Spoiler: Still aint mine!

AN: Honestly, read and review! jeez! :)

Ch. 9: A sleeples night at Hogwarts

That night, Sirius had gotten over the shock and had sworn Lily that he wouldn't utter a word about her condition to anyone. James and Lily were asleep in their hotel room, actually, James and was asleep. Lily was once more listening to his heartbeat, crying silently at the thought of leaving James. Sirius and Remus had gone back to 12 Grimmauld, and everyone was asleep. Mr. Granger had come to but his wife hadn't, yet.

Hermione sat in the common room alone that night, she had been shooed out by Madam Pomfrey. It was about 2 o'clock, and she was still up. She starred into the fire with teary eyes, the flames looked blurry to her. She couldn't get the thought of all the bad what ifs out of her head.

"Hermione?" she heard her best friend's voice from behind her.

She turned around and saw Harry standing there, wearing a pair of blue boxers and a muscle shirt with the sleeves cut off. Exactly what she needed, her crush there at the time she needed physical comfort more then anything on earth. "Hey," she said weakly turning her gaze back to the fire.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked walking towards the couch in front of the fire in the deserted Griffyindor Common Room.

She shook her head, her now tamed brown hair was tied in a bun behind her head, she was wearing a white spaghetti strapped shirt with a care bear on it and pink bottoms. "What are you doing up?"
"Couldn't sleep either," he said sitting next to her on the couch, not being able to take his eyes off her crotch, stupid hormones, he thought. "Too much going on."

"That would be the understatement of the year," the 16-yearl-old declared trying to firmly keep her eyes on the fire, she wanted to grab him.

"Yeah," breathed Harry finally being able to turn his gaze to the fire.

"So how are you handling things?" Hermione asked awkwardly.

He looked at her frowning, "your parents are in the Hospital Wing right now and your asking me how I'm handling things?" he asked.

"Well, I know you've wanted parents just like Lily and James, I mean, it kinda has to be overwhelming to have them basically be back to life after thinking they were dead for all those years," said Hermione thoughtfully, "I would, for one, feel betrayed if I was in your shoes, your handling this way better then I would have."

Harry smiled, "I still have my anger, but, they're back, they're all I needed you know?" he smiled, "right now my view on the situation is be happy and don't ask questions."

Hermione smiled, "fair enough," she nodded.

"So, how are you?" he asked starring at her fixedly.

She looked at him, "horrified that something will happen to my mum, dad seems to be fine."

"Under Dumbeldore's and Pomfreys nose? I think she'll be ok," Harry said trying to give her some hope.

"But if she does die Harry?" she asked tears running down her cheek.

"I can give you survival tips," he said.

She glared at him.

"Sorry, wrong thing to say," he said.

"Yeah, very," she said weeping full force now.

"Hey, come here, she'll be ok," said Harry hugging her. She put her hands on his chest as he wrapped her in his arms, sobbing into his chest, "she'll be fine Hermione. We're all here for you, especially me, its time to pay you back for all those times you've been here for me."

"Thanks Harry," she said, her voice muffled into his chest.

He put a finger under her chin and lifted her head, "anytime, and you know that," he smiled.

It was then that both of the realized that they were so close to each others face. It was an awkward moment, as Hermione quickly wracked her brain to figure out what to do, whether to retracted from the embrace or stay, books didn't ever tell her what to do in case this happened. And Harry, he knew what he wanted to do, he had known since 4th year, he just didn't know how to do it. ((AN: The following is how my boyfriend and I got together))

He finally decided that it was the perfect time and he followed his heart which seemed to be seeping, "Hermione, Hermione," over and over again. He leaned over to her, and placed his lips on hers, the feeling of her lips on his made the world flutter and seem worthless, she was the only thing that mattered. The warmth that was in her heart seemed to fill Harry's body.

He thought that she would retract and slap him or something, but she opened her mouth to him, putting her arms around his waist. He pulled away from her, retracting his tongue which had been in her mouth, waltzing with hers.

"Hermione?" he asked searching for a hint in her eyes about how she felt about him.

"Harry," she said licking her lips, "I have a confession."

"Yeah, I do too," he smiled putting his forehead on hers.

"Since I think third year, I've...well…I fell for you," she said.

"I fell for you too," he smiled, "you always seemed to be there for me, when I needed someone's shoulder to cry on you know? Your different, and well…" he blushed, "I'm in love with you frankly."

"I'm in love too Harry," she assured him, "more then you can imagine."

Harry smiled and kissed her again, this time leaning towards her, pushing her back. At first she gasped, and it quickly turned into moan as his full weight fell on hers. She pushed him back abruptly, "this can't go far Harry," she warned.

"Yeah," he said and quickly got off of her.

"Harry? Hermione what are you doing?" Ron asked from top of the stairs, rubbing his eyes.

"Talking Ron," Hermione answered.

"Ok," he said and walked back to the dorms.

"Can we keep this between us for now?" she asked pleadingly starring at her newly found boyfriend.

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking," he nodded with a smile. They decided to go back to bed, "can I kiss you again?" he asked as they reached the point of the stairs when they would have to separate.

She nodded profusely, and he did kiss her, his hands traveling down under her shirt. They both went back to their dorms and slept peacefully for the first time in a way overdue time.

Back in Hogsmade, Lily was trying to make a decision whether to get up or just lie there and go crazy thinking. She couldn't sleep, it was impossible even though her husbands heartbeat was so soothing. She could remain in bed and risk James waking up from his deep sleep because she was so fidgety, or she could go back to the castle and spend her time correcting papers for the next lesson or thinking without the constant worry that James would wake up.

She decided to go with her second option because waking James up was something she just didn't want to do, he looked like an angel when he was asleep. She kissed his shoulder and was slowly sliding away from his grasp when he woke up, "Lily?" he asked unsurely.

"Yeah sweetie," she smiled.

"What's wrong?" he asked turning on the lamp on the side of his bed and sitting up, looking at Lily.

"Nothing, I just couldn't sleep and I thought I'd get some work done ya know?" she smiled, "sorry I woke you up, go back to sleep love."

"You sure you don't want any company?" he asked as she gently pushed him back on the bed.

"I'm sure," she smiled looking at him, she then said, "I love you James Potter."

He gave her a lazy smile, "I love you too Lily," she kissed him on the lips and got dressed in the usual t-shirt and jeans, then put on her robes and left the hotel room. She turned into a ginger colored cat and trotted out to the castle, finding that a cat would be less attractive in the night then Lily Potter. She reached her classroom and found a huge dog sitting in front of her desk. The cat walked over to the dog, frowning like a cat would. She bumped his head with hers and made him wake up. When he opened his eyes he saw the ginger colored cat.

Suddenly she turned into Lily, "what are you doing here Sirius?" she asked as he turned into himself yet again.

"Couldn't sleep," he answered yawning, "actually, I just had a bad dream."

"And your first instinct was to come to Hogwarts?" she asked crossing her hands in front of her chest.

"Yeah," he said sheepishly.

"Dork," she murmured sitting down behind her desk she asked, "what was your dream about anyway?"

"Piper," he said, he saw the surprised look on her face and explained, "she's been on mind quite a lot lately."

"Yeah, I know," Lily agreed promptly.

"It was weird though, I can't describe it at all…" he said.

"Wanna try a Pensieve?" she offered.

"Yeah," he smiled.

So, Lily gave Sirius the magical instrument and he extracted his thoughts, the dream actually. Then he and Lily went inside.

The Dream

Sirius was standing at the cemetery, at his wife's tombstone wearing black.

"Sirius?" he heard a women ask after feeling a hand grab his. He looked at the owner and found Piper, wearing a beautiful white dress, her hair black and redder then ever with flowers embroidered in her curly locks, with a smile that she always wore.

"Piper?" he had questioned looking between her and the tombstone that read

Piper Meru Black

February 4, 1969- December, 23 1989

Wonderful friend, sister, mother and a beautiful wife

"A light went out when she left us"

"Is it so hard to believe that it's me darling?" she asked with a gentle smile.

"God….you feel so real," he said turning around fully to face her.

She nodded with a smile, her eyes instantly shut as he touched her cheek, she moaned softly, then reopened her eyes and looked at him. "I know you're hurting honey, Rose and I know about Azkaban, we were there with you every night," she said softly, "we know about everything, and we tried so hard to keep you from going after Pettigrew that night by the way."

"You were there?"
"Do you remember being hit with a rock on the head?" Piper smiled maliciously.

"Yeah."

"That was the brilliant work of your daughter."

Sirius smiled proudly.

"I don't have much time Sirius. I know that your hurting, and I know you think I died because of you," she shook her head, "and I didn't. You were the last thing I remember thinking about. I knew you were going to blame yourself for it, but it wasn't your fault. I love you more then anything on earth, you know that right?"
"Sometimes I forget," he said truthfully.

"I know you do, but you can't ever forget me Black," she smiled, "after all I was the best lover you ever had."

He let out a bark like laughter, "yeah, true, very true."

"I have to go now darling," she smiled, "you have to be there for Lily now, she needs you like I needed you. Like you need me now."

He nodded, "do you have to go?"

She nodded, "I wish I could stay with you until the end of time Sirius," her eyes welled up with tears, "I wish I could remain wrapped up in your arms still in bed, I love you."

"I love you too," he said shakily.

"Let me go ok? Don't dwell on me, on the past especially."

He nodded, "I wont."

"Bye," she said waving, her voice grew distant and it sounded much like an echo more then anything.

"Bye," he whispered as she faded into the atmosphere.

Back to story line

"Woe.." was all Lily could say when they returned from within the pensieve, "you have quite an imagination to have rigged that up."

"Yeah."

"And you call that a nightmare Padfoot?" Lily asked eyeing him closely, "that was the most beautiful dream I've ever seen!"

"I know, what scared me about it was that it was so real," he breathed sitting down in the chair in front of Lily's desk.

"What do you mean?"

"The rock thing, and when I touched her cheek, she reacted the same exact way that Piper would when I touched her cheek," he said sounding a bit frustrated, "I mean, every detail about her was real.."

Lily didn't know what to say to her friend so she turned her gaze from her him to her hands, "maybe the pressure of what's been going on lately added weight to your shoulders, and your subconscious decided it was time that some of the weight was lifted."
He seemed to have ignored her, "I think she might've actually talked to me tonight," he said starring at his hands.

Lily's head shot up, "are you serious?"

"That's what it says on my birth certificate," he smiled.

"You think your dead wife has came back from the dead to help you get over her or something?"

"I know it sounds crazy!" he said standing up and started to pace, an extremely popular sport in Hogwarts now a days, "but ergh…I dunno….I want to believe its her because I felt so redeemed."

Lily just looked at him not as though he was crazy, but because she was starting to believe that Piper was coming back in some way.

AN: Ok, I didn't like this chapter either, it wasn't my style. What do ya'll think?