Chapter 28: Bottoms Up
Sirius gaped as Lupin gently prodded him aside and took the steaming concoction.
"I know the full moon is tonight," she said carefully. "Take this now and you'll keep a clear mind through your transformation."
"If I take this you won't tell anyone about me? Or them?"
"I promise," Hermione said with a nod. This was much smoother than she thought it would be. She had expected to be trampled into the dirt by a mixture of hooves and paws by now.
Lupin downed the flask, and James had to hold back Sirius who looked positively livid. His grey eyes kept flitting from his friend to Hermione. She knew Sirius had always resented her from bruising his pride, but this anger was different. She recognized it from that night in her third-year. He thought she was hurting his friends, and that was when he got mad. It seemed he already had that undying loyalty in him.
Looking down, Hermione felt her stomach quell in guilt, then reminded herself she was in the right.
"You're being a prat again," she stated, and Sirius stilled. James loosened his grip; a dire mistake.
Hermione braced herself as she felt his tall frame slam into her. Using the momentum, she rolled up and off her back when they fell down, causing Sirius to roll up and off her. Hermione quickly sat down on his chest and pulled her fist back.
She got in three good punches before James and Peter pulled her off. Her hair looked disheveled, no longer contained in the bun from before, but Sirius looked much worse. His bottom lip was split and blood was streaming from it; a bruise was forming around his left eye.
"This is the thanks I get for using diplomacy!" Hermione snarled in simmering fury.
Posted: 12.2.2011
Word Count: 300
