Disclaimer: I do not own nor have any rights to Harry Potter…..pity…...or my chapter titles 11 onwards…..pity would like to know bon jovi…(that's except for chapter 11…Guns n Roses...not that that really matters to anyone…….)

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Chapter 25.: I'll sleep when I'm dead

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Hermione muffled her laughter at James, who presently was as nervous as a Hungarian Horntail in Antarctica, attempted to eat his breakfast. Sirius who was sitting directly opposite Hermione nudged her foot with his own, pleased when her attention immediately shifted to him.

"Did anyone ever tell you it's rude to stare?" he asked in mock seriousness.

"Did anyone ever tell you?" she said pointedly as he started at her fondly.

Sirius flashed his famous smile. "I'm just afraid that if I blink you'll disappear."

Hermione laughed. "I'm not going anywhere Sirius," she replied glad he didn't pick up on the undertone of nervousness.

"Sorry to interrupt Hermione but I need to steal Padfoot here away." James said standing and gathering the rest of the Gryffindor Team to head to the field for the days final.

"But I haven't finished my breakfast." Sirius whined frowning as James yanked him to his feet.

"You've already had enough for the entire team," James replied, trying to drag him away from the table.

Sirius jerked out of his friends grasp reached out and grabbed another piece of toast before leaning over the table and giving Hermione a quick kiss. "Wish me luck."

"You don't need it," she replied smiling back at him as he ran off to catch up with his team.

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The two houses playing in the final couldn't ask for better weather, it was a warm spring morning and the sun shone across the field. Hermione and the others took their seats in the sea of red and gold that was the Gryffindor stand. Looking around she could see that Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were divided on who to support, and that the stadium was split in almost fifty fifty alliances.

The match was a brutal one, right from the onset it was clear that Slytherin was prepared to use every dirty tactic in the book to win the match. Their two beaters seemed to think that James and Sirius would be the best targets for their bludgers and kept sending the wild balls in the direction of the star players. What they didn't count on though was the fact that they were star players for a reason, not once did the bludgers find their targets as James and his fellow chasers scored a multitude of goals, Sirius and his fellow beater keeping the bludgers away from their team mates.

An hour into the match the scores were almost even with Gryffindor only ten points ahead. Slytherin seemed to have changed their tactics now and started to pick off the less experienced players of the team. The Gryffindor stands voiced their opinion on the direction the game was headed but so far the green and silver team had kept just to the rule book.

Hermione stared in horror as the two Slytherin beaters lobbed their bludgers towards a single player. Their black haired counterpart saw the two balls speeding his way and prepared to strike them both. His bat felt its target with the first bludger but the crowd watched helplessly as the second slammed into his left shoulder spinning him backwards. Hermione gasped and her hands went to her mouth as Sirius tumbled backwards. The beater however had other things on his mind than falling painfully to the ground and grabbed hold of the tail of his broom and swung himself back up.

"You can breath now Hermione," Remus whispered to her and she slowly let out the breath she didn't realise she had been holding.

The rest of the match went without any other incidents and the entire stadium held its breath as the two seekers sped towards the ground near the Gryffindor goal posts. Both seekers went tumbling off their brooms, Malloroy falling gracefully into a heap of red and gold robes, while the Slytherin seeker went headlong into one of the goal posts with a sickening thud.

The stadium was silent as the houses waited on confirmation as to whether the Snitch had indeed been caught. James and Sirius flew down to see if their own seeker was alright, they helped an unsteady Malloroy to his feet, the seeker appeared to be favouring his left ankle but was wearing a triumphant grin.

"GRYFFINDOR WINS THE QUIDDITCH FINAL!"

The stands were loud, no they were more than loud they were deafening as Hermione, Remus, Lily and Peter, attempted to reach the team. This however proved futile and they gave up heading for the common room to prepare for the party that would undoubtedly be taking place later on that evening.

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Hermione, Remus, Lily and Peter were presently lounging in the boy's dormitory; the two boys spread out on their own beds, the girls on their respective partners. Peter was presently being convinced of the importance of studying early for their NEWTs by the others and was studying the timetable that Remus had drawn up for him.

About and hour after the match had ended James and Sirius came bursting into the room, clean and showered dressed in jeans and t-shirts. Remus stared at James' chest as the white spot on his black shirt disappeared to reveal a message.

"Due to budget cuts the light at the end of the tunnel has been switched off," Remus read, then looked up at James. "Nice to know Prongs, thanks for that little bit of important information."

"Anytime, Moony, anytime," James replied moving to sit next to Lily on his bed.

Hermione had stood and wandered over to Sirius cocking an eyebrow at his shirt that had. "Wasn't Me," proclaimed over the front.

Sirius merely grinned. "So, where's the party?" he asked.

"Later," Lily replied.

"Congratulations," Hermione said to Sirius pulling him into a hug.

"Thanks," Sirius said wincing as Hermione hand passed his shoulder.

Looking up at him in concern Hermione asked. "Did you go and see Madame Pomfrey about that?"

Sirius shook his head. "It's nothing, I'll be fine."

"I don't believe you, now take off your shirt."

Sirius cocked an eyebrow suggestively but Hermione just sighed and started to tug at the bottom of his shirt.

"Alright, alright woman, I can undress myself," he said as he crossed his arms over to grab the sides of his shirt, once his arms reached a certain height however he hissed out in pain and dropped the shirt. Hermione lead him over to sit on his bed and she and Lily helped Sirius take off his top.

"How on earth did you even get this on Black?" Lily asked as Sirius kept gasping out in pain.

"Adrenaline."

Once the shirt was off, both girls gasped at the sight of the purple shoulder.

"You need to see Madame Pomfrey, now," Hermione said pulling Sirius uninjured arm, trying to ignore the warm feeling in her stomach as she took in Sirius' chiselled torso.

"I'm fine," Sirius protested.

The other Marauders had come over now for a better look.

"Nice one Pads," James complimented. "Remus grab your camera."

"Not now," Hermione snapped as the werewolf started to head for one of his prized possessions. "Hospital wing," she said to Sirius.

The black haired boy didn't budge from his position.

"Sirius Black, you have other perfectly uninjured limbs, if you do not get up now I am going to hurt you."

This seemed to drill some fear into Sirius and he grabbed a button down shirt from his draw. "Fine, but I'm not walking down the hall half naked," he said as he gingerly slipped on said shirt.

Hermione walked on Sirius' left as to prevent any congratulatory slaps to the shoulder from their fellow students.

"You can be so stubborn some times," she hissed out of the corner of her mouth.

"I don't like hospitals," he hissed back, smiling back at a group of fifth year Hufflepuffs who'd just yelled out 'nice work.'

"That's too bad, you need one."

Sirius didn't reply, deep down, after all the hating of hospitals and annoying bushy haired witches, he was pleasantly glad of Hermione's concern. He glanced over at Hermione who was still mumbling.

"Ignorant, stupid, stubborn…git."

Sirius grinned. "I know I am, but you love me all the same," he said as they reached the hospital wing.

Hermione thought back on what Sirius had said as she watched Madame Pomfrey take care of said boy.

'You love me all the same'

"OMG." Hermione thought. "I'm in love with Sirius Black."

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Malfoy stood looking over Monique's shoulder as she waved her wand. "Are you sure this is going to work?" he asked sceptically.

"Of course it will," she replied as the writing in front of her turned to mimic Hermione's elegant script, then she put the note next to the one that looked like Sirius messy handwriting.

She held up both notes. "Now for your task," she said handing them over. "Then we'll see what those two Gryffindors are really made of."