Chapter Four: Sirius Black and the encounter with Malfoy

A/N: Hello again! Wow fourth chapter! It doesn't seem like we should be here. Well, I hope you all are in for some serious Sirius and of course our love the blond haired Slytherin bad boy by the name of Draco Malfoy! Enjoy!!

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"Darn it, who's the idiot who left that there?" exclaimed Harry who was trying to get the ringing out of his ears and feeling back into his shin.

"Jeez, I didn't think people were supposed to park in front of alleys.

"What is this doing here?" Said a Hermione who only hit her knee and was leaning on Harry for support.

"Harry, I am ashamed that you would call me an idiot. Hermione, I own the bike and no, you are not supposed to park in front of the alley but I couldn't exactly put a motorcycle 'in the alley', now could I?" said (you guessed it) Sirius Black.

"Sirius!! Why aren't you in your disguise?" " You're going to get caught!" and "Please get into hiding, Hurry!" Was all said at the same time.

Sirius laughed heartily and answered, "Have you seen the Daily Prophet? I made the front page. *He pulls out the Daily prophet. * Harry, this is one you'll want to keep for years to come. I got my bike back form Hagrid, but before that, Wormtail was captured and confessed to: his 'murder,' the secret keeping, and the hiding place of some Death Eaters. Harry, I'm free!"

"OMG!!! I can't believe this! Sirius, when can I come home with you? When can you and I be together?" asked Harry not even halfway prepared for the answer he got.

"Harry, you can't. I'm sorry. I don't have a place to live and no way to support you."

"That's fine. I've lived in worse places and gone with out food. Did you forget what Mum and Dad left me?"

"Harry, no!! I can't. I'm sorry, there's no way! Please don't hate me."

Dumbledore has spells over the Dursley's house so Voldemort can't get to you. If you left you would be unprotected and vulnerable. There is no way Dumbledore will let you live with me."

"Fine. If Dumbledore can put spells to protect me form Voldemort than how come he can't protect me from the Dursley's themselves?"

"Harry, my boy," came a new voice. "Please understand Sirius can't take you away form protection and I won't let him." said Dumbledore, a bit frazzled; he didn't think it would be this hard. He thought that Harry would be too glad to have Sirius back that he wouldn't care where he lived. Maybe, he should have thought again.

"Then why couldn't you protect me from Voldemort if I went with Sirius? I don't understand why you all don't seem to want me with him. In the fourth year he even asked me if I was willing to leave the Dursley's house forever and I was and still am. Why can't I go? Life is so not fair!!" Harry exclaimed, not understanding or not wanting to, whatever the case might be.

"Harry please try to understand, we only try to do what is best for you and we have to keep you from Voldemort because he will stop

at nothing to get you." Dumbledore tried to explain but wasn't having much luck when John walked up.

"Ummm, am I interrupting anything. We have to go you guys; I promised Susie I wouldn't be long. Sorry, but a pregnant wife can be exasperating." said John, whose nerves were very frazzled.

"We understand completely; I thank-you for coming when you did. I will see you four children at Hogwarts." and with that he, Sirius, and the bike disappeared.

When they got home Harry, who said nothing the whole way home, ran up the stairs to the guest room and almost ran into Mrs. Granger.

"I'm sorry, I just seem to be out of things today." Harry said truly sorry.

"It's alright Harry. You seemed deep in thought and I don't want you to be upset. Hermione hates it when your upset and don't tell her anything, she told me herself. Would you like to talk, I'm willing to listen." Said Mrs. Granger who felt that it was her "duty" to help the kids.

"No thanks Mrs. Granger. I understand you want to help but I just want to think. Later I might take you up on that offer though."

"Alright Harry, but tell me if something is very wrong. I'll bring dinner up to you if you don't feel like coming downstairs. Please, Harry, let me help anytime."

"Yes ma'am. Thank-you again and I'll be down for dinner."

"Alright, now I have to go talk to my daughter. If you don't mind I would like to get by." And with that last comment she walked down the stairs calling Hermione on the way.

Harry went back to the room and thought back to the day he met Sirius. While thinking of his god father he promptly fell a sleep…

"Lucius, I don't see how your plan will work. I know you always hated James but taking it out on the boy… I love it. The plan will be put into effect immediately. Harry Potter, I'm Back!!" *evil laugh*

Harry woke up in a thin sheet of cold sweat. His scar was burning and just at that moment Ron walked in.

"Harry what the Heck did you scream for. What happened? You scarred us all!!"

"I… s-s-creamed.. R-Ron.. s-sorry I g-guess I w-w-was d-dreaming."

 He paused for a moment to realize that he had been dreaming and it wasn't very pleasurable.

"Is dinner done Ron, I'm mighty hungry."

"No, but it will be in awhile. What was up with all the arguing with Sirius and Dumbledore? Are you having a hard time with this all?"

"I just can't see why I can't live with Sirius. I come to your guy's house and nothing happens. Why can't I get away from people who hurt me, I just don't understand? Please just leave me alone for now. Come up and get me when dinner is ready."

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(A/N: sorry you guys, you may think that I am slacking but I'm just tired of their summer)

"HARRY, where is that boy? HARRY, COME FINISH PACKING!!! WE HAVE TO LEAVE SOON. RON, YOU TOO!!" said Hermione.

"Darn it, why do you want me to hurry? We don't leave for another hour." One of the boys yelled back.

"Yeah sure."

*One hour later*

"Let's go. We have to go NOW!!" said Hermione tired of calling the boys.

"Coming" both called.

As they all piled into the car, both Mr. and Mrs. Granger asked the boys if they had forgotten anything. Both boys answered no and they were on their way.

~*~*~*~

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were seated in their usually compartment on the Hogwarts Express. The trolley had just come by so Harry and Ron were busy stuffing their mouths with Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Bots Every Flavor Beans, while Hermione stared out the window into the quickly setting sun.

"Guys, I'm gonna go change now." Hermione proclaimed as she made her way to the door.

"But, were not even close yet'." Ron said with his mouth full of candy.

"Yea I know but why wait." She responded, a look of disgust plastered on her face.

Ron quickly shut his mouth.

"Okay, do what you want then." Harry said.

Hermione put her hand on the door knob just as someone on the other side grabbed a hold of it and swung it open making her fly back into her seat and hit her head on the window.

"Who the…" Hermione began, but was soon silenced as she took notice of who had previously walked into the room.

"Malfoy." Harry said with much undisguised hatred in his voice.

"That's right Potter, the one and the only. Oh, did I make the Mudblood fall?" Draco asked, smirking at Hermione.

"Just get out Malfoy." Hermione was now on her feet again although her head did hurt, as she did hit the window rather hard.

"I'll decide when to leave Mudblood. You of all people can not give me that invitation." Draco was no longer smirking but instead glaring at her.

Harry finally decided that he'd seen enough and stepped between her and Malfoy returning his ever present glare.

"She told you to leave, Malfoy. Are you deaf?" Harry said.

"Should've known your Mudblood girlfriend couldn't stand up for herself. No, she's gotta have her not-so-big-bad protector do it for her. "Draco said with a slight chuckle.

"Yea like you have any room to talk Malfoy." Ron said looking at Draco then at his two sidekicks Crabbe and Goyle, who surprisingly enough had been silent since their rather dramatic entrance.

" Ohhh, Weasley finally starting to get a back bone eh?" Draco replied, faking a shocked expression.

Harry started at Draco, fists balled, but Hermione grabbed him by the arm and whispered something that was inaudible to the other occupants of the small compartment.

"You know what, I'll save you the trouble Potter. I don't want to spend anymore of my time with you three losers anyway."

"That's right Malfoy, were the losers." Harry said sarcastically, "Now leave."

"Don't be so fast to put to yourself down Potter; you're not giving anybody else any room."

Draco smirked at Harry then turned his attention to Hermione who was now standing neatly beside the Boy Who Lived.

"You know Granger, you should learn how to walk. It could come in handy some day." With that last note the three walked out the door strutting their strides as they went.

~*~*~*~

The rest of the trip was uneventful, thank goodness. And as usual the Sorting Hat sorted and the feisty students feasted. By the time everyone got to their dormitories they were exhausted. All of the students made their way to their beds as soon as they possibly could. Including…

One silver haired boy and a bushy brown haired girl both oblivious to their unlikely inner desire; each other, crawled lazily into their warm and inviting four-poster beds, one decorated with scarlet and gold and the other green and silver. 

~*~*~*~

"Harry, are you ready yet?" Ron Weasley asked his friend.

"Just a minute Ron." Harry answered back. A few seconds later there came a call down the stairs... "Okay, let's go"

The two walked out of the portrait hole and began making their way towards the Great Hall for breakfast.

Hermione was already at her seat daintily eating small forkfuls of scrambled eggs.

"Hello Ron. Good Morning Harry." Hermione said joyfully as Harry lent down to kiss her lightly on the lips.

She noticed that Ron looked away from them when he had kissed her. Why? She wondered.

"I can't believe, " Ron finally spoke. "that we have potions with the Slytherins yet again this year."  Disgust obvious upon ones glance at his face.

"Well Ron, you didn't think we would actually get one year of Slytherin free classes now did you?" Hermione replied.

"One can wish can't they?" He said.

" I suppose so, I suppose so..." Hermione said trailing off. Her mind was actually preoccupied with something else at the moment and someone across the large room began to take notice of this.

*At the Slytherin table*

"Hey Draco, what are you staring at?" a very annoyed Pansy Parkinson asked her tranquil friend.

"What? What did you say?" Draco was pulled out of his reverie by a voice he recognized all too well. And just as equally hated.

"You were, you were…staring at that Mudblood at the Gryffindor table. Weren't you?"

"Of course not. Pansy you're such an idiot." Draco remarked with a hint of amusement in his voice. He knew that he had hit a nerve by the look of fury on her face.

"UGH! I am not!" She yelled and stomped off to the nearest person that was willing to listen to her pout. Which were very few.

*Back at the Gryffindor table*

The truth was that Hermione was actually preoccupied with 'someone' else, not 'something' else. When their eye contact broke Hermione looked up to see Harry and Ron laughing hysterically.

"Hermione didn't you find that funny?" Ron managed to say between fits of laughter.

"What? Oh, um, yea of course." She said trying to fake a bemused sort of laugh.

"'Mione, are you sort of… out of it today?" Harry asked, noticing her sorry attempt of amusement.

She avoided eye contact with either of them, for fear that her eyes would betray her.

"Um, no I was just…" she paused trying to think of a likely excuse that Harry was willing to buy. "…just thinking about O.W.L.s. You do know there coming up this year right?" She finished feeling quite proud of herself for coming up with such a quick answer and from the look on Harry's face, he'd bought it.

"You're not serious?" Harry asked, wondering how anyone, yes, even Hermione, could be worrying about O.W.L.s so soon into the school year. "Hermione it's only our first day back!"

"I know, but you can never start preparing for these kinds of things too early."