It's called the Order of the Phoenix. You have to be graduated and of age to join…I think I'll join with James after graduation." She shook her head, giving a small smile, "I'm just a Muggle-born, but I want to help win this war. Our kids deserve to have a safe childhood; not one riddled with fear."

Hermione's heart wanted to break. Her childhood was practically centered around Lord Voldemort and trying to keep her best friend alive. As soon as she entered the wizarding world, her childhood was over. She was a Muggle-born and much too smart for her own good; sometimes, she wished that the first war was the only war.

She cleared her throat, fishing through her bag for her money pouch, "Sirius hasn't mentioned anything to me. I think he wants me to stay safe…but I need to know these things. The war isn't going to go away on its own and I want to fight, too."

"He's protective of you, Mia," Lily shrugged, getting her own money out, "When you were in the Hospital Wing last year, I thought he was going to kill Dolohov. I've never seen him that angry." She laughed, "Let's keep him out of Azkaban, yeah?"

Hermione swallowed harshly, "Yeah."

"I'm joining," Sirius said firmly, looking across the common room table at James and Remus, "Right after graduation, before the Auror program."

They had sent the girls off to Hogsmeade an hour before, insisting they have some girl time before the winter hols. Sirius was hesitant to let Mia off by herself, but Lily would be with her and James vouched for his girlfriend's defense skills.

Remus looked up from the teacup in his hand and sighed, "I'll be joining as well. I can't allow my best mates to risk their lives without me, after all. But Mia…she needs to know, too."

"No. That's out of the question," Sirius nearly growled, his grey eyes turning darker. The thought of his girl in danger made him sick. "I can't have her risking her life. She'll get a good job and I'll have my Auror training as cover. I…I need to keep her safe."

James shook his head, "She won't go for that. She's more independent than Lily is and she almost had a heart attack when I told her that I was thinking of joining! Mia needs to know, the sooner the better. Otherwise, you'll have a very angry witch on your hands when she finds out."

"I agree with James," Remus nodded, turning his eyes back to Sirius, "She'll find out eventually if you don't tell her. She's too smart for her own good and she needs to know what she's up against."

"How much does she know about everything with You-Know-Who?" James asked, adjusting his glasses.

The werewolf shrugged, picking up Archie when he wandered next to the couch, "We don't talk about it much at home seeing as my mum's a Muggle. My dad and I don't want her worrying too much, but Mia's bound to know more than we tell her."

"She's in the library enough…and she's friends with Snape," James said in disgust, "He's got to be one of them, I just know it! He's a slimy snake. I'd bet my arse that Dolohov's joined up, too."

Sirius bristled at the mention of the dark wizard, "Do you reckon I could get Mia to sit out the next game? I don't want her playing with that bastard and Macnair."

James and Remus both chuckled and chorused, "Good luck."

10 December 1977 – Hogwarts – Quidditch Pitch

"Shouldn't they cancel the game?" Boris asked, looking at the dark sky apprehensively.

The weather was awful. It had been raining on and off for the past few days, but the game was still set to go as normal. The teams had been outfitted with extra jackets and goggles, but Hermione was nervous. She'd never played during a storm and it wasn't helping that Sirius had been hovering over her more than usual that morning. He had even asked her to sit the game out! Of course, she had refused. It was the first game for the Ravenclaws and she wouldn't let down her team.

She peered out the opening of the team stand and grimaced. The rain was coming down so hard that she couldn't even see the stands less than fifty feet from her.

Diggle shrugged, "Catch the Snitch as fast as you can so this can all be over. I don't like flying in the rain either, but Slughorn says it safe enough and obviously Hooch agrees."

The petite witch shuddered, the cold biting through her jersey. She mounted her broom and kicked off, following her team around the pitch before hovering around Madam Hooch. She couldn't hear what the woman said before the balls were released and she was chasing after the Quaffle. It was different to fly without a sense of hearing; she was constantly worried that a Bludger would sneak up and take her out.

Looking around the pitch, she could make out Regulus' lithe form circling for the Snitch, closely followed by Boris. Macnair was hovering around the goal posts, waiting for Tennant and Lewis to make a move, but she couldn't find Dolohov. She knew that she shouldn't be too worried about not having eyes on him, but her stomach twisted uncomfortably.

"Lupin! Get in the game!" Lewis shouted, tossing the Quaffle to her and dodging out of sight.

Hermione fumbled slightly, but regained her balance as she flew towards the Slytherin Keeper. Macnair was suddenly on her tail and she had to weave around the stands to shake him, but he wasn't having it. It didn't take long for the wizard to get next to her and bash her shoulder. She scrambled to hold onto her broom, nearly dropping the Quaffle, but she held tight and regained her balance and stayed on track.

"Give it up, little girl!" Macnair yelled, bashing into her once more, nearly causing her to fly into the stands. He grinned lecherously at her, "You're going to fall off your broom whether you like it or not."

Not giving him a second thought, Hermione dove downwards and away from him, coming up and throwing the Quaffle through the left ring without much trouble.

"LUPIN SCORES! THIRTY TO TEN, RAVENCLAW!"

She mentally – and physically – shook herself, trying to regain her calmness. Macnair had the Quaffle and she watched as Lewis tore after him, her blonde hair whipping behind her. Tennant was somewhere above her and she could see Regulus and Boris scouring the Pitch.

The game needed to be over and flash of gold she saw by the Gryffindor stands gave her a bit of hope. Ignoring that she wasn't a Seeker – though she did technically catch the Snitch in her first game – she raced towards the gold ball. She could see Sirius at the front of the stand sporting Ravenclaw colours and she couldn't help but smile.

"GO, BABY! YOU'VE GOT THIS!" He yelled as she soared over his head and towards the Snitch.

Looking over her shoulder, she saw a Slytherin jersey behind her and thought it was Regulus. Feinting left, she went right and dove after the Snitch before it flew upwards. Groaning internally, she flew after it, up towards the clouds and – regrettably – the lightening.

Feeling a tug on her broom, she looked behind her and paled. It wasn't Regulus that had followed her up, but Dolohov. He had a tight hold of her broom and was pulling on it incessantly. They had come to a stop in the sky, high above the pitch, and she was nervous. She didn't have her wand on her and she wasn't much of a threat without it.

Dolohov saddled up next to her and yelled over the weather, "You've got no where to go now!"

Hermione's eyes widened in fear as he grabbed her, shaking her slightly and making her broom fall from beneath her. Without having much of an option, she clambered to hold onto him, desperate to keep herself from falling.

His arm wound around her waist and pulled her onto his broom. His face went to her neck and she resisted the urge to flinch as he whispered, "I knew I'd get you on my broom eventually."

The broom was dipping under their combined weight and she started whimpering, trying to think of a way out of it as soon as possible. It was a long shot, but if she let go of him – and that was a big if, she was still terrified of falling to her death, after all – she might be able to reach her broom before it reached the ground. She sighed, knowing that was truly her only option because if she stayed on his broom, they'd both fall in this weather.

She pulled back and pushed herself away from him hard, feeling him scramble for her as she fell backwards.

"MIA!" He screamed, just missing the front of her jersey as she fell.

She turned in the air and nosedived downwards, seeing the tail end of her broom. She had to move a little faster to get to it, but she could do it. She rode a dragon for Merlin's sake!

Hermione's hand reached out and she felt the bristles of her broom. Folding her body closer together, she gained speed just as the stands were coming into view. She was only about one hundred and fifty feet from the ground now and she was falling faster. Hearing her name screamed from the crowd, she knew that Sirius must've seen her. Pushing herself a little harder, she grabbed the stick of the broom and forced it under her, her legs wrapping around the wood and causing her plummet to abruptly stop.

"DIGGORY HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH! RAVENCLAW WINS!"

She didn't stick around to congratulate the new Seeker. Instead, she flew towards the Gryffindor stands and landed unsteadily in front of her boyfriend, dropping her broom in a hurry and wrapping her arms around Sirius' waist. As happy as she was to conquer her fear of falling, she was even happier to be alive. She had been taking a gamble by trying to beat her broom to the ground, but she had done it.

"What the fuck were you doing?" Sirius growled into her curls, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and pulling her close against him.

She hiccupped, not even realizing she was crying. "The storm. I lost control of the broom," she lied. She couldn't tell him about Dolohov; she'd never be able to play Quidditch again.

She was shaking so hard from the cold and adrenaline that she almost didn't notice that her friends surrounded her. James, Lily, and Remus had enveloped her in a hug as she sniffled against Sirius' chest.

"Don't you ever do that again," he warned, squeezing her tight as the others murmured their agreement.

12 December 1977 – Hogwarts – Library

Hermione wanted to bash the transfiguration book against her skull repeatedly. She had already explained to Peter the workings of one of the spells that was supposed to be on their finals and he still didn't understand.

"I just don't understand how one thing can become another-"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Hermione hissed, watching the boy shrink back from her as her hair crackled, "You're a bloody animagus and you don't understand how one thing can become another? Honestly, how did you make it past first year if you can't grasp the basic principle of transfiguration?"

"Mia-"

"Don't you 'Mia' me, Peter Pettigrew!"

Sirius stifled his laughter while James and Remus shook with silent chuckles. They had been watching her try to beat the concept into their friend's psyche for the past two hours. It was no secret that Peter wasn't the smartest, but, as Hermione had pointed out, it was the principle from the first class – and Peter was a seventh-year.

"Maybe you should take a break, Pete," James suggested, shaking off his laughter and looking at his friend in concern, "Mia's tried really hard to explain it…maybe you'd be better off with another tutor."

The brunet shook his head, his beady eyes going back to hers, "I'm sure if you explain it one more time-"

"I've explained it more times than I care to count!" She whisper-yelled. Taking a deep breath, she sat back and tried to calm herself, "Perhaps, James is right. I can set you up with another tutor. You obviously aren't learning anything from me."

Peter nodded sullenly and they went back about their work. Remus was always the quietest; he hardly had any questions for Hermione except when it came to Ancient Runes. James asked her questions more freely, even if it was just to double-check his own work. But Sirius didn't truly need her help. He'd ask her questions he already knew the answers to and sometimes he would help James, but it was clear that he was there just to spend time with her.

James looked up from his potions book and made a face, "Why would we want to use Boomslang skin for a potion? Isn't it hard to find?"

"It's from a snake that's native to sub-Saharan Africa," Hermione answered, copying down notes from the Runes book in front of her. "It's not used very often and it can be hard to find, but its main use is the Polyjuice Potion."

The spectacled wizard scratched his head, "That's the one that helps you change appearances, right?"

She looked up and sighed, "And you expect to pass the Auror training how? Aurors deal with Polyjuice Potion all the time…you've got to be able to look out for it. Especially in times like these."

Sirius stiffened at her words, wondering how much she truly knew. He'd yet to have a conversation with her about the Order or anything of the sort, but after the scare during the Quidditch game, he wanted to protect her as much as possible.

"I suppose," James mumbled, leafing through his book to the section on Polyjuice Potion and taking vigorous notes.

They fell silent for the next hour, each of them working quietly without help. Hermione used the time to look around her and observe. Sirius had been tense since her visit to Hogsmeade with Lily and it was starting to bother her. They hadn't had much in way of alone time and she was hoping that would change during the holidays. Sirius was heading back to the Lupins' Cottage with her and Remus while James was heading to Lily's home in Muggle home in Cokeworth. Hermione had spent time with him to try and help him get used to the Muggle way of things – he had absolutely no idea what a car was and was fascinated by it – and he seemed to be adapting relatively well.

"I think I'm going to call it a night," James said, ruffling his already messy black hair as he stretched. Waving his wand, he sent the potions book he had been reading off to its rightful spot before he began packing up his bag.

Remus looked up and yawned. "I think I'll head back to the common room as well…" he said, grabbing his bag and tucking his book under his arm as he stood. His brows furrowed, "It's not after curfew yet, is it?"

"Still have another twenty minutes," Sirius answered, marking his place in his book before closing it. He looked at Peter and sighed, noticing he had fallen asleep, "You might want to wake him up before he drools all over the books."

James nodded and shook the boy's shoulder, causing his head to dart up and look around before yawning once more.

"Over already?" He asked sleepily, his eyes unfocused.

"Get your lazy arse up and back to the common room," Sirius said gruffly, watching as he hurriedly stuffed his bag with unused books and scrambled out of the library all together.

Remus and James shook their heads. The werewolf ducked down next to his cousin and kissed her cheek, "Make sure to get back to the common room tonight, yeah? Lily told me she found you asleep in here this morning…"

"I just fell asleep while studying," she blushed, giving him a small smile, "I'll be sleeping in my own bed tonight; I'm sure Archie misses me."

"He actually sleeps with Padfoot some nights," James added, hiking his bag up and giving her a friendly smile, "Not that Remus likes it."

"Damn cat," he growled, rolling his eyes. He looked to Sirius and said, "Make sure she gets to her common room tonight. I don't like her not being safe…"

Sirius gave him a mock salute, "On it."

Her whiskey eyes followed the pair out of the library before she turned them to her boyfriend. His grey eyes were already watching her and she fidgeted uncomfortably.

"You can't fall asleep in the library," he finally said, worry seeping into his features as he looked her over. "I worry about you enough as it is…I need to know you're safe at night, too."

She nodded, "I know. It was an isolated incident. I think with all the stress for the tests and what happened with the Quidditch game…I've just been a bit out of sorts for the past couple days. It'll get better."

Sirius had closed his eyes when she mentioned the game and she leaned closer to him, laying her head against his shoulder and looking up at him.

He moved and pulled her into his lap instead, resting his chin on the top of her head as he rasped, "You scared me, you know. I saw you falling from the sky and I couldn't even think of a spell to save you – my mind went blank. All I could think of was that I knew you were going to die and there wasn't anything I could do about it."

Hermione pulled back and looked at him, cupping his cheek in her hand as she tried to comfort him, "I was fine. I just fell off my broom. I got back on it, didn't I?"

"Barely," he scoffed, his eyes getting a little softer.

"The point is that I didn't die. I didn't fall to my death. I got back on my broom and I flew right into your arms."

"I have half a mind to never let you play Quidditch again," he mumbled, kissing her softly.

She shook her head and smiled, standing up and pulling him with her. "Come on," she said, picking up her bag and slinging it over her arm, "It's time to head back to our common rooms and get some sleep. We've got a big week ahead of us."

He grumbled a little, but fell into step next to her once he had grabbed his own bag. They walked hand in hand towards the staircases and she couldn't help but smile at him.

Giving her a sideways look, he asked, "What's gotten into you tonight, little one?"

"I just love you. So much," she whispered, getting lost in his eyes once more.

He had stopped right at the staircase and turned to look at her. His bag fell to the floor with a dull thud as he cradled her petite face in his hands and kissed her full on the lips. She felt the subtle scratches from his facial hair and smiled into the kiss, knowing that the Sirius in her time would have much more than his younger counterpart.

She unknowingly compared the two much more than she cared to admit. She loved the younger Sirius, that much was obvious, but she still felt like she had a secret crush on the older one. A crush that she couldn't really act on.

Now, she got the best of both worlds.

"Fuck," he panted, pulling away from her and resting his forehead against hers, "All I want to is take you up against the wall right now." He kissed his way down her throat and bit beneath her ear softly, "I miss being inside you."

She whimpered, her hands clutching at his long hair and trying to resist the urge to thrust her hips against his. When she felt his hard length nudging her stomach, she pulled out of it. "We can't be caught after curfew," she protested halfheartedly, pushing his shoulders gently.

Sirius groaned, "It needs to be Christmas already. I want to unwrap you and enjoy every inch of you."

She giggled, "Go to sleep and it will make the holidays even closer."

"I love you, Snow," he said suddenly, his eyes piercing hers with sincerity, "I'd do anything for you, you know that, right?"

"Of course, I do," she said softly, kissing his lips once more, "I'd do anything for you, too. I love you, Sirius."

16 December 1977 – Hogsmeade Station

The finals passed without a hitch – in everyone's opinion, but Peter's – and Hermione was glad to be headed home. Home. Such a strange concept in this time, but still where she was supposed to be. She missed Hope dearly, and she even admitted to missing Lyall, as well. The man grew on you with time, even though he was gruff and stern; Remus definitely got his personality from his mother.

That morning, she had waved her wand and packed her trunk, making sure nothing was left behind. Archie currently resided in her bag and she had made sure that he had enough room for a comfortable journey. She and Sirius were sharing a compartment – not many children were going home for the holidays that year – while James and Lily had their own, too. Remus and Peter were off with others, giving the couples their space.

Hermione watched the countryside pass from the window, noticing how there seemed to be much more snow this year than last. It was funny to think how much her life could change in a year, but she was all right with it. Mrs. Weasley had owled her nearly a week before inviting her to the Burrow for Christmas – she was sure to tell the petite witch that Fabian would be there – and she hoped she could join the family seeing as she'd be the godmother to her two new sons. After running it by Sirius, she had accepted and was planning a visit two days after Christmas, not wanting to intrude on the Prewetts having tea again.

"Where are you, Snow?" Sirius whispered in her ear, tightening his arms around her waist in a way to ground her.

She shook away her thoughts and smiled, leaning back against his chest, but not taking her eyes away from the outside world. She sighed, "Things are just different. I feel like everything will just get even stranger after we graduate. I mean, we see Remus and James and Lily every day now…but what happens when we aren't in school anymore? You'll still see James since you're both going into the Auror program together, but I won't see Lily or Remus as much…and on top of that I'll be trying to find a job. I won't have time for anyone."

He sighed and hugged her closer, resting his chin on her shoulder. His voice was low and comforting as he spoke. "I'll make sure that James and Lily come 'round at least once a week for dinner. And Remus will be living with us, right? We can't leave Moony to his own devices for full moon without his pack. We'll even make time to see Peter if you want. Possibly Snape, even though he's a right git. You won't be isolated, love. I promise."

"I suppose," she agreed, turning her head to kiss his cheek, "We should probably start looking for flats though. I've no idea where to even start, but I'd love to have someplace to go after we graduate."

"Always prepared," he chuckled.

"There's a war going on," Hermione said seriously, her brows furrowing slightly, "We can't afford to be caught unaware. You're a Black; You-Know-Who had been trying to recruit you for ages – don't look at me like I'm stupid, I know more than you'd care to admit – and He hasn't gotten Regulus yet, but he'd much rather have the older son rather than the younger…"

Sirius shook his head violently, "I don't want you thinking about this stuff. It's too heavy and you've got your studies and-"

"The war is still going to be here when we graduate, Sirius," she murmured, finding his hand on her waist and squeezing it tightly, "We have to be prepared for all the possible outcomes."

"I won't lose you," he vowed quietly, burying his face against her slim neck.

She sighed, "Hopefully, you won't have to."

19 December 1977 – Diagon Alley

"Have you bought for everyone?" Hope asked, looking at the window of Flourish and Blotts, "I know we can't really offer you anything in the way of money…"

The snow was falling beautifully down the alley, looking like a perfect Christmas card. Hermione had always loved the snow, but her parents didn't like her playing in it when she was younger – she would always end up getting sick. As she got older, she was allowed to do as she wished, but snow was magical to her.

"Don't you dare finish that sentence," she warned, looking at the blonde, "You've offered me a new identity and a place to call home. You've given me a family. I…I can't repay that; there's simply not enough money in Gringotts!"

The older woman smiled, "I've told you before and I'll tell you again, you're the daughter I've always wanted. Lyall even looks at you like a daughter. Merlin, sometimes I think he truly believes that you're his niece!" She laughed, walking beside the brunette happily, a few bags in her hands, "I know that you're from a different time, but all I can say is that I'm behind happy that you ended up here. You've changed all of our lives and I'm sure it's for the better."

Hermione smiled to herself, noticing that they had encroached on Knockturn Alley. She fished a handful of galleons from her bag and handed them to Hope when they stood outside the apothecary. "It's almost time for the full moon. I'm not sure how much you have left on credit, but this should hold him over until the end of school," she said, holding out the money with a small smile.

Knowing better than to argue, she took the money gratefully and disappeared inside the store. It seemed busy in the small building and she chalked it up to it being the holidays.

Her mind wandered to Christmas – less than a week away – and she mentally went over the gifts she had bought. James and Sirius would each get a broom polishing kit – with Sirius getting an additional few things – while Remus would receive enough chocolate from Honeydukes to hold him over until Easter hols as well as a few new books. She had gotten Lily a sweater the redhead had been eyeing in Hogsmeade with a new cloak. For Snape she had gotten him another journal – it turned out that he loved the one she had got him last year – and purchased a new set of Seeker's gloves for Regulus. She had bought Hope a set of Muggle bubble bath and a new robe and gotten Lyall a set of parchment and a new quill for his job. For Peter, she simply got him candy.

She was proud to say that her shopping was done for now, unless something leather caught her eye for her boyfriend.

She hadn't noticed a set of grey eyes watching from the alley beside her and gasped when a hand went around her mouth, pulling her into the darkness. She struggled, momentarily grateful for not having any bags, but silently cursing herself for putting her wand in her back pocket.

"Stop struggling," a low voice urged, raspy and uneven. It was male and he sounded…scared?

She ceased slightly, trying to recall the voice. Her eyes widened and she turned around to come face to face with Regulus. He let go of her and she smacked his shoulder hard, her whiskey eyes angry. "What the bloody fuck, Regulus? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

His eyes darted around the alley before focusing on her once more. "It's not safe to be out by yourself. You're a target now. He knows. He knows He would have to take you to break my brother."

"You mean…"

"The Dark Lord," Regulus said shakily. His hands gripped her biceps tightly, trying to convey the severity of his words. "He's been waiting to get a hold on Sirius…he knows that you're his only real weakness. I've tried to protect you at school, but He's sent Dolohov after you; knows he fancies you and all that and is using you as a reward. If Dolohov can get his hands on you…he gets to keep you."

Hermione paled. Keep her? That wasn't part of the deal for her. She took a deep breath, "Dolohov's here now, isn't he?"

He looked away, "It's not safe for you to be here. Get your aunt and get home. The Dark Lord will stop at nothing to have a pair of Blacks on his side…He's not just settling for me anymore and my mother is doing everything she can to offer Sirius up on a silver platter. My father…he's trying to protect him, but he can only do so much. He's already doing His bidding on the family's Wizengamot seat. The rules are changing and you are not safe."

"I…thank you for risking yourself to tell me this," she said quietly, biting her bottom lip as she thought. "I'll get my aunt and we'll be out of here shortly-"

"Shortly doesn't bloody work for me!" Regulus hissed, "The Dark Lord knows you're here. I'm risking everything to get you out before Dolohov and Travers arrive. You have minutes until they find you. Go. Now!"

She stumbled away from him, surprised at his anxiety. She turned back towards the apothecary and saw that Hope was just coming out. Without waiting for the woman to get her bearings, she grabbed her arm and focused on the cottage, disappearing with a pop!

Be sure to leave a review!

~Grace