A/N : As much as i would love to update two chapters a day, it would mean that i will run out of previously written chapters sooner and that would make my updates irregular, something i am not honestly eager to see happen. Sorry!
Hermione never left Sirius's side since the day they had supposedly started dating. They were always together, holding hands, lying on each other, snuggling close or just whispering inconsequential little things.
The relationship had been the final string needed to bind the two groups closer together; and even lily could now manage to stay in James's presence without a scowl for at least three minutes straight.
However today wasn't one of those perfect days, on the contrary it was the day when the Gryffindors understood the exact hazards of having so many strong willed, short tempered and talented young witches and wizards in the same group.
Sirius was fuming, James was storming, Remus was frowning in severe disapproval, Lily was glaring, Marlene was raging, Dorcas was on the verge of exploding and even Alice was wearing an annoyed look.
Right in the middle, Hermione sat in stubborn silence as she worked on an essay for Slughorn, trying her level best and succeeding in ignoring every single one of her friends.
"You're just going to sit there and write that?" Alice asked; her generally soft voice now clipped.
"I could go to the library if you lot let me" Hermione replied calmly.
"We'll be damned if you walk out of here" Lily snapped.
"Then yes, I'm going to sit here and write this" Hermione replied.
"You are really stubborn, you know that?" Remus asked her.
"I've heard" she said with a shrug.
"Some people need to learn to give in once in a while" Marlene asked a little coldly.
"Yes, that would lead to you all doing more productive work than wearing out the floor with so much pacing" She replied just as coldly.
"Don't act smart" Dorcas growled. Hermione merely shrugged but kept her silence.
"We asked you not to sign up" James repeated angrily for the seventh time in ten minutes.
Hermione sighed. She still didn't see why her deciding to stay back at Hogwarts for Christmas was such a crime. She needed the peace and quiet and had counted on that time to clear her head and give a thought to everything she had been running away from.
"Give us one good reason, one good reason why you won't stay over at my place?" Marlene asked her and Hermione noticed for the first time that the girl was taking it personally.
"Marls this isn't about you, I just need some time alone" Hermione said, softening slightly.
"ALONE? Why in the name of Merlin's dirty left sock would you choose to spend Christmas alone?!" Dorcas exploded finally.
The young brunette rubbed her head from the creeping headache as she looked at the ranting girl. "Because that's what I want to do" she said quietly.
"You want to? What is that supposed to be? Some sort of Christmas ritual? Spending the most festive time of the year curled up alone in a large lonely castle?" Dorcas asked, glaring at Hermione in a way that made the brunette wonder why she hadn't been turned to ashes yet.
"If I said yes, would it make you feel better?" She asked as politely as she could.
Remus had to give it to her, the girl had to have a cart load of guts if she was to single handedly hold her own against all of them because it was one of those rare moments when even Sirius refused to stand up for her.
And speaking of Sirius, Remus looked at his fellow marauder to find him sitting across her with tight lips that would give McGonagall a run for her money and everyone could tell that it was a miracle he hadn't yelled yet.
"Fine, what did you do last Christmas season?" Alice asked her in an equally polite voice.
"Scavenge enough mushrooms from the forest to keep us from starving to death, not to mention the time I almost let myself and my best friend get foolishly killed on Christmas eve!" Hermione replied in a rare moment of honesty.
Her answer made Sirius's lips become thinner and for a moment they were all left grasping at thin air as they processed her answer.
"And the year before that?" Dorcas asked, being the first to recover her temper.
"It doesn't matter okay?" Hermione asked, her voice shook slightly, her last reserves of calm running low.
"Right, it doesn't cuz you will have a splendid time with me and my family" Marlene said with finality.
Hermione had however already zoned out, what was wrong with her? She remembered her sixth year Christmas being spent worrying over what was happening with Katy Bell.
The year before that they were at Grimmauld place and all she could remember was trying to make the place habitable again, not exactly anyone's idea of a fun vacation.
Her fourth year, dealing with the Harry's golden egg and dealing with the hatred she received because of her friendship with Krum.
Third year was bad too, help Hagrid with Buckbeak's case, and suffer solitude from her best friends who refused to talk to her
The year before that she was petrified to even know it was Christmas…
And the first year, there was the stone and Flamel…
Where were all the good times?
"I – I just really want – I'm sorry" Hermione said as she suddenly stood up and left the common room, ignoring her outraged friends.
SBHGSBHGSBHGSBHGSBHGSBHGSBHG SBHGSBHGSBHGSBHGSBHGSBHGSB
It was hours before Hermione snuck into the common room again, her friends had all returned to their dorms and she knew they were all angry, even Sirius but she needed to be alone. She had to figure out what she was going to do to save them and as she put it, deal with her past.
She sat alone before the fire for a couple of minutes before finally giving in and climbing up the stairs to the boy's dorm. She gently opened the door to the marauders dorm and crept in. Remus was snoring lightly and James was half falling out of bed but she paid them no heed.
She reached the third bed and silently got into it. Sirius instantly moved to spoon her and hold her close. He watched as she cast a silencing charm and then tucked her wand away. It earned her the first smile from him that day, because he never could get over the satisfaction of how she ever kept her wand away from her person when they were alone.
"I knew you would come" he whispered quietly, already fully awake.
"I'm sorry" She told him genuinely.
"You can still change your mind?" He told her, running a hand slowly across her cheek.
"I – I cant Sirius, please don't make me" She replied avoiding his gaze and burying herself against his chest.
"One good reason love?" he asked, pulling her up gently.
"It's not safe for me outside Hogwarts" She told him, it was the only convincing lie she could come up with and it was partly true.
His whole demeanor changed and he protectively moved himself closer to her, as though shielding her from everything out there. "I never thought of that, I'm sorry" He said in a low voice.
"So am I" She replied as she held him close, before sitting up in bed. He pushed himself up on one arm and watched as she held her knees close to her chest.
"Something is wrong with me Sirius, I can't remember any of the good times I had" She said, her voice quivering.
He sat up and pulled her into him, placing his hands over hers in silent comfort. "Why don't I remember them? It's like there's a dementor stuck permanently in my head" She told him.
"They'll come back to you Mione, I promise its all going to be fine" Sirius replied in his most soothing voice as he pulled her back down.
He spent a little while longer murmuring assurances before she drifted off to sleep with a little smile. A smile that made him sleep a happier man.
SBHGSBHGSBHGSBHGSBHGSBHGSBHG SBHGSBHGSBHGSBHGSBHGSBHGSB
What Sirius had said to get the rest of them lay off she did not know but none of them bothered her about it after that and even Dorcas silently accepted her decision to stay back in the lonely castle.
Hermione was lying happily against him, focusing on the rise and fall of his chest. He was playing with her hair and watching James struggle to pack his trunk with a smirk.
"You are right moony, this is fun to watch" He said casually.
"This is why you shouldn't do his work for him Mione" Remus told her as he rolled his eyes at Sirius.
"No, that attitude is why you should help me with mine" James grumbled making Sirius laugh and Remus sigh heavily.
"Sorry James, you need to get express permission from Remus if I have to do it for you" She replied with a laugh.
He instantly turned with a pathetic expression towards the sandy haired boy who glared at him. "You shouldn't have kept it till the last minute" Remus said but his lips were twitching.
"I'll never leave it this way again" the bespectacled boy vowed.
"You said that the last time and the time before that and the time before tha-" Remus began.
"Okay, okay I get the point" The potter heir muttered.
They watched for a few more minutes, amused at James's attempts of sitting on his trunk trying to get it to close in spite of all the things dumped into it. Hermione finally sighed.
"You are a wizard you know?" she told him.
The next minute, James was dislodged from his place on top of his trunk as it threw itself open. The remaining marauders roared with laughter as Hermione directed her wand. With one neat flick all the things arranged themselves neatly and with another, the trunk was locked and ready to be taken home.
The Quidditch captain didn't care about landing on his ass and he threw himself over Hermione (and Sirius in the process) as he gave her a grateful hug and a brotherly pat on her head.
"You sure you aren't coming down to the station?" he asked. She nodded and smiled as she got up and finally let Sirius go.
"We'll see you soon love" he told her with a warm smile as he picked up his trunk.
"Take care Mione" Remus called, also giving her a hug.
And she watched as the three boys left the room before flopping back into the still warm bed.
A/N : Does anyone have any idea what can be the second genre for this story? i am unable to decide since its a bit of angst but there will be none of that after the first war kick starts...my point is i am confused. What is the other genre? :/