CHAPTER TWO: DISCOVERIES

SIRIUS BLACK

Hermione raised her head slowly until we could see her face. Sadness was etched into every line of her face, and her eyes were so haunted-looking that it gave me a chill just to look at them.

It made me wonder what was in store for Peter.

"I can't tell you," Hermione finally whispered in response to Remus' queston, her voice barely audible over the crackling of the fire.

"Oh, come on," James said. "You could tell me that I'm having a son, but you can't tell us how you know Peter?"

"No," she said quietly.

"Tell me, Hermione, come on," James pestered her, refusing to give up even when her eyes filled with tears. "Why won't you tell us? Is he related to you? Are we still friends with him?"

It was then that James got too eager and grabbed her shoulders, trying to get an answer from her. "Please tell me," he begged when she covered her face with her hands.

And then we all realised she was crying. Not just crying, either----more like sobbing her heart out like she was going to die.

"Shit," James said, and immediately released her shoulders and backed away. I stood up and was about to comfort her when Remus crossed the room to sit next to her. He pulled her into his arms, rocking her back and forth and muttering barely audible, comforting words to her.

"I'm sorry," James said quietly to Hermione, but she was crying so hard she couldn't hear him.

"Go, James," Remus instructed him quietly. "I don't think she wants an apology at the moment."

James nodded and led me to the boy's stairs. When I reached the bottom of them, however, I turned and looked back at the pair of them, sitting on the couch. Remus' arms were around Hermione, and she was crying into his chest. I wished just then that Remus and I could switch paces; that he could be the one going to bed as I held Hermione. I headed upstairs and collapsed facedown onto my bed, drawing the curtains closed around me, but I didn't sleep.

Before Hermione had come here, I'd dated a lot. I'd date a different girl every week----my Flavor of the Week, as James called it. I wasn't cruel to any of them----in fact, I was sweet and charming throughout the relationship, and at the end of it we always parted on good terms. My problem was, none of the girls had been interesting enough. They were pretty, sure, and a fair few of them were good kissers, too----but they weren't interesting as people.

And then Hermione had come. Even that first day, when we'd been giving her the tour, she'd looked around the castle fondly, as if she'd lived there for years. And, as it turned out, she had.

Hermione. Now she was interesting. She was something special. I'd been temporarily single when she'd come, and I hadn't dated since. It was a record for me, as James had pointed out just two days ago----I'd been single for over two months.

I'd been doing it, in a way, for her----for Hermione. But now, I realized, she'd never felt anything but friendship towards me. I thought of all the times I'd found Hermione and Remus together by themselves in the past two months. They were essentially dating. They'd never declared the fact, but they were.

Which meant I'd have to leave Hermione alone.

The next morning I got up early, long before anyone else. I was starving, so I headed downstairs with the thought of nicking some food from the kitchens. I entered the common room silently, and froze at what I saw.

Hermione and Remus were sitting on the couch, awake. Remus was touching Hermione's face, and she was smiling.

Remus and Hermione. Hermione and Remus. Their names rung together in my head until I couldn't take it anymore. Why didn't I see this coming! I screamed in my head, and fled. It seemed Hermione was now officially off-limits.

The worst part was, that only made me want her more.

HERMIONE GRANGER

I woke up in Remus' arms, my face still wet from all the tears I'd shed the night before. As soon as I moved, Remus woke and looked at me. He smiled and mumbled, "G'morning."

"Good morning," I replied. "I'm sorry about last night, I was just----"

"Don't worry about it," he replied, wiping away my lingering tears with his fingertips. "They'll forgive you as long as you'll forgive them."

I smiled at him, but we both jumped when we heard a slam.

Bewildered, I asked, "What was that?"

"Dunno," Remus replied, shrugging. "Sounded like the portrait hole closing."

I stood up and looked around. "There's no one here," I said, confused.

Remus stood as well. "Odd," he said. "Someone must've left, then."

"I didn't see anyone," I replied. "But I wasn't really paying particular attention, either."

"Oh well," Remus said. "It's the weekend. We should get dressed and go somewhere, all of us."

"Yeah," I agreed. "See you at breakfast."

At breakfast, James, Peter, and Remus were looking around worriedly. Both James and Remus were pretending last night hadn't happened, so I followed their lead.

"What's wrong?" I asked James finally.

"It's Sirius," James replied, turning to face me. "He's not here."

My eyebrows furrowed. "Is that unusual?"

James stared at me. "Oh, you wouldn't know," he realized. "You don't come to breakfast sometimes. Yeah, it's bad. He's never, ever missed breakfast before. Not in all the years I've known him."

I bit my lip. "Do you think he's okay? Should we look for him?"

"I don't know," James answered. "He wasn't in the dormitory this morning either, though."

"We need to try and find him," I decided.

"Right," James said. "We'll all split up, look in places he might have gone. Okay, everyone?"

We all nodded, and I created a sort of wizarding pager for each of us.

"These will beep when one of us finds Sirius," I informed them.

"Have I ever told you you're a genius?" James asked, clipping on to his belt.

"Not often enough," I replied easily, smiling at him, and we all left the Great Hall, each of us heading in a different direction. I checked the library, classrooms, the kitchens, and finally the common room. No sign of Sirius. Getting a sudden idea, I went up into the boy's dorms---Sirius wasn't there, either---and grabbed a jacket of Sirius' before leaving Gryffindor Tower to head outside.

And I found him.

He was sitting beneath the huge oak tree by the lake, his knees drawn up to his chest. I had the sudden urge to get my sketchpad and sketch him like that, but I resisted.

"Sirius?" I said quietly, coming up behind him. He started.

"Oh, hi," he said, an almost bitter smile appearing on his face.

"Are you okay, Sirius? Everyone's worried about you---we've all been looking for you."

"Where's Remus?" he asked curiously.

I raised an eyebrow. "Somewhere in the castle searching for you, I'd imagine. Why?"

He shrugged. "I just assumed that the two of you would search for me together. More time to talk and...stuff," he explained blandly, shrugging again.

My eyebrow arched again. "Meaning what, exactly?"

He shrugged. It seemed to be a favorite gesture of his. "Well, I saw you two on the couch this morning."

"So you're the one who slammed the portrait hole door. You scared the pants off Remus and I."

His face became twisted, like he wanted to say something but couldn't. "You're sure they didn't scare themselves off?" he asked sneeringly.

I stood. "What has gotten into you?" I asked disgustedly.

"What?" he asked dully, as if he didn't know.

"You left this morning without telling anyone where you're going, got everyone worried and searching for you, and then when I actually find you, you're being horrible. What exactly is wrong with Remus and I being friends?"

He looked at the lake. "Nothing."

"So why did you skip breakfast, then? Remus, James and Peter all say you've never missed breakfast before. They're really worried about you," I told him.

"I never asked them to worry," he replied evasively.

"I never said you did. I said they're worried. As far as I know, people get worried all on their own," I said hotly, not liking his attitude at all. He seemed so bitter, so disdainful.

"Fine. I'll go see them," he replied, standing. "Want to come reassure Remus with me?" he asked sarcastically.

I slapped him, right across he face, so that his head snapped to the side and a red handprint glowed on his left cheek.

SIRIUS BLACK

I looked at Hermione, refusing to touch my stinging cheek, going completely still when I saw the fury in her gaze. Her eyes didn't look warm and kind anymore---they looked murderous, as if I dared to say one more word she wouldn't be responsible for what she'd do to me. I stayed completely still, looking into her cold eyes.

"What is wrong with you?" she asked.

I didn't avert my gaze. "Have you got an hour?" I asked, trying my most charming, lazy grin on her.

"It's not funny," she snapped, and my smile faded. I just looked at her for a long time, trying desperately not to notice how pretty she looked.

"Why do you hate me all of a sudden?" she asked finally, and her voice was quiet, pained.

"What?" I asked, startled. "I don't hate you."

"Then why are you being so horrible, Sirius? You've become a really good friend of mine---one of my best friends, in fact---and then all of a sudden you start acting weird. You don't show up for breakfast, you're out sitting by the lake by yourself, you're implying that Remus and I are involved, you're acting moody and putting yourself and everyone else down---I don't know, Sirius," she said finally. "I honestly have no idea what's made you act this way."

"You mean---you and Moony aren't, you know...together?" I asked.

She stared at me.

"Are you serious?" she asked. "You think that Remus and I are---are---" she laughed gently then, trying to hide the fact so she wouldn't embarrass me but laughing all the same.

I shoved my hands deep into my jeans pockets and stared out at the lake, trying not to feel stupid and failing miserably at it. "Well, how was I supposed to know?" I asked finally. "I didn't think the idea sounded that absurd. Well, I guess it wouldn't to me because it was my idea in the first place, but even so..."

She composed herself quickly and answered, "I'm sorry, it really wasn't funny. I just don't know where you would get the idea that we were dating from."

"Well, you're always together and stuff," I said, feeling my ears turning red.

"Yes, we are---because we're friends, Sirius. Friends, and no more," Hermione replied, smiling.

"Have you kissed him?" I asked. It was something I needed to know.

She looked at me like I was crazy. "No, of course not. Why?" she asked.

"I was just being nosy," I replied, shrugging. "It doesn't really matter, anyway."

"We should head back inside," Hermione observed, looking back up to the castle. "We're going somewhere to hang out today, all of us, and you need to eat before we go."

"All right," I agreed, and we went back to the castle.