Believe in Me- Demi Lovato
I don't wanna be afraid
I wanna wake up feeling beautiful today
And know that I'm okay
Cause everyone's perfect in their usual way
So you see, I just wanna believe in me
The mirror can lie
Doesn't show you what's inside
And it, it can tell you you're full of life
It's amazing what you can hide
Just by putting on a smile
Hermione was nervous; it was only a few days until the Christmas break was over and the school aged kids would be going back to Hogwarts. She had been in the Black family library reading. She saw Kreacher appear in the hallway. She had figured he came from Mrs. Black's old room.
Later that day Harry deemed it creepy the way Kreacher was looking at him; Hermione agreed. The trio, Ginny and the twins all tried their best to stay away from Kreacher. The end of holiday depression crept over everybody. Hermione could tell Sirius was hit with the worse of it; he was going from a full house to and to and empty or almost empty house.
Besides Sirius depression of everybody leaving; the trio's time before school started again was quite an uneventful; at least until Professor Snape Showed up at Grimmauld Place. Mrs. Weasley had come in the drawing room and dragged Harry to talk to him. She and Ron had been ordered to stay up stairs.
Harry had returned a few minutes later with a grim look on his face.
"So what was that about?" Ron asked.
"I have to take Occlumency lessons from Snape."
"What is that?" Ron asked.
"Occlumency allows someone to close their mind from another person's intrusion."
"Yeah that's what Snape said. Well he said I had to close my mind to Voldemort not really anyone else. Sirius doesn't seem too happy about it." Harry told them both.
"I don't think they like each other. They had pure hatred on their faces when we saw them in the Shrieking Shack third year." Hermione replied back.
"You don't know the half of it their conversation down stairs ended with them drawing their wands after Sirius said something about a chemistry set."
"It doesn't matter it would be good for you if the nightmares stop." Hermione told him.
"I'd keep them because we would know what he was up to." Ron said.
"All children bed now. We don't want to be running late tomorrow." Mrs. Weasley screamed up the stairs at all the kids.
The kids did as they were told and the sounds of their footsteps on the stairs could be heard. The twins were heard with two identical pops going to their room.
~!~
The morning was rushed like Hermione knew it would be. The Weasley's could never go out leaving on time. Breakfast was just eggs and toast. Tonks and Lupin arrived shortly before ten.
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked Lupin.
"Were your escorts for the day." Lupin replied.
"Well I'll go check the route." Tonks told Lupin before leaving.
Lupin gave her a nod of acknowledgement before going over to talk to Sirius who looked grimmer than he did the day before.
Twenty minutes later Lupin stood up and declared. "Time to leave."
The bags were grabbed and dragged out side; one person leaving at a time. Ginny went after Mrs. Weasley left. Ron and the twins followed them. Hermione went before Harry. She watched as he was stopped by Sirius saying one final good bye. He was looking at Harry talking about something before handing over a package. 'Belated Christmas gift.' Hermione thought. Sirius and Harry hugged before Harry was rushed away so they could get to the train in time.
When the group gets to the corner Lupin summons the night bus. Stan Shunpike was still the conductor and had to be quieted by Tonks when he began talking to Harry Very loudly. Hermione was surprise to learn that they just took the night but to Hogsmeade instead of Kings Cross station.
Hermione's first day back was uneventful, mostly because she couldn't get away to check her potion but she still had a few days until it was truly finished. It was also made slightly unpleasant because she like Harry was asked when the next DA meeting was. Cedric came back on the train like most of the other students but Hermione hadn't had the chance to talk to him. She watched as Harry came to hate Snape slightly more by telling Harry that he had to tell people he was taking remedial potions on Monday nights.
While Harry was taking his 'potion' lesson Hermione used his cloak to check on her potion. It was nearly there and would only take a few days for it to finish off.
"So how's your potion?" Someone asked.
Hermione jumped and turned around. "Cedric?"
"Yeah so how is it?" He asked walking up to her.
"Fine it's just a few days from being finished."
"So are you going to go to Hogsmeade on the next visit?"
"Right now I don't have plans to but they could change from now until then." Hermione replied.
"I'd go but it's not the same when you have people staring at you when you are supposed to be dead."
"You know how Harry feel's now. You still have your parents buy your famous for surviving an attack by Voldemort and Harry was the only one to do that before and he was a baby. If you need someone to talk to, talk to him." Hermione told Cedric.
"Well thanks I might take that idea up. I'll let you know so you could let Harry know."
"Yeah." Hermione replied.
Cedric moved passed Hermione to catch up to a friend he saw down the hall. Hermione went to the library to wait for Harry to get back from his lesson with Snape. An hour had passed before Harry showed up. He looked tired and mad.
"You okay?" Ron asked.
"Yeah. I finally remember where I recognize door in my dream from."
"Where?" Hermione asked.
"The Ministry of Magic; I think Ron's dad said that it leads to the Department of Mysteries." He told them.
"You sure?" came from Ron.
"Yeah it's the door I saw when your dad was attacked." Harry told him.
"When's you next lesson with Snape?" Hermione asked.
"Wednesday. I don't think I'll get it any time soon but Snape is taking precautions."
"Precautions?" Ron said raising an eye brow.
"He takes his memories out before I even get there. I saw him putting them back when I left to night."
"I'm finished Hermione. Let's go back to the common room before we get in trouble with the toad." Ron said shoving his charms book back into his bag.
"I can tell you now that it won't be quiet."
"How would you know Hermione?" Harry asked.
"I saw Fred and George preparing for a demonstration I have no idea what they will be demonstrating but they better not be using first years." Hermione said.
The trio got back to the common room without running into the toad and or Slytherins, and sure enough when the climbed through the portrait hole; Fred and George where standing at the head of a small crowed. They twins were taking turns of taking orders and trying on the hat that apparently mad the wearers head invisible.
"Headless Hat's watch your friend's eyes bug out when your head disappears during a duel." Fred said to a few third years.
Harry didn't stay in the common room and headed up to bed. Ron told Hermione good night before heading up behind Harry. Hermione stayed in the common room and walked over to where Ginny was sitting.
"You find anything out?" Ginny asked once she sat down.
"No. I'm still a few days off." Hermione told her.
"What are you going to do when you find out?" Ginny asked.
"Wait until school is out so I could see him in person."
"Why not write a letter."
"I don't think that this is something I could put into a letter I believe it has to be done face to face." Hermione told Ginny.
"I believe you. I wouldn't do a letter either. I would do it if the person was dead and I needed to contact their family."
~!~
Ginny's pep talk the night before was doing no good for Hermione now. She was in the bathroom they had used to brewed a sixth year potion in second year. She looked a little worse for wear. She cleaned up her face which made her look ten times better. After cleaning up she made her way to where her potion was.
She had to make a few detours after running into Draco and his cronies. They of course made cracks about her being muggle born but she was used to it. She ignored them and continued walking. She had wanted to come and check on her potion earlier this morning but didn't have the time because of her classes.
The potion was finished except for the final ingredient she needed to add. She added it and stirred the potion like the instructions said and slowly letters that looked like flames were appearing in the liquid.
The letters of her father's name appeared two by two one minute after the two before it.
Si first
ri second
us third
Or forth
io fifth
nB sixth
la seventh
ck eighth
Sirius Black was her father. Yeah he was on the list but she would have never thought he would really be her father. How did he write when he was in Azkaban? Did he try his hardest to see her?
~!~
Hermione didn't notice that someone was watching her as she left. They lurked in the shadows watching her. Having cleaned up what she could of her potion she left.
The person in the shadows went into the secret passage way to see what the young brunette had been doing. They didn't find anything but wrappers from chocolate frogs and a puddle of liquid. On a closer look they saw faded letters in the liquid.
They quickly wrote the letters down and hurried out of the broken down passage way. They had a feeling that a certain professor would like to have this information.