A/N: *nervous look at reviewers who are all plotting darkly in their cage*
erm, no criticism! Kinda sorta getting' into the romantic stuff.... yeah. I
changed the dream scene (I'd decided that I'd have to raise the rating and
I'm not so sure I want to do that) so it isn't all it's cracked up to be. I
mean, I originally cut it out, but if ya really wanna see it.... well, I
dunno if I'll tell what was in it. Hermione won't remember it anyway. -_-0
ah, but who cares? YOU'RE all trapped in a cage! *throws cookie at
reviewers and hits one on he head* so HAH!
hp addict (wee! Welcome to my fic! *flings hp addict into cage where other reviewers are scowling* thank you thank you thank you!!!!!!!! :D :D :D) No Name Face (YAY! Yet ANOTHER reviewer to throw into my Cage of Wonders! :D thank you thank you thank you! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!! *shrilly scream*) Killer Angel (aw, garsh. ^_^ thankies!) Nicolina (heehee isn't he? EVERYBODY loves Snuffles! But **I** got the penname first, so THERE, hahahahah! Here's another *cookie* you're being a very good reviewer! :D) kaylakmk (yay! You're back! I write more, see? See? YAY!) Li-chan (yup, the others will be using the truth potion! I didn't just spend all of the time typing just to have them give up. Lol! Thankies!) TheLillyPotter (yay! A fellow SB/HG fan! Wee! Yup, WE'RE rabid! Heheheh) The Sweetest Things (another person wants to see the dream? Oy. I'd hate to not live up to your expectations!) Uozumi (ah! You're reading MY fic?!? I'm honored! Wow! :D) funki-mage (YES! I HAVE THE HONOR OF BEING THE FIRST FIC YOU'VE READ BEING HP!!! Everybody loves Sirius. Who doesn't? if you find somebody who dislikes Sirius, tell them they'd better be infatuated with him or they'll have to answer to my magical flaming frying pan! :D thank you!) *throws new reviewers in cage with other reviewers*
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~
Hermione was very good at avoiding people when she thought her life depended on it. Or so Sirius discovered two and a half weeks later. He figured she was embarrassed that he'd gotten her to drink something without knowing what it was.
So here he was, on a three-day weekend, sitting on his bed and shaking a tiny vial nonstop and bored beyond all belief.
~
He'd done the sleeping/dreaming potion wrong.
How did Hermione know this, two and a half weeks later?
Because she still had nightmares of the exact same dream. A little too much of something... whatever he had done to it, there'd been too much of one ingredient in the potion, and it drowned out the memory part that was supposed to keep her from remembering. And kept the dream repeating, and repeating, and repeating until it had finally run its course.
And one would think by now that she was used to it.
But, oh, you can NOT get used to a potion like that gone wrong. And dreamless sleep potions didn't work either, because there was an anti-drug in it. Oh, yes. Life sucked at night.
Not that the dream was a really /bad/ one, it was just... disturbing.
And it kept her awake. And it kept her tired. And Hermione found herself laden down with a bit too much homework, as she spent her time bribing people for the location of where the marauders would be, and thus avoiding them. She'd long given up going to the great hall.
What were house elves for?
So she was tired and ridden with homework, which she didn't really have the time to get done because Lily had a way of squeezing things out of people, and it wouldn't take too long for the redhead to piece things together and jump to conclusions.
Not that, of course, the particular conclusions were bad. They were actually cute; in fact, though Hermione was a bit loathe admitting it. And anyway, in her dream she was happy enough. All in all, the dream was very quiet (literally) and relaxed, and she certainly didn't wake up screaming and sweating in terror. Just relaxed and silent. That was what the potion was for, of course; to give her a relaxing night's sleep.
Except, she was thoroughly confused about it as well. But who wouldn't be? Maybe if Harry didn't look so much like his father...
She could never be sure. Maybe it was Harry and Lily? But that was just wrong. Ron, maybe? Nah, neither of them was prone to be slashed in such a way. In which case, it was maybe not Harry, but James, and Lily. Lily was the only other redhead Hermione could think of.
It was still confusing.
And then, of course, there was the chance that she might be prophesizing something. Hah. Funny thought, that. the first part in the background was just... disturbing, whereas her own point of view in the dream she was safe in the arms of her dream guy (apparently... and he was tall, taller than her, with messed up black hair and glasses) and he was holding her, whispering something soothing, brushing a lock of her hair off of her face.
Red hair.
That was why Hermione was certain it wasn't her in the arms of Harry. Which was extremely disappointing, and Hermione comforted herself by mentally chanting "he did it wrong, he did it wrong, he did it wrong..." over and over again.
And then there was always the fact that it probably wasn't Harry, but James, as she couldn't get a look at his face, and in the dream, didn't want to bother with it.
Extremely confusing. Our Heroine rubbed a temple, trying to focus on her assignment. She was in a broom closet. Not exactly fashionable, but none of the marauders or Lily would think to look here. And Sirius had left her alone. Or maybe it was because she was so paranoid of him figuring out what it was she dreamt.
Paranoid of anybody finding out, actually.
Hermione spent another few hours getting her work done, yawned, and stumbled out of the closet. After a trip to the kitchens and the infirmary, she made her way to the dark and empty common room, glancing out the window when she settled herself on a chair.
Almost full moon.
She tried to keep herself awake by reading, but that never worked.
***
It was a bright shiny day, or so the sunlight streaming through a window said. The common room was empty, which itself was strange seeing as it must have been a little after lunchtime, or somewhere around there.
Hermione inhaled slowly, looking around the serene room appreciatively as she stepped out of the shadows of a staircase. There was no sound other than something that must have been the wind, and a few birds; as though she were outside in a small forest. So silently, she drifted across the room, sitting on the edge of a small couch, closing her eyes momentarily.
And there was a pair of hands on her shoulders, pushing her firmly back into the cushions, and she had enough sense to open her eyes, looking directly into the dark ones of Sirius, and she closed them again.
An abrupt lurch in her stomach and an intense feeling of vertigo, her eyes snapped open again, and she realized she was standing upright. In somebody's arms.
She glanced up a little bit, catching the sight of all-over-the-place black hair, and a voice murmured something in her ear, holding her to him comfortingly. Over his shoulder she could see herself (or; Hermione Granger) with Sirius, making out.
She blinked, melting into the arms of whomever it was that held her, an he pushed her away slightly, pushing a few strands of red hair off her cheeks and smiling warmly.
***
Hermione sat up quickly, glancing around. Bringing a hand across her forehead she slowly breathed out and rolled into a sitting position.
No more sleep tonight.
~
"But it's not /fair/!" James repeated for the hundredth time (two days after the last POV). "Why can't Wormtail do it?"
"He'll mess it up," Sirius replied bluntly. "Anyway, we've only got a few minutes to get out and play around with Remus. So have fun!" he closed their dorm room door in James' face, leaving the said boy to stand there fuming, glaring at the tiny vial in his hand, which was starting to freeze over. He shook it. It warmed up. Angrily, James shook it nonstop, going over to his bed.
Couldn't get any better than this. And this was all for his best friend, and a girl, when neither of them were interested in each other /that way/.
Fun, fun. Oh, the joys of living.
~
Hermione was nodding off, staring hard at the book she was trying to read. A book about hypothetical situations in time-travel.
"All right, Granger?" asked an all-too-familiar voice, and Hermione jumped, whirling around.
She felt her face go a lovely shade of red.
"What are you doing?" she asked. Sirius shrugged.
"I dunno. C'mon, Worm, let's go to bed." He grabbed Peter's arm and dragged him back up the steps.
~
"What, back already?" James asked sarcastically.
"No, we just forgot your invisibility cloak. Hermione is down there, ya know."
~
Hermione was nodding off again, so she didn't hear the footsteps, or take note of the portrait hole, which had just opened and closed on it's own whim.
She ended up zoning out, and the same dream ensured.
Waking up, Hermione swore. Who was the redhead? Was it Harry or James? Why was she in the point of view of some redhead when *she* herself should so obviously be enjoying a snogging session with you-know-who. Not Voldemort. Sirius. It was /disturbing/ especially when he obviously wasn't interested in her in that sort of aspect. He'd only listened in at the wrong points and was now determined to win.
This wasn't just because of his curiosity. This was going on and on because of his pride. He couldn't /force/ her to tell him, but her knew that there /was/ something /to/ tell.
Grumbling, Hermione got up and went down to the kitchens, as a few early- risers were populating the great hall.
hp addict (wee! Welcome to my fic! *flings hp addict into cage where other reviewers are scowling* thank you thank you thank you!!!!!!!! :D :D :D) No Name Face (YAY! Yet ANOTHER reviewer to throw into my Cage of Wonders! :D thank you thank you thank you! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!! *shrilly scream*) Killer Angel (aw, garsh. ^_^ thankies!) Nicolina (heehee isn't he? EVERYBODY loves Snuffles! But **I** got the penname first, so THERE, hahahahah! Here's another *cookie* you're being a very good reviewer! :D) kaylakmk (yay! You're back! I write more, see? See? YAY!) Li-chan (yup, the others will be using the truth potion! I didn't just spend all of the time typing just to have them give up. Lol! Thankies!) TheLillyPotter (yay! A fellow SB/HG fan! Wee! Yup, WE'RE rabid! Heheheh) The Sweetest Things (another person wants to see the dream? Oy. I'd hate to not live up to your expectations!) Uozumi (ah! You're reading MY fic?!? I'm honored! Wow! :D) funki-mage (YES! I HAVE THE HONOR OF BEING THE FIRST FIC YOU'VE READ BEING HP!!! Everybody loves Sirius. Who doesn't? if you find somebody who dislikes Sirius, tell them they'd better be infatuated with him or they'll have to answer to my magical flaming frying pan! :D thank you!) *throws new reviewers in cage with other reviewers*
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~
Hermione was very good at avoiding people when she thought her life depended on it. Or so Sirius discovered two and a half weeks later. He figured she was embarrassed that he'd gotten her to drink something without knowing what it was.
So here he was, on a three-day weekend, sitting on his bed and shaking a tiny vial nonstop and bored beyond all belief.
~
He'd done the sleeping/dreaming potion wrong.
How did Hermione know this, two and a half weeks later?
Because she still had nightmares of the exact same dream. A little too much of something... whatever he had done to it, there'd been too much of one ingredient in the potion, and it drowned out the memory part that was supposed to keep her from remembering. And kept the dream repeating, and repeating, and repeating until it had finally run its course.
And one would think by now that she was used to it.
But, oh, you can NOT get used to a potion like that gone wrong. And dreamless sleep potions didn't work either, because there was an anti-drug in it. Oh, yes. Life sucked at night.
Not that the dream was a really /bad/ one, it was just... disturbing.
And it kept her awake. And it kept her tired. And Hermione found herself laden down with a bit too much homework, as she spent her time bribing people for the location of where the marauders would be, and thus avoiding them. She'd long given up going to the great hall.
What were house elves for?
So she was tired and ridden with homework, which she didn't really have the time to get done because Lily had a way of squeezing things out of people, and it wouldn't take too long for the redhead to piece things together and jump to conclusions.
Not that, of course, the particular conclusions were bad. They were actually cute; in fact, though Hermione was a bit loathe admitting it. And anyway, in her dream she was happy enough. All in all, the dream was very quiet (literally) and relaxed, and she certainly didn't wake up screaming and sweating in terror. Just relaxed and silent. That was what the potion was for, of course; to give her a relaxing night's sleep.
Except, she was thoroughly confused about it as well. But who wouldn't be? Maybe if Harry didn't look so much like his father...
She could never be sure. Maybe it was Harry and Lily? But that was just wrong. Ron, maybe? Nah, neither of them was prone to be slashed in such a way. In which case, it was maybe not Harry, but James, and Lily. Lily was the only other redhead Hermione could think of.
It was still confusing.
And then, of course, there was the chance that she might be prophesizing something. Hah. Funny thought, that. the first part in the background was just... disturbing, whereas her own point of view in the dream she was safe in the arms of her dream guy (apparently... and he was tall, taller than her, with messed up black hair and glasses) and he was holding her, whispering something soothing, brushing a lock of her hair off of her face.
Red hair.
That was why Hermione was certain it wasn't her in the arms of Harry. Which was extremely disappointing, and Hermione comforted herself by mentally chanting "he did it wrong, he did it wrong, he did it wrong..." over and over again.
And then there was always the fact that it probably wasn't Harry, but James, as she couldn't get a look at his face, and in the dream, didn't want to bother with it.
Extremely confusing. Our Heroine rubbed a temple, trying to focus on her assignment. She was in a broom closet. Not exactly fashionable, but none of the marauders or Lily would think to look here. And Sirius had left her alone. Or maybe it was because she was so paranoid of him figuring out what it was she dreamt.
Paranoid of anybody finding out, actually.
Hermione spent another few hours getting her work done, yawned, and stumbled out of the closet. After a trip to the kitchens and the infirmary, she made her way to the dark and empty common room, glancing out the window when she settled herself on a chair.
Almost full moon.
She tried to keep herself awake by reading, but that never worked.
***
It was a bright shiny day, or so the sunlight streaming through a window said. The common room was empty, which itself was strange seeing as it must have been a little after lunchtime, or somewhere around there.
Hermione inhaled slowly, looking around the serene room appreciatively as she stepped out of the shadows of a staircase. There was no sound other than something that must have been the wind, and a few birds; as though she were outside in a small forest. So silently, she drifted across the room, sitting on the edge of a small couch, closing her eyes momentarily.
And there was a pair of hands on her shoulders, pushing her firmly back into the cushions, and she had enough sense to open her eyes, looking directly into the dark ones of Sirius, and she closed them again.
An abrupt lurch in her stomach and an intense feeling of vertigo, her eyes snapped open again, and she realized she was standing upright. In somebody's arms.
She glanced up a little bit, catching the sight of all-over-the-place black hair, and a voice murmured something in her ear, holding her to him comfortingly. Over his shoulder she could see herself (or; Hermione Granger) with Sirius, making out.
She blinked, melting into the arms of whomever it was that held her, an he pushed her away slightly, pushing a few strands of red hair off her cheeks and smiling warmly.
***
Hermione sat up quickly, glancing around. Bringing a hand across her forehead she slowly breathed out and rolled into a sitting position.
No more sleep tonight.
~
"But it's not /fair/!" James repeated for the hundredth time (two days after the last POV). "Why can't Wormtail do it?"
"He'll mess it up," Sirius replied bluntly. "Anyway, we've only got a few minutes to get out and play around with Remus. So have fun!" he closed their dorm room door in James' face, leaving the said boy to stand there fuming, glaring at the tiny vial in his hand, which was starting to freeze over. He shook it. It warmed up. Angrily, James shook it nonstop, going over to his bed.
Couldn't get any better than this. And this was all for his best friend, and a girl, when neither of them were interested in each other /that way/.
Fun, fun. Oh, the joys of living.
~
Hermione was nodding off, staring hard at the book she was trying to read. A book about hypothetical situations in time-travel.
"All right, Granger?" asked an all-too-familiar voice, and Hermione jumped, whirling around.
She felt her face go a lovely shade of red.
"What are you doing?" she asked. Sirius shrugged.
"I dunno. C'mon, Worm, let's go to bed." He grabbed Peter's arm and dragged him back up the steps.
~
"What, back already?" James asked sarcastically.
"No, we just forgot your invisibility cloak. Hermione is down there, ya know."
~
Hermione was nodding off again, so she didn't hear the footsteps, or take note of the portrait hole, which had just opened and closed on it's own whim.
She ended up zoning out, and the same dream ensured.
Waking up, Hermione swore. Who was the redhead? Was it Harry or James? Why was she in the point of view of some redhead when *she* herself should so obviously be enjoying a snogging session with you-know-who. Not Voldemort. Sirius. It was /disturbing/ especially when he obviously wasn't interested in her in that sort of aspect. He'd only listened in at the wrong points and was now determined to win.
This wasn't just because of his curiosity. This was going on and on because of his pride. He couldn't /force/ her to tell him, but her knew that there /was/ something /to/ tell.
Grumbling, Hermione got up and went down to the kitchens, as a few early- risers were populating the great hall.