A/N: Well, I suppose this piece could be considered successful in that it has definitely generated discussion. Everyone has a strong opinion about something. That indicates that this story is inspiring impassioned responses. That's a good thing…right? If you've made it this far, thank you for sticking it out. I do have an evil plan, really. :D Have I told you, HP fanfic readers, how much I adore all of you? You guys are so vocal, it makes me really happy.

For the first time in years, Sirius wasn't at Potter Manor for the Christmas holiday. Peter stopped by to visit for a day or two, and so did Remus, but Sirius was conspicuous by his absence. Hermione was used to spending most of her time in her tree house, or in the library, so she wasn't sure why Sirius' absence should affect her this much. Perhaps it was because now she knew that he liked her. That thought sent a fluttering feeling through her body, that she ruthlessly ignored for the moment. She snorted. Maybe. It was more likely because her reading time in the library wasn't being interrupted by the pounding of feet, or two boys ripping through the library to avoid her mother, or whooping as James and Sirius slid down the carved wood of the balustrade. James seemed mopey, and he followed her around and pestered her far more than she ever recalled him doing.

"Whatcha doing?" James asked morosely. Hermione lifted her head and stared at him.

"If mother hears you speak like that, she'll have a fit, James Potter," Hermione said with a slight sniff. He sighed heavily and sprawled in the chair next to her.

"Fine. What are you doing, sister dear?" He asked in an exaggerated manner. She snapped her book shut and turned to glare at him.

"I was reading. I suppose it's fun for you to mock me, but I'm the one who bears the brunt of any sort of tirade from mother. 'Hermione, dear, one does hope that you might be an influence on James.' I should tell her that it's a lost cause," Hermione muttered darkly. He sighed again, and sat up.

"So what are we going to do, with this Seer thing that you have going on," James asked her cautiously. She looked at him, and then looked at her hands.

"I'm working on it," she said slowly. James frowned at her.

"I bet you are," he said thoughtfully. "You already have a plan, don't you?"

"I might," Hermione said carefully. "I'm trying to be cautious, to avoid detection as long as possible. I'd like to at least make it through Hogwarts."

"What are you going to do after that?" James asked curiously. Hermione's mouth tightened grimly and she looked deep into her brother's eyes.

"I'm going to fight him," she said flatly, daring him to tell her otherwise. He wanted to, he realized. He wanted to rage against Hermione doing anything dangerous. Then he realized that her existence was dangerous. Should she end it? It would certainly remove the danger. He frowned and contemplated that for a moment. If she were always in danger, she should have the right to fight, shouldn't she? This was almost the opposite of everything he'd been raised to believe. Witches were to be cherished, protected, guarded. They weren't supposed to run willy-nilly into danger.

"Are you going to join the Order?" He asked cautiously. Hermione started slightly and stared at him.

"You know about that?" She asked incredulously. He snorted.

"I can eavesdrop just as easily as you can, My Own," he said tartly. "Just because I'm not so, so Slytherin about it doesn't mean I'm not capable."

"You do know that it isn't an expletive, don't you? Besides, mother was a Slytherin and she turned out just fine," Hermione said firmly. James made a sound in the back of his throat.

"Are you going to join, or not?" James asked her finally. Hermione shrugged.

"I might try. I know Lily wants to," Hermione said finally.

"Really?" James asked curiously. Hermione raised a brow at him.

"Why are you surprised? Lily is a Gryffindor through and through. That, and she is muggleborn. She's a huge target right now. She might as well try to be part of the resistance." Hermione pointed out. He nodded.

"No, you're right, that makes sense. She's almost in as much danger as you are," James said flatly. Hermione watched her brother for a moment, and then smiled at him.

"Jamie, I think you're starting to grow up," she said proudly. He ruined the moment by sticking out his tongue at her. She sighed. "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything," he said firmly.

"Is Sirius not here because he and I…," she trailed off and waved her hand vaguely. James' eyes narrowed slightly.

"That vague hand waving thing had better mean 'we're sort of boyfriend and girlfriend now'," he growled at her. She rolled her eyes at him, and then nodded.

"Yes. It does. It's such an odd thing, this boyfriend and girlfriend custom that the muggles have. It's bled into our world, but it's such a new thing. Mother and father never did that. He courted her, his parents offered for mother and four years later, they were married. End of story," Hermione said thoughtfully. She'd tried to access Hermione Granger's memories of boyfriends and girlfriends, but that hadn't been very helpful. Apparently Hermione Granger had been too busy trying to stay alive and keep her friends alive to worry too much about things like that. There had been one or two here and there. Then Old Hermione had gotten huffy and defensive about her lack of relationship experience. Hermione Potter shuddered, and pushed the thought away.

"I know," James said soberly, frowning. Hermione watched him for a moment, and then smiled.

"You still like her, don't you?" Hermione asked softly. He nodded. "Why don't you try asking her out again, but this time just be you, Jamie. Don't try to be what you think she expects. Just be you."

"Right, I'm sure that will work," he said flatly. Hermione hid a small smile.

"It worked for Sirius," she said quietly. He frowned at her.

"You know, he isn't how he portrays himself at school," he said softly, and then flushed as though he were betraying a confidence. He swallowed and then looked at his sister. "Please, be careful, Hermione. Don't hurt him."

"I will try my best not to," she promised him. He watched her for a moment and then nodded.

"He said he would probably hurt you, and that I was welcome to beat the shit out of him, again, when it happened," James muttered into his hands. Hermione snorted.

"Anyway, back to the reason that Sirius isn't here, helping you destroy my peace and quiet?" Hermione asked patiently. James frowned.

"You know, I'm not sure. He said he was summoned home, and that there was no way around it—it was a direct order from his mother," James said with a pensive, worried air. He hadn't really thought about it, but Sirius had seemed edgy, unhappy. He didn't like going home at any time, but he seemed worried about going home this time. Hermione stood up abruptly, her chair knocking back.

"It's Christmas," she whispered, her eyes wide. James stood quickly, and stared at her in concern. He put a gentle hand on her arm.

"Yes, Hermione, it is Christmastide," he said carefully, trying not to startle her. She turned to him, her face horrified.

"No, James," she whispered. "It's now. I forgot, I didn't realize…"

"What's now, love?" He whispered, his heart pounding in his chest. Her eyes turned black and he felt his stomach clench in fear. He waved his wand quickly, locking all the library doors and casting the strongest silencing wards he could think of. Unlike the other time he'd witnessed her having a vision, she was silent. Her breathing was becoming erratic, and she clung to his arm, but she wasn't saying anything. "Hermione?"

It was number 12 Grimmauld Place. She knew that was where she was. She turned, and saw Regulus' white face, pinched with fear, duck into a closet. She frowned and turned back toward the library. She needed to be in the library. There was a group of people in the room. She recognized Mrs. Black and Mr. Black. She frowned slightly. Mr. Black appeared to be clenching his jaw slightly. He looked uncannily like the older Sirius that the other Hermione remembered, and if that were Sirius, that clenched jaw would indicate anger, fury. There were others in the room, and she didn't recognize many of them, but she recognized Lucius, and she recognized Severus. Their faces were impenetrable masks, their eyes hooded, and veiled. They were observing coolly, impartially. Observing what? Then she saw him. She turned and stared at Mr. Black, and frowned. He looked…odd. Was he being Imperiused? She moved closer to him because she could not bear to look at Sirius, laying on the floor.

"No," she gasped, her head turning from side to side. James was holding her, watching her carefully. She whimpered in his arms, and he rocked her gently. "Don't."

He'd been beaten. She wasn't sure by whom, but any of the people in the room might have done it. He was breathing shallowly, and she knew that he probably had broken ribs. White hot anger burned through her, and she ignored it so that she could focus on him. Someone gave a command, his mother? And he was being tortured with the cruciatus curse. The other Hermione remembered what that felt like, but she (Hermione Potter) could remember it only distantly, through a fuzzy lens. She suspected that the other Hermione was trying to protect her, and she resented it. His body bowed with the pain, and he fought to keep from crying out. Hermione felt her own body clench in some half-memory, and she was gasping with the half-remembered pain. He writhed in agony, but only a few whimpers made it passed his lips. This was as bad as watching James die. No wonder he hated it here. No wonder he drank in the library. No wonder he wanted to be out, to be free.

"Will you see reason, Sirius?" Walburga Black's cold voice echoed through the room. Her son stared up at her with hate-filled eyes.

"Never," he panted at her. She sighed petulantly, and it made Hermione's skin crawl. It was like watching a version of Bellatrix. The Black madness stared out of Walburga's eyes and Hermione shivered in revulsion.

"Very well, then. You are no son of mine," she snapped coldly. She turned and stalked out of the library. The others followed her silently, leaving the boy to lay on the floor of the library, twitching slightly with the after effects of the cruciatus curse. Regulus slipped in after they'd gone, his face pale and drawn. He looked at his brother, and ran and threw up in a corner waste basket. Hermione couldn't blame him, she wished she could be sick as well.

"Come on," Regulus was whispering now. "We don't have a lot of time."

"Go 'way," he managed to pant out. "Not your brother anymore. Didn't you hear?"

"I don't care what she said," Regulus snapped, "you'll always be my brother. Now come on."

"Hurts," he gasped. A tear trickled down Regulus' cheek.

"I know," he whispered. He clutched at his brother, struggling with the weight of his body. Sirius whimpered slightly when he tried to wrap an arm around his middle. "Sorry."

She found herself cradled against James' chest, gasping for air. Her throat felt raw, and when she swallowed it was painful. He was stroking her hair, stroking her back, doing all the things he'd seen Lily do. It was the most frightening thing he'd ever experienced, seeing her so vulnerable, so exposed. He wasn't sure what she'd Seen, but he figured it couldn't be good. When she started screaming, her back bowing in his arms, his heart almost stopped. He thought about getting up, and getting their parents, but he stayed with her instead. She sat up shakily, and took several deep, shuddering breaths.

"Get help," she whispered, despite the rawness of her throat. He frowned down at her.

"You need help?" He asked her, worry in his hazel eyes. She shook her head.

"The floo. Get help. Mum, Dad, Notty," she whispered. James frowned at her. "Now, James. Please."

James carried her to a couch, and set her down carefully. He took the wards off the library and ran out to their ceremonial fireplace that served as their public floo. He arrived seconds before Sirius' body fell through and landed on the floor—almost as though someone had pushed him through. James stared at his best friend, his blood-brother, and felt tears gather in his eyes. He looked dead. Then James heard a thin rattle as Sirius gasped for breath, and then he was bellowing for help. Notty appeared at his elbow and gasped in horror. She crouched by Sirius and began to look over his injuries. Charlus and Dorea Potter ran into the foyer and gasped almost simultaneously, their eyes widening in disbelief.

"Merlin's staff!" Charlus choked out, his heart twisting in his chest for this boy who was almost like a second son.

"What happened?" Dorea asked sadly, her hands hovering above Sirius, as though she weren't sure if it was safe to touch him.

"He refused to take the Mark," Hermione rasped out. She was weaving on her feet, and James rushed to steady her. Charlus turned and looked at his daughter sharply.

"Surely not," he argued. "He's a child…only a sixth year."

"All the better. Children are impressionable, malleable," Hermione spoke coldly with her ruined throat. "If you don't think Death Eaters roam Hogwarts, you are foolishly optimistic, father."

"Hermione!" Her mother's voice was shocked.

"It's the truth, mother," James said firmly. "I've seen them."

"But, but, Dumbledore," Charlus said weakly.

"Yes, Dumbledore. He's a man, father, he's not Merlin. Men make mistakes. Men make foolish choices. Men put their faith in the wrong people," Hermione's eyes flicked briefly to James, and he frowned slightly. Charlus' frowned at his daughter. "I'm not saying that Dumbledore condones it, or even knows for certain…no, after last year he would know, wouldn't he? Well, perhaps he is working under the premise that if they're under his eyes, he can keep track of them. It's difficult to say."

"Can we worry about Sirius right now?" James demanded fiercely. Hermione blinked and looked down at the boy on the floor. She staggered forward, and sank down to her knees. She leaned over him, until her lips were at his ear.

"You're safe, love. We've got you, and they'll never have you. Never again," she whispered softly. He shuddered under her hand. Her mother moved forward, and waved her wand with a flick of her hand. Sirius' body levitated and followed her as she moved upstairs, toward his room. Hermione watched her mother leave, and James followed her, worry shining in his eyes. She turned to face her father who was watching her, frowning slightly.

"I think, daughter, that you and I need to have a very long talk," he said at last. "Let's go to my study."

"Is there something troubling you, Daddy?" Hermione asked cautiously, once she was seated in one of the comfortable chairs that faced her father's desk.

"A great many things these days," he said with a heavy sigh. "Princess, how is it that you are able to cast a spell that I've only argued theoretically, and cast it well enough to teach it to fellow students?"

"Oh," Hermione said softly. Charlus raised a brow at her.

"Oh?"

"Well, Daddy, erm, I may have been passing in the hall because I certainly wasn't eavesdropping, and the idea that you were suggesting was intriguing. A message that might be passed in such a way that its sender is unimpeachable, and the receiver might implicitly trust the message. One cannot fake one's patronus, after all," Hermione said carefully.

"That's another thing," Charlus said with a dark frown for his daughter. "The Patronus charm is a NEWT level spell. How are you able to produce fully corporeal patronuses?"

"Shouldn't it really be patroni?" Hermione suggested from her seat. He frowned darkly at her. "Sorry. As you were saying, father?"

"You were always such a good, obedient girl. You seem to have become a wildly precocious child overnight, and I find myself completely adrift," he said thoughtfully. She shrugged.

"James was so very wild that I suspect you and mother spent far too much time worrying about him. We are twins. Is it really so odd that I am a little like him?" Hermione tried.

"You were always incredibly intelligent, the both of you. It was how you used that intelligence that defined you," her father murmured, watching her. "You were so quiet, so secretive with your knowledge. I was actually quite surprised that you were sorted into Gryffindor. Your mother won 10 galleons off me when we received your letter, did you know that?"

"Just because I am ambitious, and I use information carefully does not mean that I am not brave, that I'm not a true Potter," Hermione said hotly, her cheeks flushing with anger. Her father shook his head.

"No, Princess, that's not what I meant at all. We love you, we wouldn't have cared what house you were sorted into, as long as you were happy," he said firmly. "However, you seem to have developed whole skill sets without the knowledge of your professors. Professor McGonagall, in particular, has expressed her disappointment on more than one occasion about your refusal to live up to your potential."

"Daddy," Hermione began uncertainly, and her father shook his head.

"Hermione, why?" He asked her plaintively. Hermione nibbled on her lip for minute.

"Daddy, we're at risk. The Potters are one of the most prominent blood traitor families in wizarding Britain. I have done nothing to draw attention to me in my entire school career. The best weapon I have at my disposal is the enemy's underestimation of me," Hermione said flatly. Charlus Potter stared at her for several minutes.

"Sweetheart, don't you think that your mother and I will do everything in our power to protect you?" He asked sadly. Her eyes became empty and sad, and it made him shiver in fear to look into them.

"I do believe that you would do everything possible to protect James and to protect me, but if you were to…to…," Hermione found that she could not say the words out loud. She just couldn't. Her father's face paled, and he looked stricken.

"You would be at great risk then," he acknowledged quietly. He sighed then, and it sounded as though the weight of the world were pressing down on him. "I have not planned for contingencies. Your mother has been pestering me to make plans. 'Just in case' she says, but I know it is her sneaky nature that longs for back up plans. You are very much like her, Hermione."

"Be very careful, father, please…be safe," Hermione said softly, her eyes still cold and strangely flat. He nodded slowly.

Charlus and Dorea Potter had had a fairly unusual relationship with their offspring. While most pureblood parents issues orders that they expected their children to obey, the Potters spoke with their children, and tried to listen to them as well. Charlus had always found his daughter to be quiet, thoughtful, and unusually insightful for a child. Even as a very small child, she would occasionally say things that were almost fey. He had worried at first that she might be a Seer, but she'd never manifested visions, thank Merlin. Their unusual relationship was most likely why Hermione felt comfortable enough to speak to him like this, and although he was disturbed by what she had to say, he was grateful that he'd heard it. Dorea had been right, they needed to make plans…just in case.

HP/HG/HP

When Sirius woke up, he was in his bed at Potter Manor. He knew it even before he woke because at Potter Manor his sheets always smelled of lemon verbena. There was another scent that mixed with the lemon verbena, the faint hint of jasmine floated to his nose, and he turned his head slightly to see Hermione curled up in a chair by his bed, reading. His heart leapt in his chest, to see her there, waiting for him, but that was followed quickly by embarrassment and shame. She shouldn't see this. She didn't need to know what sort of screwed up family he'd come from. He shifted anxiously in the bed. She looked at him over the top of her book, and he tried to sit up.

"You're not supposed to move, you know. I'm sure that mother mentioned it," she said casually, turning a page. He grimaced at her.

"I don't want you to see me like this," he muttered, flushing. Hermione sighed.

"I'll leave then," she said softly. She rose gracefully, and placed her book on the table next to her. He could tell by the stiffness of her back that he'd upset her. She turned and he caught her wrist in his hand.

"Thank you," he whispered. "For what you said."

"It was the truth. Mum and Dad have said that you may stay here until you graduate. Your Uncle Alphard has already been here discussing things with him. He's not your godfather, so he can't claim guardianship of you, but he said he's not going to leave you alone with no family and no support, either," Hermione said with quiet firmness. Sirius felt tears prick his eyes, and then felt shame for crying in front of Hermione. She looked away from him for a moment, and when she spoke her voice was soft. "There is no shame in crying, Sirius. It shows that you have feelings, and a heart. When you are unable to cry, then you should be ashamed."

"What a load of shite. Where did you hear that?" He said, rolling his eyes.

From you.

"Somewhere," she said vaguely, waving a hand. "He was right, though."

"He?" Sirius said with a frown. Hermione rolled her eyes at him.

He can't be jealous of himself, can he?

"It doesn't matter," she said firmly. "It was some old man. He's dead now. He's certainly not going to come sneaking in here to swoop me away."

"Oh," he said. He was still holding her wrist in his hand, and he started to rub the inside of her wrist with his thumb. Butterflies started to dance in her stomach. She was growing warm, and flushed, and her breath caught in her throat. He tugged on her wrist, bringing her face close to his, until she could feel his warm breath on her cheek. Her spine tingled deliciously, and she turned her head so that their lips were an inch apart. His grey eyes stared into hers, and she felt herself slipping into them.

"Am I interrupting something? Because he's supposed to be ill or infirm or whatever it was Mum said. I don't think that is part of his healing regimen," James irritated voice came from the doorway. Hermione sighed and stood up.

"I was just leaving," she said coolly to her brother. "Shall I send Remus up when he arrives?"

"Is Peter coming, too?" Sirius asked curiously. Hermione's face grew hard for a second, and then it softened.

"No, he was…busy, and his parents said he was unable to come," she said, a hint of steel in her voice. James gave her an odd look, but she ignored him, and left the two friends alone.

"Want to talk about Quidditch?" James asked with a grin. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Sure," he said with an answering grin. It might be okay to cry, but Sirius wasn't ready to sit around and talk about his feelings, and James understood that.

"So what do you think about England's chances this year for the World Cup?" James asked curiously. Sirius groaned.

"With Hadleigh as their Keeper? They might as well wish for the moon!" Sirius said with a snort of contempt.

HP/HG/HP

By the time they were ready to go back to school, Sirius was mostly healed. Physically, he was fine. Hermione watched him with solemn eyes, and he would get irritated and huffy, and stomp off. The first few times he did that, the girls of Hogwarts looked positively gleeful. They assumed that Sirius Black had finally come to his senses and was going to dump Hermione Potter. She tried to be patient and understanding. She knew that he needed time and space to process what had happened. He was also an intensely private person, and it was incredibly difficult for him to discuss family business with someone else. Even if that someone else was Hermione. However, these girls—they were about ready to get stomped on. They had no idea with whom they were messing.

"I have no problems with muggleborns," Hermione said darkly one day at lunch. "But if that Becky Spencer insinuates one more time that there is something dirty or wrong with Sirius staying at Potter Manor, I'm going to hex her eyebrows together."

"Why did you preface it like that?" Lily asked, slightly hurt. Hermione sighed and turned to her.

"Because in the pureblood culture, it is completely normal and natural for an orphan, or a child with no living parents, which Sirius is legally, to stay with some sort of relative if his godparents are dead, which his are. We are—very, very distantly—cousins, and it is well within the realm of propriety that he stay with us. His Uncle Alphard is a bachelor, and so it would be a little less appropriate for Sirius to stay there. People would assume that drunken, debauched gatherings were occurring, and no offense meant to Sirius' Uncle Alphard, but there probably would be. Apparently Becky Spencer doesn't understand any of that, and she keeps trying to imply that I'm some sort of sex slave or kept woman," she ranted angrily.

"I vote for sex slave," Sirius said cheerfully, as he sat down next to his girlfriend and kissed her on the cheek. Hermione turned a light pink. James sat down across from him and shot a dirty glare at him.

"I vote we get you a new boyfriend," he growled at his sister. Hermione sighed and looked at Lily who hid a grin. Sirius pouted.

"I wasn't saying she actually was, I was just saying that if we're going to invent gossip, it ought to be really juicy, yeah?" He reasoned logically. James narrowed his gaze at Sirius.

"We are not inventing any gossip about my sister," he said flatly.

"Right, so I think I missed the first part. How come you're supposed to be my sex slave?" Sirius asked curiously. Hermione huffed in irritation.

"It doesn't matter, Sirius," she snapped. He frowned, and slid an arm around her waist.

"Hermione, if it bothers you this much, then, yeah, it does matter," he said firmly. She tossed her wild curls over her shoulder, unwittingly releasing the scent of jasmine in Sirius' face. He inhaled deeply, and had to restrain himself from burying his face in her hair.

"I'm taking care of it," she said with a significant look at Lily. "Don't worry about it."

"Why does that scare me?" James asked the table at large. Remus sat down and snorted.

"Because your sister has a mean wand hand, a vicious temper, and a slightly vindictive side?" He offered. James nodded.

"Yup, that would be it," James said firmly. Hermione glared at the both of them.

"Come on, Lily. We've got things to do," she said firmly.

"That didn't sound ominous," James muttered. Hermione ignored her brother and dragged Lily off with her.

"We're not going to hex Spencer's eyebrows together, are we?" Lily asked curiously. Hermione shook her head.

"Sweet Circe, no! We're going to hunt down Regulus," she whispered to her friend. Lily squeaked in surprise, her emerald eyes wide with shock.

"But, Hermione," Lily said nervously. "He won't talk to us, will he? I mean, you're dating Sirius now, and his family…oh, bother."

"He will," Hermione said firmly. "Trust me."

They found Regulus in a hidden corner of the library, bent over his Ancient Runes homework. After a brief argument that took place in hushed whispers, Lily agreed to be Hermione's lookout. She wasn't worried about Madame Pince. She was far more concerned that Death Eaters not see them together. Hermione sat down next to him, and waited. His eyes flicked to her, and she nodded almost imperceptibly. He sighed, and relaxed slightly.

"I know what you did, Regulus," she whispered. He stared at her.

"Sirius told you?" he whispered back, his face shocked. She shook her head.

"No, but he was incapable of flooing himself, and your family would have just tossed him into the street. Only someone who cared about him would have flooed him to us," she whispered firmly. He nodded.

"This is all true," he murmured, watching her carefully. Hermione was not the kind of girl who would wander in and make observations like this. She must have an ulterior motive. He waited.

"Remember what I said? About choices?" Hermione said softly, watching him. He nodded, his face bleak.

"I must do what he would not," Regulus said so softly she almost couldn't hear him. His lips were barely moving. "They will make me do it early—this summer."

"Just because you must do this for your family, doesn't mean that you are trapped forever," Hermione whispered passionately. "It doesn't mean that you can't make different choices, better choices, in the future."

"You knew this would happen, didn't you," he said thoughtfully, remembering other conversations. "You watched the two of us, and you knew that he would refuse to bow to the Dark Lord."

"Regulus, an idiot could have looked at Sirius as a first year, and know that he would never bow to anyone," Hermione said evasively.

"I suppose that's true," Regulus said stiffly. "I don't care for it, myself. It goes against the grain."

"You are trying to protect your family," Hermione said awkwardly. She would have happily throttled Walburga Black after witnessing her treatment of her eldest son, but she knew it was not as simple as that for Regulus. Family was a delicate, tricky thing. One could hate them and at the same time love them.

"I am," he whispered.

"But the desire to protect your family should not come at the cost of your honor," she said with determination. He nodded imperceptibly. Good. He was listening. "You will see things…terrible things. He is not as he has portrayed himself. It is so much worse than you could ever imagine."

"What would you have me do?" He asked plaintively, his grey eyes tortured in his face. She shook her head at him.

"I want to help you," she whispered. "I want you to be able to make the right choices at the right time."

"Hermione, you want to fight him. You told me that yourself. You want me, on the inside…helping you?" Regulus was staring at her as though he'd never seen her before. "You're insane. You're barking mad."

"No, I'm really not. I already have some help. I just…I don't want to see you fall to him. He's taken too many of our finest, he doesn't deserve anymore of them," she hissed angrily. Regulus blinked at her.

"You've convinced others? It must be Lucius and Severus. Ah. I can see by your face that I am right. You must work on that, Hermione. You'll never survive if you allow your face to give you away," Regulus chided her gently. Hermione scowled at him.

"Well?" she asked him tartly. He frowned and stared at his homework, then he looked at her.

"Do you love my brother?" Regulus asked suddenly. Hermione blushed and bit her lip.

"Regulus," she said softly, reaching out and touching his hand with the tips of her fingers. "I-,"

"I had a crush on you, a while ago, but it was just a silly school boy sort of crush. I think I loved the idea of you—the smart, beautiful pureblood witch—but I think perhaps you would be difficult to love. I'd much rather be your friend," Regulus said firmly, with thinly pressed lips.

"You think I'm too headstrong? I should sit demurely and fold my hands like a lady? I should let all the intelligent, brave wizards make decisions for me, and have them all piss away our world—handing it over to darkness and evil?" Hermione demanded, a scowl forming on her face.

"Perhaps not," he said dryly. "However, I think it would be too hard for me, to love you. You are a little too wild for me, which brings me back to the original question. Do you love my brother?"

"I have loved your brother since first year," she said softly, slowly. "I'm not in love with him, yet, but I think I'm getting there rather quickly."

"Don't hurt him," Regulus said softly. Hermione sighed, and looked up at Regulus.

"I might, you know," she said softly. He nodded, and then looked at his hands.

"I'll help you. What do you want me to do?" Regulus asked after a moment. Hermione held all of her excitement within her. She gave him only a cool nod, but he could have told her that the gleam in her hazel eyes gave her away.

"I will arrange everything through Severus. He'll tell you what to do," Hermione whispered urgently, and then she slipped away.

HP/HG/HP

The room of requirement was the only place that Severus, Lily and Hermione could meet anymore. He was officially a Death Eater now, and he had to keep up appearances. Severus and Hermione had argued and argued about this, but they'd both come to the conclusion that they couldn't keep Lily out—it wasn't fair to her, or to their relationship with her. It would mean Severus and Hermione sneaking around keeping secrets from their blood-sister, and that wasn't right. They'd already made her swear an Unbreakable Vow, and it would cover this as well because Hermione had been very careful in how she'd worded Lily's oath.

"So why was it so important that we meet tonight? I think James is starting to wonder if I've got a secret boyfriend," Lily muttered to Hermione.

"Shush. Let's wait until we get to the room, then we can talk about your lack of a relationship with my brother," Hermione muttered back. Lily sighed.

Severus was pacing back and forth, his school robes billowing as he stalked the room. Hermione quirked a brow at the mental image of a great swooping bat, which Old Hermione supplied. He was nervous, she knew. He was afraid that Lily wouldn't quite understand, that she might hate him, and he wasn't sure if he could deal with her hatred. He hadn't said that out loud in so many words, but Hermione knew.

"What's this all about, Hermione?" Lily asked curiously. Hermione looked at her hands for a moment.

"I…because of…what I am…I'm in terrible danger," she said slowly, cautiously. Lily nodded, she understood all of this, Lucius and Severus had explained it to her. "I don't want to just sit around and wait for him to come get me. I'm going to fight him."

"Fight him?" Lily said blankly, looking from Severus to Hermione who both looked solemn. "You mean…you're going to stand against him? How? Are you going to join the Order? I thought you weren't sure about them."

"I'm not, not completely. It's difficult for me to trust a lot of people," Hermione said slowly. "But I've got a couple other ideas as well."

"Like what? Is it something I could help with? I want to help you, Hermione," Lily said urgently. She hadn't really discussed her fears for Hermione's safety with anyone because there wasn't anyone to discuss them with, but it didn't mean that she hadn't lain awake at night worrying about what might happen. Hermione smiled at her, a warm, genuine smile.

"You have been helping. Remember? You're the one who went to Dumbledore for me. It's going to be things like that, Lily, sneaky things, subtle things that happen behind the scenes. Severus has made a very difficult choice for me, and for all of us really. I need you to understand that, Lily. He's done this for us. Sev?" Hermione looked to her blood-brother, and he pulled up his sleeve and bared his arm to Lily's gaze. She gasped, her eyes wide, staring at his arm for several long moments.

"I'm supposed to cut off all ties with you both," Severus said in his low voice, avoiding Lily's eyes. "We're going to have to stage a public falling out. I'm going to have to say terrible things to the both of you."

"I understand," Hermione said softly, her eyes shining with love and understanding for Severus. Lily looked at Hermione and then turned to Severus.

"You're okay with this? You're willing to…to do this thing for Hermione?" Lily murmured. Severus raised his dark eyes and looked at her.

"Not just for her," he said with a shake of his long black hair. "It's for me, for you, for our world."

"Okay, then," Lily said, and shivered. She moved forward to hug Severus, and he looked startled before he accepted her display of affection. Hermione smiled encouragingly at him, and he released the breath that he'd been holding. They still loved him, even after this. He knew that Hermione would, her love was unconditional, but Lily could be volatile, unpredictable. His arms tightened around her, and he pressed his cheek to the top of her head. Hermione pulled his head down so that she could kiss his cheek, and whisper in his ear.

"You should have faith in me, Sev." Her hazel eyes glinted with humor at him, and he scowled at her.