Chapter 13: Perception

A/N 4/6: added to the end, because what I wrote for the next chapter seemed to fit better here. Thanks for all the follows and reviews!

"You did what?" Hermione asked, brown eyes wide.

"I said I'd go to Hogsmeade with him," Lily muttered, pulling her Charms book so close to her face that she was practically bathing in the ink. "I thought it would be the only thing that would shut him up."

"Nice to know that all these years he was going about things in entirely the wrong way," Marlene chimed in from across the dormitory, where she was helping Bridget try something new with her hair. "He kept asking you when you were sober. All he had to do was get you drunk!"

The other girls had a chuckle at Lily's expense, but it was not mean-spirited like she always thought it would be. Hermione's arrival had changed the dynamic in the Gryffindor sixth-year girls' dorm, though Lily could not quite put her finger on how it had all happened. One day Lily felt isolated due to the insurmountable cultural and genetic divide of "Muggle-born" and "pureblood", the next they were teasing her about hangover-influenced decisions.

Lily glanced over at Hermione, who was staring off into the distance with that contemplative expression she often wore. Somehow this girl, who had dropped out of the sky, was the missing piece to their puzzle. Some gap in their lives, heretofore unnoticed, had been filled. Which is why they were all sitting around their dorm instead of down in the common room with the rest of the house, doing homework on their beds and trying out the latest styles in Marlene's copy of Witch Weekly. Personally, Lily thought all those braids on someone with Bridget's lack of cheekbones was a bad idea, but she kept her mouth shut, reluctant to shatter the strange harmony.

"Well I think it's wonderful," Hermione said after a long minute. "People can surprise you if you just give them a chance."

"Like you and Black?" Amelia asked with a raised eyebrow. Hermione nodded but did not elaborate.

"What's going on with you two anyway?" Marlene asked. "I thought we told you to stay away from him." Hermione shrugged and did not answer, though her brow furrowed. Lily could tell she was getting tired of defending her choices, but she refrained from defending Hermione's choice. She still thought it was only a matter of time before Sirius showed his true man-slag colors.

The same goes for Potter. I know exactly what he wants, and it isn't to talk.

"Hello, Hermione, anyone home?" Hestia asked, waving her hands in front of Hermione's face.

"What? Yeah, sorry, I was just thinking," she said, shaking her head.

"About Black?" Lily asked, unable to keep the edge out of her voice.

"No, I was wondering if we should take any precautions this weekend." The girls exchanged glances.

"Hermione," Marlene started in a hesitant voice, "I know you said that you and Sirius were taking things slow, but I neglected to ask what exactly your definition of 'slow' is..." she trailed off meaningfully. Hermione looked confused for a second before her eyes widened.

"No! Not that kind of protection, although that is a bit of knowledge I am sorely lacking, but I meant from the Death Eaters."

The room went from giggles to silence in eight seconds flat.

"What do you mean?" Bridget asked, her hair ridiculously half-braided and half-not.

"I mean they're out there, and we'll be out there too," Hermione chewed her lip. "Just, we all read the Prophet, right? The mysterious disappearances and attacks. I'm... as a Muggle-born, I'm a little afraid to go to Hogsmeade without taking proper care is all."

The other girls were silent, pensive and shocked that someone would think of such a thing when they had a date with a cute (albeit kind of slaggy) boy to look forward to. Lily was in the same boat. Everything that happened outside of school seemed unreal, even though the recent attacks on those speaking out against Voldemort terrified her (when she stopped to remember that they were happening).

"Dumbledore wouldn't let us go if it were really dangerous, Hermione," Amelia said with confidence. "Of that you can be quite certain." Hermione shrugged in an 'I'm-not-convinced-and-you-can't-change-my-mind' way, and Lily raised her eyebrow. Since when did Hermione not trust the Headmaster?

The atmosphere gradually lightened as the girls found their own ways to set aside Hermione's worries, but Lily watched her newest friend carefully. After listening to Hestia, Marlene, and Bridget chatter for a few minutes, Lily moved from her bed and plopped down next to Hermione.

"Why don't you trust Dumbledore?" she asked in a low voice. Hermione flitted her eyes to the side, checking that no one else was listening.

"The Headmaster always has his own plans, Lily. And I do mean always."

"How can you be so certain of that? You got here like three weeks ago, Hermione. You can't possibly-"

"I just know, alright?" Hermione grabbed Lily's hand. "You're my friend, and I care about you. I don't think that Dumbledore wants us all to get hurt, or that he would leave us completely defenseless... just remember that he always puts the rest of the world ahead of an individual, unless it's him. Okay?"

Lily shook her head at Hermione's strange behavior, but didn't pull her hand away.

"Please Lily, trust me?" With a sigh, Lily relented. "Thank you."

Hermione had been in 1976 for about three weeks, and the weight of the war weighed heavier than ever. With the allowance given to her by Dumbledore she was able to take out a subscription to The Daily Prophet. While she had never considered the wizarding publication to be a font of truth, it did at least seem to get some of the facts correct in each Death Eater-related incident.

Probably because that foul Rita Skeeter isn't working there yet.

Unfortunately, the events that signified the escalation of the war were tucked into corners of the paper – the muggle attacks, the disappearances, the sudden unexpected illnesses and deaths of great wizarding names that Hermione had only ever seen in her history texts. Like their non-magical counterparts, wizards had a tendency to turn a blind eye to that which did not fit into their comfortable worldview. Hermione would have said it was endemic to all of magical society, were it not for the guarded and horror-stricken looks that graced the staff table as they, too, perused the Prophet.

"Anything important?" Lily asked in an undertone the Tuesday after the now-infamous Gryffindor welcome-back party.

Hermione gestured to a blurb about thirty murdered muggles, relegated to two square inches of print in a corner beneath ads for beauty products. ("Ursula's Unguents! Use to keep your skin unbelievably soft!") Lily gasped and covered her mouth with her hand, eyes wide. Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione noticed James Potter looking in their direction suspiciously.

"But that's horrid!" Lily cried out before Hermione shushed her. "How could they possibly care so little for their fellow humans?"

Hermione, well aware of the recent end to the American Vietnam war, simply let the comment pass. Humans, magical and not, were very good at only seeing what they wanted to.

Breakfast on Hogsmeade weekends were always lively, but none more so than today's. Sirius allowed himself to bask in the jovial atmosphere, sneaking glances at Hermione where she sat further down the table with her dorm-mates. She was going on a date with him today; she'd be on his arm for the whole of Hogwarts to see!

Sirius was wearing some of his Muggle clothes that he had purchased with James and Lady Potter on a trip to London (despite the lady's objections – she just did not know what was wrong with children these days). He thought he looked rather cool in his heavy jeans and soft black sweater with the v-neck that showed the beginning of some very manly chest hair.

Hermione was wearing an equally Muggle get-up, with some more of those tight-fighting pants and a dark green long-sleeve shirt. Her lovely curly hair was free, and the sparkle in her brown eyes caused Sirius's breath to hitch in his chest.

James was too preoccupied being nervous over finally going on a date with Evans to be annoyed with Sirius's obsession with his own date, but Remus had a twinkle in his eye and kept making comments that could be taken in a delightful number of ways. He seemed to be just as fond of Hermione as Sirius, though not in the same way of course, so he was firmly on Sirius's side. Peter was keeping to himself, much like he had been the rest of the year, but Sirius was too preoccupied to really notice.

Best of all, Lily had let slip to Remus that tomorrow was Hermione's birthday, the big 1-7, so Sirius had planned a little birthday surprise for Hermione at the end of their date.

It was a good thing he wasn't Padfoot, or his tail would have broken from the excited wagging he'd be doing.

In what seemed like no time at all, Sirius had Hermione's hand tucked into the crook of his arm and they were wending their way down the road to Hogsmeade, having foregone the carriages as the weather was fine. They discussed their classes and classmates, just small talk really, as they made their way to the village. It should not have seemed like so much, since it was just the kind of stuff that Sirius would have talked about with Remus or James, but Hermione saw things differently than he did. She was always asking why a spell worked like that, or what would happen if a potion went just a little bit wrong.

That and the little warm glances she kept sneaking him were not something he would have welcomed from his fellow Marauders.

Sirius was a smart bloke, but honestly sometimes Hermione's sheer intelligence was a bit intimidating. Fortunately, he was able to fall back on his not-so-inconsequential charm when his brains failed him. He had the witch laughing all the way to the largest all-wizarding village in Britain, happily pointing out the sights to her as they went. She had a queer expression on her face when he waved a hand at the Shrieking Shack, but he just chalked that up to the dwelling's undeserved reputation.

They spent an hour in Honeyduke's, followed by rather quick visits to Quality Quidditch Supplies and Scrivenshaft's. Hermione seemed uncomfortable with Sirius spending too much money on her, and in the back of his mind he started to worry about how much of his allowance he had spent on the actual surprise of the visit. Renting out a private room at Three Broomsticks for all their friends had not been cheap, but Sirius thought she would appreciate it. She seemed to miss all the people she talked about in rare unguarded moments – Ron, Harry, Ginny. Sirius had carefully tucked those names away in the mental folder marked "Hermione", highlighted and underlined. Everything she wanted to share with him was precious, if only because he could tell how much she hid.

Their date took a turn for the worse as they left Scrivenshaft's

"Sirius!" an imperious voice called, causing the pair to turn. Sirius's eyes widened.

"Oh no," he said in a low voice. "That's my cousin Bella."

Hermione had gone rigid and wide-eyed beside him. "Why is that bad?" she asked, voice trembling.

"Because my cousin Bella is a right bitch."

Bellatrix Lestrange approached them in all her glory – long dark hair shining, curvy body wrapped in robes that screamed "old money!", on the arm of her new (and rather dashing) husband, Rodolphus. Sirius had been in attendance at Bella's wedding this past summer, but they did not usually make a point to speak to each other. After the way Bella reacted to Andromeda running off with a Muggle-born, well, Sirius could not meet her eyes without feeling rage on behalf of his favorite cousin.

"How are you this day, cousin?" Bella asked, her eyes flicking between Sirius and his date. Instinctively, Sirius put himself slightly in front of Hermione.

"I am well, and yourself?"

"Oh, just out for a stroll. I have not been back to Hogsmeade for ages. It's so hard to get away from London or the Manor these days." Sirius nodded in a noncommital way, hoping to end this conversation as quickly as possible. "And how are you today, Miss...?" Bella trailed off with a significant look at Sirius.

"Forgive me cousin," Sirius said in his best pureblood voice. "May I present Miss Hermione Granger? She is a Gryffindor as well."

"Oh, well I'm sure we can forgive her that," Bellatrix said with what was probably intended to be a charming smile. Sirius felt Hermione shiver next to him, and she smiled weakly in return.

"It's a, um, pleasure to make your acquaintance," Hermione said.

There was a tense few seconds of silence, where Bella was looking almost hungrily at Hermione, Hermione was looking almost anywhere other than Sirius's relations, and Sirius's eyes ping-ponged between the two women. He got the distinct sense he was missing something year.

"I don't believe Sirius has ever mentioned you," Bella said. "But then, Sirius never mentions in polite company the ladies he sees. Especially ones that have the audacity to wear Muggle clothes in a wizarding environment. Honestly, cousin, this lady appears to be rubbing off on you in all the worst ways." Sirius stiffened.

"I can assure you, cousin, that Hermione is far more of a lady than you will ever be," he stated coldly. "And for your information, she transferred to Hogwarts this year. How could I have had opportunity to mention her before? And as for the rubbing-"

"That's enough, Sirius," Hermione said in a tight voice.

"Yes, she would have had to drop out of the sky in order for you to find a new girl to see, wouldn't she, Sirius Orion?" Bella snapped. Rodolphus cleared his throat, and Bella sighed. She put on the mask of a proper pureblood so quickly Sirius thought he might have whiplash. "Well, we shan't take up any more of your time. Good day cousin, Miss Granger."

Sirius and Hermione responded and glared at her as she sashayed away from them.

"You shouldn't have let her get a rise out of you like that," Hermione said quietly.

"What do you mean?"

Hermione sighed. "I'll explain later. Let's just get to the Three Broomsticks. I could use some Ogden's right now."

He took her arm as they went down the street. "Thought you were never drinking again?"

"Well, I think we can all agree this is an extreme circumstance. It's not every day one meets one of the most infamous..."

"One of the most infamous whats?"

Hermione tittered nervously. "Never mind."

Hermione was trembling with rage as they entered the Three Broomsticks. She hated Bellatrix Lestrange with every bone in her body, and sitting on the irrepressible urge to hex her was difficult to say the least.

It figures that the first day she actually starts to have fun, that utter bitch shows up. Sirius squeezed her hand as they wove their way through students and the older patrons of the Hogsmeade pub – he seemed to be nervous in a way that didn't have anything to do with their run-in with his cousin.

"Sirius?" she called as they bypassed all the open tables and made their way to the back stairs. "What exactly did you think was going to happen on our third actual date?" There was just enough bite in her voice for him to turn around.

"Something wrong?" he asked as they stopped for a moment.

"I was just wondering when you were going to decide that one of these tables was quite good enough for us to sit down at? Unless there's something you're not telling me?"

"Ah, well, um," he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "You see, well that is-"

"Because you know how much I hate surprises."

"Even good ones?" he asked hopefully. "Say, ones that are parties where all your friends are present to celebrate the magical event that was your birth?"

Hermione's jaw dropped. "You... you threw me a party?"

"Come on," he jerked her towards the stairs. "You don't want to be late."

"But, but no one's ever..." Not even Ron and Harry had thrown her a party, in all the years they'd known her. Sure, they might have assumed that it wasn't her cup of tea – but for Sirius to throw her a party when she was feeling so out of her depth.

Up the stairs they went, Hermione still in shock. Sirius threw the doors open and the assembled Gryffindors inside simultaneously yelled "Happy birthday, Hermione!"

She did the only thing a smart girl could do. Hermione pulled Sirius to her by their still-joined hands and impulsively covered his mouth with her own.

Now, in every romance story there's that one moment when time stops, the heavens open in a shower of golden light, and angels sing as the two romantic leads find true love. For one moment, everything bad in the world quietly retreats into the wings and patiently wait for their cue to resume plotting in the background. The heroine's heart races, and the hero's very manly arms wrap her up in the strongest embrace ever recorded.

This moment was at once nothing like that and completely like that.

Hermione's heart did race, and Sirius did drop her hand to wrap his arms around her.

Outside, the people of Hogsmeade were surprised to see the gloomy September skies part and let a few welcome rays of sun caress the tired ground.

And, surprisingly enough, at that moment Lucius Malfoy had ducked behind a curtain to hide from his wife, who was on the warpath about something or other.

But the thing that struck Hermione most as the kiss grew, was the quiet in her mind. No stray thoughts, no background calculations or problem-solving, no thinking what next. There was just her, and Sirius, and the fact that he remembered it was her birthday.

"Spare us, please," James called out, raising laughs from the other shocked Gryffindors as Sirius and Hermione continued to snog, without appearing concerned about coming up for air. Lily half-expected him to make some smart comment to her about how they should be doing the same, but instead he just looked a tad thoughtful.

Their date had been surprisingly tolerable, despite James' attempts to go over the top. It was thoughtful of him to have a picnic prepared for them, but it was in view of the Shrieking Shack so Lily had to deduct points for atmosphere. Conversation had been thin on the ground, though that might be due in part to Lily's tendency to shoot down any proposed topics.

"Have you ever been to Godric's Hollow?"

"No."

"Do you follow Quidditch?"

"It's worse than footie, so no thank you."

"What's footie?"

Once they were back around their friends, James had reverted to the prat Lily was certain he was. She was much more comfortable with that relationship than whatever he seemed to be trying to do. James Potter was a jerk, a pureblood whose sole interest in her had to be maliciously motivated. End of discussion.

Hermione and Sirius broke away from each other, looking dazed, and James immediately pushed forward to snag his best friend. He pulled Sirius away from Hermione bodily – the handsome Marauder was still staring goofily at Hermione, not even turning toward James as he was led to the other side of the room. The Gryffindor girls surrounded Hermione and led her toward a table laden with food and a specially-ordered cake (topped with an actual roaring frosted lioness).

Remus chuckled, catching Lily's attention. "What's so funny?" she asked.

"Oh, I just think Padfoot has finally learned to come to heel, if you catch my meaning." Lily rolled her eyes – the dog metaphors were getting just a bit too apt. "You don't agree?"

"I think no pureblood boy can change his stripes," Lily said, swigging her butterbeer. "And I don't want to see my friend get hurt."

"You make a lot of assumptions," Remus said after a moment. "I can understand Sirius, but what makes you think all purebloods are like that? Isn't that a tad hypocritical?"

"It's just what I've seen," Lily shrugged. "And from the few snippets of conversation I heard when I was still friends with Sev- with Snape, purebloods are only interested in Muggle-borns because we're easy."

"And you thought that Slytherins set the standard, did you?" Remus snorted. "Oh dear, no wonder James has had such a hard time convincing you he's serious." Lily glanced sideways at him.

"That joke is far too easy," she said, and they both started laughing.

"But really, he's crazy about you. Haven't you enjoyed this date at all?"

Lily shrugged, and Remus was pulled away into a Marauder conference. To tell the truth, she had been willfully not enjoying this date. James was trying so hard, and she just... if she started enjoying herself, what would that say about her? What if Remus was wrong? What if she was?

"Lily! Come over here!" Hermione called, waving over to where they were getting ready to cut the cake.

I'll think about that tomorrow.