Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the books' characters! They belong to J.K Rowling, so don't sue me!!

Summary: When Ron becomes engaged to Fleur Delacour, someone very unexpected shows Hermione that Ron may not be the guy for her after all

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Forbidden?

Chapter Eight: Guy Talk

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It was killing him.

Being away from her, not being able to hold her or kiss her or even talk to her was physically and emotionally destroying him.

He'd locked himself in his room two days ago, after that hour with Hermione in his office. He tried to shut off the emotion, the feelings, the pain, but it was there. Every memory of those moments with her haunted him.

Yet how could he love a child?!

All he could think about was that it was as if he was in love with James' daughter. Hermione wasn't James' daughter, but she may as well have been . . . she was Harry's sister in everything but blood.

"Gee, James, you and me . . . we're best pals, right?" he muttered sarcastically to the photograph in his hand. "Guess who I'm in love with?"

He groaned and dropped the picture on the bed. "Dammit." He raked a hand through his hair, frustrated.

How long could he survive in this hole without her?

Remus and Dumbledore were worried about him, and from what Remus had told him, they were worried about Hermione too, because she had begun to look completely lifeless over the past two days.

Wasn't it completely selfish for him to hide in here because he was afraid to tell her that they couldn't be together? Not now . . . not until she grew up.

But that was what he was scared about.

If he saw her, he was afraid he wouldn't have the strength, or the stupidity, to walk away from her again.

He needed her. He loved her.

It would kill him to stay away from her like this . . . or at all.

"God help me." He groaned wretchedly.

***

Hermione numbly chewed on a piece of something at dinner. She might as well have been in Potions for all she cared.

Glancing at the High Table for about the hundredth painful time, she was foolishly disappointed to see that the seat between Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape was empty.

She gave Remus a weak smile just to reassure him, because he was giving her the standard I'm-worried-about-you look. Even Professor Dumbledore, she noticed, was watching her like a hawk.

As for Fleur Delacour, Hermione couldn't have cared less whether the bimbo was engaged to her best friend anymore, but she did care that the girl was standing right behind her and chattering non-stop to her fiancé, her cheerful, high-pitched French accent sounding painful to Hermione's ears at such a time.

If only he was here . . .

Why was he so afraid of loving her? She was young, yes, but so was he. He wasn't even twenty years older than she was, and Hermione knew for a fact that there were fourteen-year-olds in the world marrying men of forty.

She loved him. He said he loved her. Wasn't that enough?

Why did he need her to grow up first?

She had been through enough in her lifetime to know the world and to be grown up inside. All she wanted now was him, and he simply couldn't understand that.

The past two days had been hell. All she could think about was him and that stolen moment they'd had together in his office.

//So that,// she thought bitterly, //Was what paradise is.//

She had failed both the Potions assignments set over the previous forty- eight hours. Professor McGonagall had to be extra lenient on her to give her a 51% in a Transfiguration paper.

But without Sirius, she simply couldn't bring herself to care.

Finally, she swallowed that meager mouthful of what she had been eating; something that Ginny had forced her to digest in a rare fit of rage. Ginny became almost as fussy as Mrs. Weasely when Hermione refused to eat.

She sighed. //Oh, Sirius,// she screamed silently in her head, //I need you!//

***

"Ron, I want a word."

Ron blinked at Harry, rather in a daze because Harry had just unceremoniously marched up to him while he and Fleur had been kissing. "Eh?" he muttered, annoyed. "Can't it wait?"

"Fleur," Harry snapped. "Go back to your tower, please. I need to speak to Ron."

Fleur, jumping at the tone of Harry's voice, obediently scooted. Ron frowned heavily at his best friend. "What the hell - ?"

Harry glowered right back. "In case you haven't noticed, Ron," he said sharply, "Hermione has been in a state of near depression over the past forty-eight hours. Any more and she might kill herself. Ginny told me she isn't eating."

"I'm sure I saw her chewing during dinner," Ron mumbled uncertainly, a concerned frown crossing his eyes.

Harry snorted. "Yeah, Ron, she might as well have been eating Crookshanks' claws for all she noticed what was in her mouth."

"You're right," Ron sighed. "What could be the matter, Harry? Is it some depression bug? Even Sirius - "

"Sirius," Harry thundered, "Is someone else I want a word with."

Ron's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "You think Sirius might have something to do with Hermione's depression? Did he yell at her about a badly-done paper or something?" His eyes suddenly lit up. "Or is it something more?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "That, Ron," he said firmly, grabbing the other boy by the arm, "Is what we're going to find out."

"Oh no," Ron sighed deeply. "Harry, you know how Sirius gets when he gets angry. I don't want my ears blown off."

"Risk it for Hermione," Harry smirked. "And risk it because, like me, you do care about Sirius, almost like a brother or uncle in fact."

"All right," Ron agreed, making a mental note to keep his wand available. "But you're going to have to buy me a new set of ears. You're the rich one after all."

"I'll buy you two spare sets as well."

Smiling slightly and following Harry, Ron climbed the stairs that led towards Sirius and Remus' office and thereby to Sirius' room.

//Expelliarmus . . .// he chanted in his mind, //Expelliarmus . . .//

One could never be too prepared.

***

"Sirius!" Harry's voice bellowed through the oak of the wizard's door. "Sirius, damn you, open up!"

Harry had been yelling for the past five minutes. Remus had even shimmered into Sirius fireplace to inform him of the fact that Ron was prepared to break his door down.

Knowing that the two renegades would very well carry out their threats, Sirius opened the door with an expression of resignation.

Harry stopped shouting mid-sentence and Ron's face froze in surprise.

He knew he was one hell of a sight. He hadn't slept at all since he'd locked himself up, there were the tell-tale signs of tears stinging his eyes, and his hair, normally quite neat, was a raked flop.

"Sweet Jesus," Ron goggled. "What in hell happened to YOU? Hermione was bad enough, but at least she hasn't gone all hermit yet."

"Come in." Sirius groaned.

The two boys entered his room. Harry was momentarily distracted by the poster of James Potter flying taped up on Sirius' wall, but a stern look from Ron recalled his attention to the matter at hand.

"What's up with you, Sirius?" Harry asked gently. "Why have you cancelled your classes for the week and locked yourself up? Have you even been eating?"

"Yes," he mumbled. "Winky the house-elf brings me food."

"That's one step ahead of 'Mione, at least." Ron snorted.

"What?" Sirius jerked towards him, brow furrowed. "Hermione's not eating?"

Ron folded his arms across his chest, a smile playing on his mouth. "A little concerned, are we, Professor Black?"

"Well, yeah - I mean - she's your - I mean - "

"Give it up, Sirius. Spill the beans, or we'll steal Veritaserum from Snape's supplies."

Sirius chuckled at that, making Harry and Ron grin at each other. Finally Sirius sighed and sat down in one of the armchairs by the window, indicating that Harry and Ron should make themselves comfortable on the bed or the other chair.

Briefly, his voice constricted, he told them the truth.

"Holy shit!" Ron blurted.

Harry's eyes were in danger of falling out of his head. "You're in love with Hermione?" he demanded, shocked.

"That so incredible?" Sirius asked irritably.

"Good choice." Ron grinned.

Sirius couldn't help but smile at that comment. Harry shook his head, amazement dawning on his face. At least he wasn't angry. This was, after all, the closest Sirius was going to get to a reaction from James.

"Well, I certainly don't have a problem with it," Harry grinned. "But it seems to me that there is some problem."

He told them the rest of the story. Remus joined them for the end, during which there were minor interruptions from Ron to ask how kissing Hermione was. Finally, the story was done, and the werewolf and two teenagers looked at each other, amazed and thoughtful.

"Well, Padfoot," Remus chuckled, "You certainly bungled things this time."

"Hey!" Sirius protested indignantly. "You're supposed to be on my side."

Remus laughed. "I am, old friend. Look, Sirius, you want her right?"

"More than anything else?" Ron added.

"Heart and soul, body too," Harry amended, grinning.

Sirius groaned, beginning to regret he'd ever told his godson, best friend and 'nephew'. "Right." He muttered.

"So there's really only one thing you can do." All three said together.

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? And what's that?"

They glanced at each other and then Harry said with a smile: "Get her back, Sirius, before you lose her for good."

"Girls like 'Mione don't come along every day," Ron added sweetly.

"Thank you, Ron," Sirius grinned. "I know that."

"Fact remains, Ron," Remus added, "That if you know that as well, why didn't you get her when you had the chance?"

Ron grinned. "We weren't meant to be. Sirius and she are. It's in the stars."

"I don't recall teaching you anything about the stars in Divination."

Sirius listened with one ear as they continued to argue and tease each other. Suddenly he didn't regret telling them anymore. They were right, he knew. A guy didn't get lucky enough to fall in love with someone like Hermione everyday, and it was about time he woke up and realized it too.

** TBC.

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A/N: Not quite the end, as you can see. Last chapter (I'm quite sure this time) coming up soon. Thanks a lot for reading and reviewing so far . . . it really made a difference! Keep going!