"I don't want to see you go Hermione but you have to go." Sirus said. "Besides the news of my exoneration by the help of a child hood friend and my daughter will have broken and I want you safely away at Hogwarts when that happens."
"I'm surprised it hasn't already." Hermione replied.
"Bad news travels faster." Sirius said. "And my being exonerated isn't bad news."
"It certainly isn't."
"Sorry to break you two up but Hermione's train is here and she needed to go." Regulaus said.
Hermione hugged Sirius, Remus and Regulaus one last time before climbing on the train back to Hogwarts. She sat alone in a compartment. She pulled out a copy of a Jane Austen book she had since she was eight years old. By the time she got to the part where Mr. Darcy proposed to Elizabeth the first time the train was pulling into the Hogsmeade station.
She was greeted by professor McGonagall.
"Sirius has already sent word." The woman replied. "It'll be good for him to be able to walk around in open air without risk of being arrested."
"I know. If it wasn't for the public not knowing yet he would have went dancing down the street I'm sure." Hermione said. "Have there been any changes in security?"
"No but we will be using the Floo." McGonagall said. "There has been a small connection made to my office for just a few moments so we need to hurry."
Hermione nodded and rushed after her professor. The professor went first followed quickly by Hermione.
"Well you arrived much cleaner than Mr. Potter did after Christmas."
"That sounds like Harry but he prefers the broom."
"And what do you prefer?"
"The train or if I have to rely on myself Apparition, I don't like heights so a broom would be out of the question."
"Interesting but enough about that, I'm sure Misters Potter and Weasley will be waiting to hear how everything went." Professor McGonagall said.
"Thank you Professor." Hermione replied.
She left the professors office and went in hunt of Ron, Harry, and Ginny and tell them about Sirius but didn't find them as it was late.
The next morning Hermione woke up early and went looking for them. She had the greatest news in a long line of horrible news to tell them She didn't find them in any of the public castle areas and figured that they would be in the common room.
"Ginny there you are I've been looking for you everywhere." Hermione said. "Where are Harry and Ron?"
"Over by the fire, they were arguing about something Harry needs to ask Slughorn about." Ginny said. "Completely pointless if you ask me. You won't get anything from that man."
"I agree all though he would gladly accept something from you." Ginny said. "What did you want?"
"Well it's something that I want to tell you and the boys together. So let me get one of them." Hermione said.
Hermione walked over to the fireplace and snuck up behind the two boys and placed her hands on their shoulders –effectively scarring them.
"Hermione, when did you get back?" Harry asked.
"Just now." Hermione told them.
"What about Padfoot?"
"Come with me over to Ginny and I'll tell you." Hermione replied. She left the two boys over to where Ginny was sitting.
They got up from their cozy seats by the fire and quickly followed their best friend. They sat down in the only two chairs left around the table Ginny had been sitting.
"So are you going to tell us now or what?" Harry said. "How did the hearing turn out?"
"It went well." Hermione said. "Sirius is free and cleared of all charges. He was made to pay a small fine for the search effort put in to find him because they thought him to be a mass murder."
"So he's free?"
"Yep but he hasn't been out much because the press has yet to report it but I suspect a story will be in the prophet in the next couple of days because of a letter I sent anonymously just before I left for Kings Cross."
"Sirius doesn't know?" Ron asked.
"No and he thinks that the press will hound me once they find out about my being his daughter." Hermione said. "The only one I would be worried about is Rita for obvious reasons."
"It'll get her off everyone else back for a while but I would hate to learn what she says about you, your mom and or Sirius." Harry replied. "You saw what she did with the tournament."
"That is going to suck." Hermione said. "But at least we know how to fight her."
"How?" Ron asked.
"Stock up on bug repellent." Hermione replied.
"What would that have to do with anything?" Ron replied.
"Well Ron if you had remembered you would realize that Rita can turn into a beetle a type of bug."
"She's an animagus?" Ron asked.
"I've told you that before but yes she is and she is also not registered." Hermione said. "I can always report her to the animagus registration board."
"How much trouble would she get into?" Ginny asked. "There has to be something right?"
"The punishment ranges from a small fine to a one or three week stay in Azkaban." Hermione said. "Oh Harry I forgot Sirius told me to give you this."
Hermione had pulled a letter out from her bag and pushed it over to Harry.
"I have no idea what it says but Sirius said it was for your eyes only." Hermione replied. "So how is the Slughorn thing going?"
"I haven't done much with it." Harry replied. "Slughorn has been avoiding me like I have the black plague. I have even started using my invisibility cloak and he still manages to get away from me."
"He's telling the truth on that one Hermione. Slughorn has even avoided me." Ron said. "He probably thinks that I'm trying to help Harry somehow, which I am doing of course."
"I could try if you wanted me to." Ginny said. "It wouldn't be any trouble."
"I have to do it." Harry said.
"You have to get that memory, Harry; it's the key to Voldemort." Hermione said. "Everything happing now is partially because of that memory."
The bell rang sending several students scattering to their classes.
"Why do you look so terrified?" Hermione asked Ron.
"We have the apparition test today," Ron replied.
"You do fine," Harry told Ron. "The most you lost last time was an eyebrow."
"Yeah and if I lose one during the test I'll fail and have to wait to take the test again." Ron said.
"And you think I don't worry about that?" Hermione asked him. "Come on we better get going."
Hermione and Ron went down to Hogsmeade with the others taking the test. Even thought there were many that needed to be tested they went one by one. Hermione went before Ron and passed with flying colors. She chose to stay and support Ron. She didn't get to see him go though the test just like he didn't get to see her.
She sat at a table with Lavender and waited for Ron.
"I hope he did okay." Lavender said.
"I hope he did too but with Ron's nerves who knows what's going to happen." Hermione replied.
"When's Cedric supposed to be here?"
"I don't know. He had to go on a trip for his school but he said he would try and sneak away if he could." Hermione said.
"I think he made it," Lavender said. "Isn't that him over there by the door?"
"I think it is." Hermione said as Cedric started to walk over.
"Sorry it took so long. My group went to see some film and I said I didn't feel well and went back to the hotel."
"Sneaky," Hermione said. "So how long do you have?"
"Three hours. They went to a double feature I think they called it. What are you doing?"
"Waiting for Ron,"
"Well here he comes," Lavender said. "I can't tell if he passed or not."
"I think he would rush over and tell you if he did." Hermione replied. "Or maybe he's just shocked that he actually passed on the first try. It's like muggle teenagers they have to take a test before they can drive a car and not everyone passes the first time."
"You have to take a test so you can drive?" Cedric asked.
"Yeah you do and it's very much like the apparition test except the examiner is in the car with you."
"I don't think I would have passed if I had to do a side along apparition." Cedric replied.
"What are you doing here Cedric?" Ron asked walking up to the table with butterbeer in hand.
"Stopped by to see Hermione and see how she did with the apparition test." Cedric replied. "How did you do?"
"Uh…"
Later that afternoon Ron and Hermione arrived back at the castle.
"Harry I passed." Hermione cried when she spotted him. "And Ron did to."
"You did?" Harry asked Ron.
"I know I was surprised that I passed to." Ron said.
"Where's Lavender I thought she went with you?" Harry asked.
"One of her friends and a boy emergency," Ron said. "Did you get anywhere with Slughorn?"
"I tried and failed." Harry said. "It's almost like he has a tracking device on me and hurries from the room whenever I appear unless it's a class period."
"That sucks." Ron said. "Have you thought of any other way to get the memory?"
"I don't know." Harry said. "It's probably going to take a stroke of luck for me to get the memory."
"That's it Harry." Hermione said. "Luck all you need is a bit of luck and you have a bottle of that in your trunk."
Harry didn't reply he just seemed to go into a trance.
"Harry are you going to use your Felix Felicis or not?" Ron asked.
"I don't think I have any other choice and I don't have to drink the whole thing. Only enough for one or two hours should be good."
"It's a great feeling when you take it," Ron said. "Like there isn't anything you can't do."
"How would you know, you've never taken it." Hermione said.
"But I thought that I had." Ron said. "And don't think that it can be that different from the real thing."
They spent the next few hours talking about what Harry was going to do. It was finally decided that he would take the potion not long after it had gotten dark, after he had taken the potion he would sneak out of the common room under his invisibility cloak and over to Slughorn's classroom.
When the time came the trio escaped up to Harry and Ron's dorm. Harry rummaged around in his trunk for the rolled-up pair of socks that held the potion he was going to take.
He uncorked the little bottle.
"Here it goes." Harry said before he took a small gulp.
"Do you feel any different?" Hermione asked.
Harry didn't answer at first.
"Not really," Harry replied. "I do feel a bit warmer and now I have the vague feeling I should go to Hagrid's."
"You can't go you need to find Slughorn and get that Memory." Hermione snapped.
"I'm going to Hagrid's I have the feeling I should go to Hagrid's and I am going." Harry told them.
"IT's that stinking spider ain't it?" Ron asked.
"Well yeah, we didn't go to the burial of the spider and I figure I could at least before for Hagrid now." Harry said pulling the invisibility cloak out of his bag. "I just feel like that Hagrid's hut is the place to be tonight."
"Harry you have to be careful." Hermione said. "Who knows how long the Felix Felicis will last."
"Yeah you have to be careful mate." Ron told him.
Harry just laughed at them. Hermione and Ron retuned his laugh with a look that said they thought that he was crazy.
"Trust me, I'll be fine," He told them. "I have the Felix Felicis on my side tonight." He walked over to the door. "I know what I'm doing the right thing."
Harry threw the cloak over himself and started down the stairs, Ron and Hermione hurried along behind him. Harry slipped through the open door when he got to the bottom of the stairs. He bumped into Lavender.
"What was that?" Lavender asked.
"It was Harry." Ron whispered. "He's going to see Slughorn about something."
"Oh, Have you seen Pavarti, Claire is still crying her eyes out."
"She went to get something from the dorm." Hermione replied. "At least that's where she was headed the last I saw her."
Getting Harry out of the common room was easy. He climbed into the portrait hole himself but bumped into Ginny as he did it. Ginny snipped at Dean thinking it was him. Hermione wanted to point out that it wasn't Dean that had bumped into her but she thought it wise to keep what Harry was up to quiet. Hermione and Ron went to sit by the fire place with Lavender when the Portrait swung closed behind him.
"I hope it goes well," Hermione whispered. "A potion could only do so much."
"He'll be fine Hermione. Mind you Hermione he doesn't have old Voldie on his tail this time, only Flitch."
"True." She replied. "But there are so many things that could go wrong."
Just then an owl swooped into the room, dropped a letter into Hermione's lap and swooped right back out. Hermione grabbed the letter and opened it.
"It's from my dad." Hermione told Ron and Lavender.
"You should probably go to your dorm to read that in privet." Ron said.
"Why I won't say anything?" Lavender said.
"It's because of who her dad is. Not very many people know who he is." Ron Replied.
"Oh, he's not dangerous or anything is he?" Lavender asked.
"He isn't but people thought that he was." Hermione replied. "But it's going to come out in the papers soon and everyone will know about it. I'm pretty sure I won't want to leave the dorm."
"That bad," Lavender asked.
"Yeah it is," Hermione replied. "I mean he's broken rules before but he certainly isn't what everyone thought he was."
"So how different was he from what people thought?" Lavender asked.
"He's a bit like Harry actually or Harry is like him," Ron said.
"I'm going to go to bed." Hermione said. "We don't know when Harry'lll be back and I want to get some sleep."
They bid their goodnights and Hermione left them there by the fire. She climbed into bed and read the letter.
Hermione,
I've gotten word from a friend at the prophet that the story of my innocence will be published tomorrow.
Dad