Enchanted Love

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story, although I can think of a few I would love to own! This is for entertainment purposes only.

Story: It's Hermione's 7th year at Hogwarts, and now that Lord Voldemort has been defeated, she has time to think about her life. She begins a forbidden relationship with Remus Lupin, but soon finds another man enchants her thoughts. Sirius Black never died, and is now a free man.

Chapter 19 - Don't Speak

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Don't speak
I know just what you're saying
So please stop explaining
Don't tell me cause it hurts
Don't speak
I know what you're thinking
I don't need your reasons
Don't tell me cause it hurts

'Don't Speak' No Doubt

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Hermione gasped, taking in his bloody lip and bruised eyes. She felt her heart breaking. She was the reason they had come to this. Remus and Sirius, who had been best friends longer than she had been alive. Their relationship dissolved right before her eyes, and she was the reason.

She didn't know what to do now. Should she run to him and throw her arms around him? Try to make it better? Should she muster up her remaining dignity and turn from the doorway, run from him? Was there any other option?

Sirius didn't want to look at her, but he couldn't look away. The girl didn't love him. She could fool herself all she wanted, but it was true. And in the end, was it worth losing Remus for? No. Not for a girl that could never love him back, no matter what she might be convinced of right now. He sighed in frustration at her, wishing she would speak.

Hermione finally stepped into the room, breaking eye contact with Sirius. She walked into his restroom, and retuned a moment later with a wet cloth and healing ointment.

Sirius watched her as she sat down on the end of the table in front of him. She gently reached her hand out and cupped his face, pulling him closer. He closed his eyes as he felt her breath on his skin, tickling his nose. She reached up and began to clean the blood off of the side of his face.

Sirius left his eyes closed, concentrating on the feel of her hand holding his chin, the soft rag running down his cheek.

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"Remus?" Tonks said softly, knocking on his door.

"GO AWAY!" the angry reply came from the other side.

"No!" Tonks said, her voice gentle but firm. "You are going to let me in!"

"NO!" Remus said. Tonks could tell he was just on the other side of the door by the closeness of his voice.

"Fine, I'll just come in my own way!" she huffed, before disappearing.

Remus spun around in time to see her appear in the room behind him. "No means no…" he trailed off, shaking his head.

Tonks could tell he was hurting, physically and emotionally. Sirius had managed to land a few good swings on the side of his face.

"Come here…" Tonks said gently, pointing her finger to the couch. Remus obeyed, walking over and falling into the seat.

Tonks pulled her wand out and waved it over his cuts, healing them almost instantly.

"Thanks.." Remus said with a small smile.

"Are you going to be okay?" Tonks asked him, settling onto the couch beside him.

"I don't know." he answered honestly.

"She's not the only girl for you Remus. There will be more. It's not worth forever losing Sirius for." Tonks said.

"He betrayed me Tonks. How could I ever trust him again? He slept with my girlfriend!" Remus cried out.

"She wasn't your girlfriend Remus. You two hadn't slept together, you hadn't been on a real date…You barely kissed her. She wasn't the one for you Remus. I know what Sirius did was wrong. I'll admit it. You can be angry at him, you can hate him right now. I'm just saying that you don't have to feel that way forever. She wasn't your soul-mate, he was your best friend." Tonks gently told him.

"Your right, she may not have been my soul-mate, but she understood me. She accepted me for what I was. I didn't have to fear her rejecting me because of who I am. And yes, Sirius was my best friend. I would have done anything for him. Because he is my best friend, I just want to see him happy, so I would never have done this to him, hurt him like this." Remus said.

"Don't you understand Remus? This is what makes him happy. I believe with all my heart that she is his soul-mate. They were destined to be together. Because of you they will have that chance. You can be mad and hurt, just don't throw them both out of your life forever." Tonks gently told him.

"I don't know how to feel right now. I know that I'll never find a woman to be with, I'm going to be alone forever." he said, his voice full of pain.

"Why would you say that?" Tonks said, reaching for his arm, holding it with her hand gently.

"Every time I find someone who accepts me, I lose them. Just like Lily, just like Hermione. It won't change. Their will always be a James, a Sirius around." he replied bitterly.

"There is a woman out there for you Remus. Don't you ever say that shit again!" Tonks cried out with more emotion then she meant to.

Remus looked over at her. "Why do you care anyways?" he asked her.

"I have always cared about you. I cared about you before Lily, before Hermione. I always will…" Tonks admitted gently.

Remus studied her eyes, overwhelmed by the strong emotions showing in them.

"Tonks…" he whispered.

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Hermione finished rubbing the last of the salve on Sirius' face. She could have used her wand to heal him, but she wanted to touch him, feel his face.

Sirius opened his eyes slowly as he felt her hand fall away. The gently movement she had been making had soothed the sting of his cuts. He studied her dark brown eyes. God, he loved her. He loved her more than anyone person before. She may believe she loved him, but she would realize in time she didn't.

Sirius couldn't lose Remus over a woman who would never love him in return. He couldn't do it. No matter how much it broke his heart to let her go.

"I'm sorry…" Hermione whispered, the first thing either of them had spoken since she stepped into the room.

"Me too." Sirius replied, his voice rough with anger and alcohol.

"I wanted to warn you that he knew before he got to you." she explained. " I had to tell him Sirius, he needed to know…"

"Stop Hermione. You don't need to explain." Sirius sighed.

She stood up quickly. "I do need to explain Sirius. I need to explain everything. I have to do this. I had to tell him the truth. He had a right to know that I didn't want to be with him. I had to tell him that I lov…."

"Don't say it!" Sirius said, jumping off of the couch himself to stand in front of her. "Don't you dare say it.."

Hermione felt the tears flow immediately. "I…"

"I don't want to hear it Hermione. It's bullshit. Okay? It's all bullshit! Everything!" he yelled at her, trying to block out the tears running down her face.

"You…" she whispered, not able to form words. Why was he doing this?

"This was all a mistake Hermione. It shouldn't have happened! I'm sorry you got hurt. I was confused that was all." he forced himself to look in her in the eyes, to tell her the biggest lie of his life. "I don't love you, I never did. I just had to have what belonged to Remus."

Hermione felt her world crash. She couldn't pull air in, and she was sure she was going to pass out. He couldn't mean this. "No…Tell me the truth…Sirius…." she managed to get out.

"I just did Hermione." he said, turning quickly and leaving his rooms, leaving her standing there, and leaving his heart in her hands.

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Thank You:

I wanted to get this chapter up, but I can't do individual thank you's right now. So thank you to everyone who had reviewed, and to Rane, who is good at making me update!