A/N:
So, yeah. I had not planned in having a chapter ready so soon, my plan was (and still is) to take my time instead of updating as regularly as I had been doing before the hiatus.

I had some ideas for this chapter, however, and didn't want to lose them and it kind of all came together in this chapter.
I do feel it's a bit all over the place, so I apologize if it doesn't entirely make sense or if I have forgotten something ._. There's bound to be mistakes.

Please let me know if this is the case and I'll edit it!

That being said, please enjoy this next chapter :) and let me know what you think of it!

Friendly reminder:

"Speaking in the native language of the character's pov."

"Speaking in another language."

"Speaking through Legilimency"

Chapter 47: It never goes how you want it to

"Honey, please stop pacing, you're driving me insane." His wife said from the corner of his eye, as she watched Inoichi walk back and forth for the hundredth time. "She's back in the village, safe and sound. The Hokage informed you of this, no? So just give it time."

"I know that, dear, I know. It's just-" He sighed. Stopping at the table his wife sat at, he leaned forward and rested his palms on the back of a chair. "I screwed up. What if she doesn't come back, because of that? And damnit, why do I care so much?"

"Because despite your profession, you have a kind heart, Inoichi. And somehow she crept into our hearts, sooner than any of us could've imagined with someone that wasn't from the village. But also, try to see it from her perspective. Especially since she's not from a shinobi village like we are."

His wife was right, he knew. But he also knew that this was how life was in Konoha, something Hermione was going to have to get used to. Things weren't all rainbows and sunshine. The life of a shinobi was messy, and therefore life in Konoha was too. It was like this in all hidden villages. There was nothing he could do about that. The only thing he could do was keep her safe, to the best of his abilities. Her reaction, the trust that had been betrayed… It hadn't gone how he had wanted it to go. And that was on him.

Biting the inside of his cheek, he tried to think about his options going forward. For all the experience he had, he knew this was something he would have to talk to someone about. Someone who could look at this, at least somewhat, objectively. Inoichi nodded, having made up his mind. Surely his close friends would be able to give him some insights, seeing as they weren't close to Hermione.

"I'm going out for a bit." He told his wife. He didn't wait for a response, he didn't need to. His wife knew what he needed in moments like these. The second he stepped outside, he was and wasn't surprised to see Shikaku waiting for him on the other side of the road. His friend was too smart for his own good.

"Going for a walk, huh?" He raised an eyebrow at Inoichi. "Come on, let's make it a drink instead, it's on me." With that, Inoichi watched Shikaku walk away, already aware that Inoichi would follow. Damn his friend for knowing him so well.

They found a quiet corner in one of the bars near their district. From his seat, he could see the buildings across the street. Immediately one stood out to him. The sign specifically, a three-headed dog, under it the name of the bar, 'Keruberosu'. If he remembered correctly, Sirius' bar in Tanzaku Gai had the same name. He'd almost forgotten that the man had opened a bar here too. Or well, it didn't look open, yet. No doubt it would be soon, once he got everything in order.

"So, what's on your mind?"

Inoichi sighed. "You already know what's on my mind."

"Alright, so what are you going to do about it?" Inoichi shot him a look, to which Shikaku responded with a raised brow, as if saying 'What?' Then, "fine, come with facts. What do you know?"

"I don't-" A sigh."How-" This is embarrassing. Get your act together Inoichi, he told himself. "I know I can't baby her. I know that I couldn't have done it any differently because at the end of the day, she had to go to T&I. I know that I can't protect her from all the things that she's not used to. This is not the same as her country. It will never be the same. So I know I can't do anything about that. And as long as she's staying here, either voluntarily or because there's simply no way back, she's going to have to deal with the way we do things in Konoha."

"Hm." Shikaku took a sip of the sake in front of him. "Good. You've thought about this quite a bit, it seems."

Inoichi scoffed, looking down at his own cup of sake. "Of course I have. I didn't take her in just to throw her out again. I want to fix this. There's got to be a way to fix what I did and-"

"You can't." Inoichi fell silent.

"You can't fix what happened. The trust she had in you is gone. To her, you betrayed her."

"Wha-"

"Roles reversed, how would you feel about this?"

"This is not at all the same," Inoichi responded, confused. "Our upbringings are vastly different."

"Exactly."

"..." Right. He sighed, "alright. I get it. I fucked up." Shikaku sure didn't sugar coat anything. Not that he expected that to happen. It's one of the reasons he appreciated Shikaku as a friend. He could always depend on him to say how it was, without being biased.

"Yes and no."

Sometimes this man could be very infuriating. "Care to elaborate?" Yet, before Shikaku could, Chouza appeared and sat down next to Inoichi.

"Ah, here you two are." Inoichi looked at him incredulously, then hung his head, defeated. It seems his friends weren't going to pull their punches. He should've expected this. Chouza signaled at the bartender for another cup. "So, finally decided to ask for some input, hm?"

"Please, not you too." Inoichi groaned. Yet, he did appreciate his friends. He knew he should've gone to them sooner, but while he had lots of strengths, he also had weaknesses. Stubborn being one of them. He wanted to figure it out himself, he wanted to find the way to fix this himself. But Shikaku had a point. You can't fix something like broken trust. After all, when the paper's crumpled up it can't be perfect again.

"Come on, friend. Don't be so down." Chouza said as he patted Inoichi on his shoulder rather hard. "In the most ideal scenario, you wouldn't have needed to bring her to T&I and it would all be dandy. But, we don't live in a world like that. We live in a world with spies, mercenaries and assassins. She could've very well been one, especially since she arrived here in such a suspicious manner." He took a sip of his own sake, having received a cup as well. "And all things considered, we all went easy on her."

"I agree," Shikaku interjected. "She's been very lucky to have come across these specific shinobi and not others. Most others would either have taken her out, seeing her as a threat, or would have maken sure she would never get out of T&I, seeing all her abilities are not at all what we're used to. If I'm being honest, depending on the circumstances, there's a good chance I would fall under this group as well."

"I know," Inoichi sighed. "I know." They were right, of course. Taking in account everything, they went incredibly easy on her. Maybe because of the things that happened around her arriving here, he wasn't sure. Somehow she easily got the trust of the shinobi she came in contact with. Hell, even Ibiki, who barely trusted his own mind, trusted her at least somewhat. Given the chance they may even become friends. He snorted at that thought. The day that happened was the day they should all run for cover. It would be the end of the world, most likely.

"What?"

"I just imagined her and Ibiki-san becoming friends."

Chouza barked out a laugh, "that would be incredibly bad for all of us, ha!" Even Shikaku smirked at that.

Inoichi's smile fell from his lips when he thought about the reason he was sitting at this table. "Seriously though, what do I do?"

The other two men at the table were silent for a moment. "Wait until she's ready to talk to you. And when she does, hear her out," Chouza supplied. "I would imagine she feels betrayed. And knowing what we know about her and where she's from, I can't say I blame her for feeling like that. So the only way to go about it is to give her a chance to explain to you what it meant to her. What it did to her. And with that information, you can both work towards mending this trust, if both of you are willing."

Shikaku added, "that being said, this is much bigger than just her, of course. And at some point she'll have to understand this too. What happened to her was hurtful, sure, but it's also how it works here. Whether she likes it or not, it is what it is. This is something that she will need to accept at some point. As long as she's living here, she'll have to deal with that"

"Yeah," Inoichi said softly. "Yeah, I know. I- Thank you. Both of you. I know you don't fully agree with my choices regarding Hermione," he said, glancing at Shikaku. The man had told him as such. He may have spent some time with Hermione, but Shikaku wasn't as trusting as he was. In his opinion there were still a lot of holes in her story, and he supposed he was right. Yet, in Inoichi's mind, people were allowed to have at least a little privacy, and that's saying something from a man whose job it was to find out every little detail about someone's life. As long as it wasn't harmful to the village, which unfortunately was rarely the case. "But I do appreciate your input."

"Of course. That's what we're here for."

The trio sat in the bar a little while longer, finishing the bottle of sake Shikaku had ordered. It was about an hour later when Inoichi stood up. "I should head back home. I want to be home when- well, you know, just in case. Thank you again, my friends." He said with a small bow.

Shikaku and Chouza gave him a nod and a wave as he left. Pocketing his hands, he spared another glance at the sign of Sirius' bar. That man was yet another piece of the puzzle that made everything all the more complicated. He had been here so much longer than Hermione had, which gave him an advantage. One that Hermione didn't have. While that man could be terrifying as well, however, he was more worried about Hermione. He just hoped she would give him the chance to hear her out.

She raised her hand and knocked on the door. Lowering her hand, she waited. It's still so cold, she thought as she rubbed her hands together. She couldn't wait for the weather to get better. Looking up, clouds were forming, indicating that rain would soon follow. Cursing under her breath, because being in the cold was one thing, but that didn't mean she liked the rain. She became more and more impatient with every second that ticked by. The man was home, she was sure. Then, the hallway light went on, faintly shining from under the door. "Bloody finally," she murmured.

The door opened a second later, "Miss Weasley?"

Flashing a smile, she greeted the older man at the door. This had been the first time she had gone here alone, so she figured it couldn't hurt being polite.

"Hi, Mr. Dumbledore. My apologies for dropping by unannounced. May I come in?"

He studied her for a moment longer, before stepping aside, making room for her to enter the house. "Of course. Please, come in."

"Thank you." Ginny stepped inside, shrugging off her coat and hanging it on the coat rack. Inside the man's home it was nice and warm, the fireplace crackling in the background.

"Tea?"

"Sure, why not."

"Please, have a seat. I'll be right out." Mr. Dumbledore said as he disappeared into the hallway.

Ginny let her eyes wander, never having bothered to actually take in the inside of Aberforth Dumbledore's home. On one wall there stood a huge bookcase, filled to the brim with books. That's a collection a lot of people would be jealous of.

"So, Miss Weasley, to what do I owe you this visit?" He asked as he handed her a cup of tea. He sat down in his armchair in front of her, taking a careful sip of his own tea.

"Actually, I was wondering if you had any information regarding Hermione? New or old," she added, knowing that the man knew more than he had initially shared with them. Ginny came here today, hoping the man would give her more information to work on.

"Ah, I see. Still no word then?"

"No, sir. Nothing. We're getting rather worried. Again." It had been several weeks, after all. Normally no news was good news. But this wasn't a normal situation. Not at all. Her friend was somewhere and they had no idea where.

"I'm afraid there's not much I can do to ease off that worry you have. I've told you all I could tell you."

"Well, yes. I'm aware." Ginny replied, getting annoyed. "But you know more than you told us. You said so yourself when you first came to us." Her steel glare didn't seem to phase Aberforth at all.

"Yes, I did, I did say that." He responded calmly. "However, I also said it was not something for me to tell. It's something she needs to tell you. And with time, she will."

This was getting infuriating. "How do you know? But what if she's in danger? What if the information you have will help us save her and get her home?"

"It won't." His answer was short. Clipped. There was no way this man was going to budge, was there?

"How can you be sure?" Frustration and desperation bleeding into her voice.

"Trust me, child. I'm sure." Ginny swallowed the words threatening to spill out. "The information Miss Granger has shared with me- believe me when I say that it won't help you with this. If anything, it could very possibly do the opposite."

"Are you sure? I mean, she vaguely mentioned something about the veil, which is why Harry is pressuring the Ministry to look into it. If it's somehow a portal to where she is.. I mean, if that's the case-"

"Miss Weasley." He said sternly and it felt like she was being scolded by a teacher while being a first-year at Hogwarts. "You forget she wasn't anywhere near this veil. Do not latch on to 'what ifs'. Whether or not the veil is a portal, Hermione didn't go through it. Not only that, it is also much too dangerous. Everyone that is aware of this veil knows, all the people that fell through it, haven't and won't ever come back."

"Right. But, since she hasn't gone through it, doesn't that mean she has a chance of coming back?" There had to be something, right?

"I do not know. I wasn't there when she was taken from here, so I cannot say with certainty if it's in any way connected."

"Right. Okay." Ginny couldn't help sounding defeated. She had really hoped to at least go home with some news. But she had gotten fuck all. Placing her teacup on the table in front of her, she gathered herself and stood up. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Dumbledore. I'll let you enjoy the rest of your day."

Ginny walked out of the room, grabbing her coat. If the man had said anything to her as she walked off, she didn't hear it. Without looking behind her or even saying farewell, she opened the door and walked out with a heavy heart. This hadn't gone how she hoped it would. They were still no step closer to getting their friend back. And she feared what this would do to Harry.

The closer Hermione got to the Yamanaka residence and well.. her current home, the more nervous she got. Sirius had a keen eye, if he said so himself. Hermione's entire posture screamed nerves. Granted, it made perfect sense that she was, especially since they were about to go back to the home the person, who caused all this, lived. If he remembered correctly, and he knew he did, Inoichi was home most evenings and today would probably not be an exception. Knowing this, he knew the least he could do was come along with her. And of course, he also had an alternative motive of coming along. He wanted to have a word with the man because clearly he had no idea how to deal with people that hadn't grown up in a shinobi village.

Before long, they had reached their destination. Instead of going towards the door to knock she lingered on the street, glaring at the door like that was the object that caused her so much grief. "Are you gonna knock, or what?" Sirius asked, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

He saw the turmoil on her face. He knew she had grown to love these people, so he could only imagine how torn she was about what to do and how to act. Yet, being the Gryffindor she was, he was surprised that she stayed rooted in one spot instead of barging in like she normally would. "I-", she started but any words she seemed to want to say wouldn't come out. She shook her head and shrugged, eyes pointed towards her feet.

"You'll be fine, love. I'm right here, alright?" He moved closer and placed his hand on her lower back, gently coaxing her to move forward. As soon as they arrived at the door, he knocked twice, before turning back to the teen next to her.

As soon as the door opened, he said. "Hi, how's it going? Mind if we come in? Also, is your husband home? I need to have a word with him."

The matriarch of the Yamanaka clan nodded and further opened the door to let them in, no doubt aware of the seriousness of the situation. It was only because Sirius has been inside this house several times already, that he knew the layout and knew exactly where to go.

"Please don't leave me alone with him," she whispered to him, grabbing his arm.

"I won't love. I'll be right here. You just sit tight while I talk to him, alright?"

He guided her to sit down, while taking his sleeping cousin from her arms. "Would you mind taking him for a moment?"

"Of course not. We've missed the boy." As soon as the woman took hold of the infant, he turned his focus back to Hermione. His knees cracked as he crouched down to try and look her in the face, but her wild busy hair obscured the view of her face. The moment he crouched down, however, she locked eyes with him.

"I don't think I can do this." Her voice was soft in his head. "I'm not ready yet."

"That's fine. That's your right. You don't have to talk to him if you're not ready."

"Everything alright?" Inoichi asked, from behind him. Bloody shinobi, he mentally cursed. Always popping up out of nowhere. He decided to ignore the man for now.

Hermione kept her eyes on Sirius and softly shook her head. "I'm not." She whispered to him.

"You don't have to be."

He was no empath, so he could only imagine the onslaught of emotions Hermione felt at this moment. She looked terrified, though.

"Is there anything I can-"

"No, not at this moment. However I do think we should have a word. Don't you?" Sirius said as he stood back up, turning to look at Inoichi with a blank look on his face. The blonde hair nodded and glanced at his wife before walking out the room. Sirius took it as a request to follow him, so he did.

"So, how mad is she?" Inoichi asked the moment Sirius closed the door, switching to his own language. That was alright, if the man was too uncomfortable to talk in English, he didn't mind switching. While he was furious at him, he did respect him to some degree. That didn't mean he would go easy on him.

"I wouldn't say she's mad," he started as he walked around the room, it looked like a study of sorts. "Hurt? Yes. Humiliated? Yes. Feeling like her trust has been betrayed like a knife in the back after what she's done to comply and work with you all? Oh, that's a definite yes."

"Alright, alright. I get it. I fucked up." Oh hell no, this man had no right acting like he was the victim in this.

"Oh, mate, you did much more than fuck up." He let out a scoff. "She's told you, right? About what she's been through?"

"She has told me about her past, if that's what you mean. About her time at school and the war there after that." Inoichi confirmed.

"She told you the facts." Sirius corrected him. "She told you about the events that happened. Not the effect it had on her."

"It's not hard to imagine what it can do to someone-"

Sirius was quick to interrupt him. "That's where you're wrong. You have no idea. You can't, you weren't there."

"Neither were you, if I'm not mistaken."

"No, you're right. For the most part, I wasn't there. But I grew up there, in more similar circumstances than any of you here ever could. Yet, even

I can't imagine what it did to any of them. These were kids that were not trained to fight. Kids that did not know what they were getting themselves into. They were still in school. Kids, innocent kids, that got tortured and killed because of a madman's thirst for power." Sirius felt his magic thrumming under his skin. He hadn't been angry like this in a long time. Inoichi fell silent at his outburst. Good. Maybe now the man would understand what they were trying to say.

"I'll tell you this, and you better listen, because I'll only tell you once." He took a deep breath, calming himself down. "She will need time. You will wait for her to be ready. And once she is, you will listen."

"I will. Everyone's been telling me the exact same thing."

"Well, then everyone is a whole lot smarter than you are." The younger man looked defeated when he said that. Which somewhat pleased Sirius. It wasn't about him though. Hermione was the one that got hurt here. Hermione would probably forgive him either way. If not immediately, then sooner rather than later. Without another world he walked from the room. Sirius hadn't planned for this outburst, however. So, he might have to apologize for this at some point. Ah well, things never went how he hoped it would. Did it ever?

Shit. Shitshitshit. This wasn't good. Kakashi clenched his teeth as he removed the kunai that had been embedded into his leg. The clash of metal was still all around him and he knew he didn't have time for this at all. Quickly grabbing the bandages from his pouch, he unrolled it and wrapped it around the wound in a swift but precise manner. Something flew by his head, missing him by an inch. His eye widened as he realized what it was. Shit. Fuck. A millisecond later an explosion erupted where the stray kunai with the explosive tag had landed, destroying nearly everything in its vicinity.

Several trees away from the explosion, Kakashi landed on one of the bigger branches. He wobbled on his feet, clutching his arm, leaning against the tree trunk for stability. He quickly studied his arm, but he knew he wouldn't be able to use that arm for the time being. Damnit. This entire mission had gone to hell. The mission they had received had been simple and straightforward. Investigate certain known locations of abandoned labs not too far from Konoha, where there had been sightings of Root operatives. They were to gather as much incriminating evidence as they could, regarding Danzo. And most importantly: they were never there. If anyone caught wind of them snooping around, it could work against them. But of course, it was always easier said than done. It didn't take long before they were surrounded and outnumbered. Their only way to get out of there alive was to fight.

A series of explosions filled the area, indicating that the fight wasn't over yet. Get your act together, Kakashi, he ordered himself. It's time to get this over with. Lifting up his Sharingan, he quickly pinpointed all the shinobi in the area, one of them Genma. Good, he'd better not die on him. Using his left hand, he weaved the seals needed for his signature jutsu and focused his lightning chakra in his palm. He only needed one arm for this. Sparks flew around as the jutsu came to life, followed by the telltale screeching sound. His Sharingan easily pinpointed the first, closest, target. Within a flash, his hand pierced the enemy's heart. The teen was by no means gentle or compassionate, as he pulled out his arm, threw the body on the ground and continued to shred through all the other shinobi in the area, dropping bodies as he went.

His lungs were fighting for air as he looked around, seeing all the dead bodies around him. He knew he'd gotten all of the ones that were close to him. The lightning blade died, his hand tingling with the after effects of the jutsu. It always did take a lot out of him, which was why he only used it in a last resort. It was even worse now, with his injuries. Where was Genma, though? "Boss! Duck," was the only warning he got before throwing himself down. He was too late. While he was able to avoid the more lethal attack that came from behind and flew by above his head, it would seem the enemy had premeditated the direction he would dodge in. The force of the jutsu hitting him sent him flying forward.

Ringing ears and a blurry vision prevented him from blocking the attack that followed, which in this case was a kick to the head, smashing Kakashi to the ground, head first. He groaned softly, the pain dulling all his senses, he shakingly raised himself to his hands and knees, trying to stand back up. A foot connected with his stomach before he could even try, hurling him back to the ground.

"Tsk, this is the almighty Hatake Kakashi?" The shinobi sneered as they stopped next to him. "Don't think that mask hides your identity. You gave yourself away the second you used that jutsu of yours."

Kakashi ignored the man standing over him and instead tried to sense Genma. He couldn't immediately sense him but there was still a chance he got lured away. Because surely the senbon-user hadn't fallen yet, had he? No, he knew better. Genma would never go down without a fight. He needed to trust his teammate. His friend.

"I'm talking to you, punk. What were you looking for, hm?"

"Shut up." He grunted. There! He found Genma. It was faint, but not because Genma was injured, it seemed. He focused on his hearing, trying his utmost best to ignore the talkative idiot that was standing above him. To his left he heard soft sounds that sounded a lot like metal clashing. That meant someone was still fighting and he would bet his house that it was his teammate that was still fighting.

"Oi!" Came from above him.

Seriously though, this man was talking way too much. If only he would- Yes, there! In a blink of an eye the silver-haired teen moved. The man that had been standing above him, now was lying on the ground, shaking, as he bled out. His entire body hurt as he dropped back to the ground, the movement of reaching up to slit the man's throat doing more damage to his own body than he had anticipated. He felt incredibly lightheaded. He was losing too much blood.

This wasn't good. Genma had better be in a good enough shape to carry his ass home, because at this point he doubted he would make it back. It took some effort but he managed to get back up on his feet. Not that that mattered because the blood loss he'd suffered made him fall back down. Damnit, his vision was still blurry and the Sharingan draining his chakra reserves did not help, even with his eye closed. A shaking hand went to one of the pockets containing a summoning scroll. With the last bit of energy he could spare, he tried summoning his pack. It was the only thing he could do in this state. After weaving the seals and focusing his chakra, he placed his hand on the ground. The 'poof' that was heard, told him he had succeeded, though he didn't know who and how many he was able to summon in this state. With that thought, Kakashi lost consciousness.

Hermione felt like she sat there forever, while Sirius was talking to Inoichi. The entire walk here she'd been giving herself a pep talk. She was a Gryffindor for Merlin's sake. Gryffindors were supposed to be brave. At this moment, she was anything but.

No. She's wrong. She is brave. If she wasn't then she wouldn't be here. Right?

"Mai-chan, dear, how are you feeling?" Mrs. Yamanaka asked, as she sat down beside her. Ever since she was officially taken in by the Yamakana clan, the older woman made it a point to use her 'new' name. She appreciated it, truly. Nearly everyone she's been in contact with in the past few weeks had still called her 'Hermione', which made it much harder to get used to using the new name herself.

"Mai-chan?"

"I- I'm alright, thank you."

She really wasn't, but she didn't feel like talking about how she was feeling at this very moment. The only thing that was on her mind was the fact that the man she needed to talk to was on the other side of the house.

Luckily, Sirius came back before the older woman could ask her anything more. At the sight of him, she left the room, saying she would put Teddy to bed, giving the two of them some privacy. "I'm done with my talk. Do you need me to stay a little while longer?"

"No, it's fine. I'll be alright. Thank you though. I'll, uh, see you tomorrow? I'm assuming you want to get some more work done at your bar?"

The Animagus didn't respond immediately, looking her up and down. Then he nodded. "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow. Try to get some sleep, love. You look awful."

She let out a laugh at that, "thank you for the compliment, grandpa." She joked back.

"Seriously though. Anyway, I've spoken to him. He'll leave it up to you. Take all the time you need, you hear me?"

"Mhm, I will. Thank you."

He gave her a wink and a second later he disappeared. The smile fell from her lips, anxiety coming back ten times as strong as it was before. She glanced in the direction she figured Inoichi would be, worried her bottom lip between her teeth as she debated if she shouldn't just get up and talk to him. If she did, it would be over and she could just move on, right? Then again, she really wasn't ready yet. The trip they had made had a whole different purpose than she initially planned and because of that she barely had the time to properly think about this and what to do. Okay. Her mind made up, she nodded to herself. Hands placed on her knees, she used the leverage to stand up and walked out of the room.

The door softly clicked shut behind her after she entered her bedroom. She leaned against it with a sigh. Teddy was sleeping soundly in his bed, after all the traveling, he was completely beat. Truth be told, she felt the exact same way. All this was taking too much out of her. Where were the times where all she had to worry about was passing her O.W.L.s or N.E.W.T.s? She nearly wished to be back there. Compared to now, she had a lot less to worry about.

No matter. All of her troubles could wait until the next day. Or the next. At this point she couldn't even find it in her to care. Sleep was calling her. Tomorrow will be a long day. She had a feeling that Sirius would most definitely get her to do as much as possible.

After waking up, she made it a point to stay in bed as long as she could. If she stayed in her room longer, it would give her a bigger chance of not running into Inoichi. Which was exactly what she wanted. If she didn't see him, she didn't have to interact with him and while it was incredibly childish of her, she'd rather do this than face him.

It would seem Hermione wasn't as much of a light sleeper as she thought she was. Either that or she was so tired that nothing would wake her. Teddy's bed was empty. Normally she would freak out, but she was quite aware that the Yamanaka matriarch was an early riser, especially considering she had a daughter to raise. No doubt the older woman took Teddy downstairs so that Hermione could take all the time she needed. This woman was too kind.

The clock to her right told her it was nearing ten in the morning and even though she wanted to just pull the blanket over head and go back to sleep, she had things to do. Promises she had to keep. With a groan she threw the blankets off of her and swung her legs over the edge of her bed. Getting dressed took longer than expected, mostly because she was stalling as much as she could. If she didn't have to interact with shinobi, it would be all the better. It wasn't Mrs. Yamanaka's fault though, so she'd try to at least make an effort towards her.

"Good morning," she said as she entered the kitchen.

"Good morning, Mai-chan." The older woman greeted in return.

"Onee-chan!"

"Oh, hello Ino-chan. What a pretty dress you have on!"

The little girl giggled, "thank you!"

"Um, I was wondering, would you be able to look after Teddy today?"

If not, she would take him along. But with what she was planning, it would be better if Teddy wasn't there. He could easily, unintentional, screw up her focus.

"It's not a problem. Like I said before, I missed this boy. I'll gladly spoil him today."

"Thank you, I really appreciate it. Don't spoil him too much though."

Hermione said with a smile. She quickly gave Teddy a kiss on the head and did the same to Ino, seeing the longing look on her face. "I should get going. Sirius must be waiting for me by now. I'll see you later."

Hermione opted for walking towards the bar, instead of Apparating. It wasn't a long walk but she could use the time to think of what to say to Sirius. The conversation she had before with Sirius was still in her mind, now more than ever. It was important that she got stronger, better. And for that, they would need a space to train. Of course, she knew it was a stupid decision but the suggestion to speak to Inoichi again or even the Hokage about this, was now off the table. That trust was as good as gone for now, which meant she had to find a place herself. And that would be a lot harder than before. It would at least keep her busy and her mind occupied so she didn't have to think about the talk she would have to have with Inoichi.

"Well, took you long enough. Slept in, did you?" Sirius called as she entered the bar. He was currently clearing some stuff off the floor.

"Traveling with you must've taken more out of me than expected."

"Ouch, you hurt me, 'Mione. Anyway, you're here now. Have a cup of tea, freshly brewed. We'll get to work after that." She stepped around the bar and found an empty cup he'd left for her and poured in the tea.

"You mean you're going to make sure I do all the work?" She grinned. "Actually, before we get to work, I wanted to talk to you."

"Sure thing, what about?" When Hermione didn't respond straight away, he stopped what he was doing and turned to her with a raised eyebrow.

"Remember when I talked to you about finding a place to practice?" At his nod, she continued, "for obvious reasons I haven't talked to the Hokage about this. And while Inoichi said he would submit a request, I highly doubt he's done that."

"Fair point. So what's your idea?"

"Well, how about we practice here for the time being? I know it's not a lot of space, but with a charm here and there.. no one will know. And also.." Hermione took a deep breath before uttering the next couple of words. "I'd really like to get started on becoming an Animagus."