Chapter 9 - Can we go back to basics?

Facing this hard situation, Hermione collapsed and cried. She was more than bored of this life, of this time, of these strangers! She needed her environment, her friends, Ginny, Ron and Harry! She wanted to see her cat Crookshank, to write to her parents, to live as a normal teenage girl in a normal life!

"Hermione!" A voice said behind her. "Don't worry! You know, detentions with McGonagall are not that bad… Well… except when she made me clean the Willipaks' cage in the basements with only a knife as a tool or when she asked me to climb on the roof to eradicate a wasp nest or when…"

"SHUT UP!" Hermione shouted.

"But I…"

"Shut up!" She shouted again, getting up.

She turned toward Sirius, her hands tight and her eyes full of tears.

"It's all your fault! I've never been that humiliated in my whole life! And it's all because of you!"

And she violently slapped Sirius. Then, she beat him on the chest, on his arms and kicked him, without sparing any part of his body. Sirius easily stopped her kicks or her punches and tried to catch her hands, but she was so angry that her strength was increased.

"It's all your fault if they made fun of me!" She cried out while punching him. "It's all your fault if I'll have to do detention! You embarrassed me in front of Dumbledore, you make fun of me at any time, you make me look like an idiot! I'm tired of you! I'm tired of this place! I want to go back home! I want to be with my friends! I'm sick of all of it!"

Hermione collapsed a second time on the floor, she was exhausted.

Sirius touched his arms, massaging them, and breathed. He finally came closer to her and let her cry without saying anything.

After a long time, Hermione wiped her tears. She raised her head and saw Sirius who was waiting quietly, looking at the wall in front of him. His face was blank. Why did he have to make fun of her whereas he knew she could easily get angry? And why was he so mysterious sometimes? She looked at him for some seconds without saying anything until he turned his head towards her.

"Are you feeling better?" He asked, with a quiet voice and a smile.

He seemed kind. Hermione was struck by his face's refinement. She turned red but didn't really understand why.

"Yes, I feel better!" She simply said.

"I understood that I shouldn't push you too hard…" He laughed.

"I am sorry if I hit you!" She confessed, with shame.

Hermione realized that she punched him too violently. Even if she was angry, she shouldn't hit anyone.

"Don't worry! Sometimes, I also want to hit everything!"

Sirius said these words bitterly and Hermione felt she could understand him. A sudden sadness appeared. She looked at him and felt her heart beating very fast. A new feeling was emerging…

"But next time, please, find another victim like Peeves or Filch!" He continued to say, while smiling. "If all the girls hit me like that, I wouldn't be able to do anything else…"

"Alright!" Hermione smiled.

"Ah! You also lost this when you hit me!"

Sirius gave her Time Turner back. Hermione widened her eyes and took it. She looked at it and was relieved: it wasn't broken. But suddenly, she realized something else…

"Sirius?" She said.

"Yes, love?" He answered, with a wink.

"I can't!"

"What do you mean?"

"I can't go out with you! I already have a boyfriend!"

Sirius looked at her carefully, he didn't seem to understand what she was saying.

"I can't go out with you, Sirius! I already have someone in my life!" She repeated when she saw his confounded face.

Sirius remained silent but Hermione felt that he was tormented: he didn't know what to say or to do. However, after a few seconds, his face relaxed and he smiled. Hermione was relieved.

"Yes, I understand better!" He claimed finally.

"What do you mean?"

"I understand why you kept resisting to my handsome face!"

"Nonsense!" But Hermione laughed. "Like if I couldn't resist to you!"

"Now, I have to add Hermione in the list of girls that dumped me!"

"What?"

"Yes, I must add Hermione to Melinda, Katrina, Sophie, Chantal and Caroline! Anyways, I would have never been able to go out with a girl with a haircut like that!"

Sirius raised his hand to Hermione's hair that were still up above her head. She startled while touching her hair.

"Oh no!" She cried out, blushing.

"Wait a second! Let me fix this!"

He raised his wand and with a light move, Hermione's hair fell down and rested on her shoulders as if nothing had happened.

"Thank you!" She said. "Now, I have to go the Library." She got up.

"I have to show you where it is." Sirius exclaimed.

"No, I'll be fine. Dumbledore already told me where it was! See you soon!"

Hermione didn't even look at him one last time and ran away more than leaving the corridor where they stood. She started to run to the Library. In front of the Library, she stopped and breathed. She needed to come back to her senses.