A/N: All HP characters, locales, and objects belong to JK Rowling. I am not making any money for writing this story. I, Queen of Alexandria, am writing this fan fiction for fun only.

Italics represent Hermione's thoughts. Bold represents Sirius' thoughts. Replies to reviewers are located at the end of the chapter. Sorry it took so long for me to update, but I've been very busy lately. I'm hoping to write and post the next few chapters in a more timely fashion, though.

Unspeakable

Chapter Seven: Under Fire

Hermione clung to the edge of the roof desperately. As each second passed, she could feel her grip loosen. Her left arm hurt terribly, but the pain that coursed through her leg had lessened to a dull, throbbing ache. Hermione's fingers had grown numb from holding on to the ledge, and she could feel blood running down her face. She realized that she must have gotten a cut above her right eye when she fell from the roof. She had not initially been aware of it, but the abrasion had started to sting and bleed. Hermione wished she could wipe the blood from her face, but she had to focus on not falling to her death.

To Hermione, time had slowed. She attempted to pull herself back onto the roof, but she hadn't the strength to move more than a few centimeters toward her goal. Hermione's left arm was nearly useless by now, and she was dangling from the housetop, held almost entirely by her right arm.

Hermione cried out as she slipped a few inches lower. She had at most forty-five seconds preceding the inevitable fall. As she waited for some unlikely miracle, she heard someone running across the rooftop. Hermione became hopeful and called out to the person, "Please help me! I'm hanging from the ledge of the roof!"

"I'm coming, Hermione!" Sirius voice yelled back to her, and his face soon appeared above the ledge of the roof. Sirius knelt and took hold of Hermione's right wrist. "Let go, and I'll pull you onto the roof," he advised.

Hermione hesitated for a couple of seconds. She feared letting go, but she trusted Sirius with her life. Trust overcame fear, and Hermione released the ledge.

Sirius now held Hermione's right hand and began to pull her toward the rooftop. As she drew nearer she weakly lifted her left hand toward him, also. He grasped her other hand, and she began to move steadily upward, closer to the edge. Hermione bit her lip at the shock that traveled down her arm; her left shoulder must have been dislocated in the fall.

"Swing your left leg over the edge," Sirius instructed, and Hermione did so. She was now back atop the house, kneeling on the roof. Because her cane had fallen to the ground below, she could move no further on her own. Hermione was trembling terribly from both the fear of almost plummeting to her death and the weakness of her overly exerted muscles.

Sirius helped her to stand and summoned her cane from the ground below and her wand from the rooftop beside Ron, who was still unconscious. Hermione leaned heavily on Sirius as the two crossed the roof to where Ron lay. Hermione used the sleeve of her now dirty and torn robes to wipe away the blood that ran down her face before she and Sirius apparated with Ron to the backyard of the house near the scene of the battle.

Peering out from behind the corner of the old home, Hermione noticed that the battle was over. Only Remus, Bill, and Tonks remained with two Death Eaters, Jugson and Goyle, bound in ropes and sitting on the grass. As they watched, Bill apparated with the prisoners to the Ministry to hand them over to the Auror Division.

"Remus!" Sirius yelled to alert his friend of his presence. Remus and Tonks turned and were relieved to see that the approaching people were Sirius, Hermione, and Ron rather than the enemy. They were also thankful that all three were still alive.

Tonks came forward to take Ron. She placed a hand on his arm and apparated to St. Mungo's with him. "Everyone else has gone to the Ministry or St. Mungo's. Some of the injuries looked bad, but everyone should be okay," Remus explained. "Sirius, you can take Hermione to St. Mungo's now. I can manage tying up all the loose ends here by myself," he added after noticing Hermione's condition.

Hermione's mind seemed calmer now that she knew all of her friends had survived the fight. The worst part of a battle was always the tense wait at the end, in which the defenders impatiently expected news of the condition of other Order members. Her own wounds didn't present such a pressing need for attention, but to prevent trouble, she would go along to the hospital quietly.

"I stunned Mulciber and MacNair; they're still in the forest. I left Mulciber in the clearing about halfway up the hill, and MacNair is near the top. Both should still be unconscious and tied up. Here are their wands," Hermione said, giving Remus the two wands she had confiscated.

"Good work, Hermione. I'll take them to the Auror Division," he replied. As Remus set off to collect the other prisoners, Sirius and Hermione apparated to St. Mungo's.

The two reappeared in the front hall of the hospital, near the reception desk. They had taken only a few steps when the large double doors of the main entrance burst open behind them, and paramedics hurriedly pushed a stretcher into the building.

From a distance, Hermione was unable to see exactly the victim was, but she could discern that the person had suffered very much and was lucky to be alive. There was blood everywhere, and the victim lay still, barely able to draw breath in such a horrible state. Healers rushed forward to meet the paramedics, and frantic voices reached Hermione and Sirius. "Take her to the intensive care ward immediately…fetch healer Owens…you must hurry or she won't survive…she doesn't stand much of a chance."

Most likely a dark curse although I'd say she was tortured first. Hermione was furious. She had spent so many years trying to save people from Voldemort and his followers. She had seen so much in the line of duty that she often felt dead inside. How could the world be a good place when such awful things happened more and more frequently?

What happened next was a severe shock to Hermione. The Order members who had gone on the other mission now entered the building, and a healer turned to speak to Harry. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"She was tortured many different ways, some magical and some nonmagical. None of us can really be sure of all that happened because much of the damage was done before we arrived. An Avada Kedavra that was deflected off a mirror hit her," Harry answered somberly. Hermione had never heard of an instance in which someone was struck by a killing curse that had ricocheted, but she supposed that the misfiring of the jet of green light was the only reason the woman had not died.

Hermione was now running towards the increasingly large group as the stretcher was wheeled away. Who is it now? Haven't we all suffered enough? Hermione was in a panic. She felt as though she couldn't breathe properly. She had to find out the identity of the person, but it was knowledge that she did not enjoy obtaining.

When the healers pushed the nearly dead victim past her, Hermione recognized the woman. She felt as though her heart would surely stop, and her breathing came in short gasps. She was so shocked that tears would not come. No, no, please no…She was in hiding. How could they have found her? Once again, Hermione's world had come crashing down on her, except she did not have the will to rebuild it this time. The woman lying on the stretcher, tortured and almost murdered in the Death Eater attack, was her mother.

"Will she live?" Hermione inquired desperately as she attempted to follow the healers.

"Stand aside," one of them ordered curtly, pushing Hermione out of the way. She was left to watch as Eleanor Granger was rushed through the corridors of the hospital to some unknown room in the intensive care ward.

Shock soon turned to fury, and Hermione rounded on the members of the Order of the Phoenix assembled in the hall. Dumbledore knew. He knew, and he didn't tell me, didn't give me the opportunity to go on the mission, to stop this from happening.

"You knew, damn you! Why didn't you tell me? I had the right to know! I could have done something. I would have died to save my only remaining family if I had to. It wasn't your place to keep this from me!" she shouted at him, hurling various objects at the walls, relishing the sound of them smashing against the stone. Hermione was out of control, but she couldn't have cared less.

"Ms. Granger, you must understand that…" Dumbledore began, looking as shaken as Hermione had ever seen him.

"I don't need excuses. I don't need to be reminded that I'm a worthless and crippled. Excuses won't save anyone. You should have let me go on the mission. The Order would have been well rid of me; I would have been the one to be cursed to death tonight," Hermione raged, bracing herself against a small table as she grew weak from injury and exhaustion.

Sirius moved toward the distraught Hermione, but a healer reached her first and led her away to a hospital ward. To an observer, she might have seemed stoic as the healer applied stinging disinfectant to her cuts and bruises, and mended her dislocated shoulder with a rather painful spell, but her stillness was truly brought on by a mixture of sadness and apathy. Hermione's troubles had reached an intense breaking point, and yet she had become listless and distanced, feeling that she deserved whatever pain she was forced to endure. The healer soon finished and left her in solitude.

As Hermione lay on the uncomfortable hospital bed, she heard the departing healer say, "You may go in and see her now, Mr. Black."

Sirius walked into the small, stark white room and sat in the chair beside the bed. Wordlessly, he held her hand, and Hermione was glad he was there. She most likely would have lashed out at anyone else. Sirius was really the only one who understood her at the moment. He didn't offer excuses, worry, or pity, just comfort.

After a few moments passed, Hermione spoke. "I need to see my mum, Sirius," she said, her voice choked with concern.

"I'll go talk to the healers. Be right back," Sirius said, reluctantly letting go of Hermione and crossing the room to the hallway outside, in search of a healer.

Sirius walked through the corridors until he reached a small office, enclosed by stone and many large glass windows. He entered through an open doorway and approached the nurses' desk.

The nurse looked up upon noticing Sirius. "Yes?" she politely inquired.

"How is Mrs. Eleanor Granger? Her daughter would like to see her."

"The healers are still with her. There hasn't been a report on her condition as of yet. As the healers are still at work, I'm afraid no visitors will be allowed." A frustrated look crossed Sirius' face, and the nurse added, "Sorry," as he walked from the office.

Sirius made his way back toward Hermione's room, dreading breaking the news to her. However, when he reached the corridor her room was located on, he found her arguing adamantly with a healer in the middle of the hallway.

"I have to see her," Hermione said, pleadingly.

"Ms. Granger, there are no visitors allowed yet. The team of healers is still with her, and they have not notified us of her condition," the healer replied. His voice was monotonous as he completed what had undoubtedly become a repetitive task in the harsh years of war, discussing a patient with a distraught relative.

"Please…She's my mother," Hermione attempted to draw some sign on compassion from the man.

"No. Now if you don't go home, I may have to rethink my decision to release you from this hospital. You need rest," he answered insistently. After a few seconds he added in a more sympathetic tone, "You may come back tomorrow morning. I'm sure they will allow you to see her then."

Hermione unwillingly trudged down the corridor toward Sirius, still too startled to even cry. They apparated home and reappeared in the front hall of Hermione's house. Hermione walked listlessly up the stairs to her room and fell on the bed, still wearing her torn robes and looking a mess. She was too tired to move, but she was also too upset to sleep, so she compromised by deciding to just lie down for a while.

At two thirty in the morning, Hermione began to feel restless and reached for her cane. She walked through the old, Victorian house in a daze, eventually choosing to go to the balcony.

There was a large balcony just outside of the living room, and it was a place Hermione often went when she needed to clear her mind. She loved it because it provided such a beautiful view of the sky and the surrounding English countryside. A wrought iron table with a glass top and two matching chairs with scarlet cushions sat on one side of the balcony. On the other side was Hermione's favorite seat, a swing that completed the matching set of furnishings.

Hermione sank down onto the swing, finally able to cry. Once the tears had come, they showed no signs of abating. It's all my fault. This happened again because of me, because of what I am, and I had no power to stop it. I'm not only a danger to myself; I'm a danger to all of my friends and family. How can they forgive me? Mum may not survive because of me. No matter how hard she tried, Hermione could not dispel the image of her mum being brought into St. Mungo's, scarcely alive and covered in blood.

Sirius had awoken and was going to the kitchen to get a drink of water. As he walked through the darkened hallway, he heard sobbing, and abandoning his plan of getting a drink, he rushed to the living room. Upon entering, he noticed that the room seemed to be unoccupied, but the doors leading out onto the balcony were open, allowing a cool breeze to permeate the house. He walked to the balcony and saw Hermione sitting on the swing and crying.

A few seconds later, Sirius joined Hermione on the swing and put his arms around her. Hermione was surprised, and her first instinct was to pull away. How can he hug someone so awful as me? I have to leave him before something bad happens to him, too. However, Hermione thought that it was comforting to be so close to Sirius as he rubbed her back and whispered that everything would be okay, so she chose to stay.

"We'll go to St. Mungo's first thing in the morning, and you'll see your mum. She'll be alright."

"I hope so. I couldn't bear to lose her because she's the only family I have left. It's my fault they attacked her, just like it's my fault dad was killed." Hermione mentally berated herself for letting slip what had happened years ago, but a part of her thought it felt good to finally tell someone about it.

"Because I'm a Muggleborn, they are after my family, as well as me. Before I got my injury, there was a Death Eater raid on a Muggle shopping complex near Christmas. It was late, and Dad had gone to do some last minute shopping when it happened. They used Crucio many times. They made the poor people suffer before finally using Avada Kedavra and ending it all. There were no survivors," Hermione explained.

She continued with her story after a slight pause. "I was furious. A few weeks later there was another raid, but the Order had knowledge of this one. Snape had heard about it and informed us, so we were prepared. It had taken me a great deal of time, but I discovered that Rabastan Lestrange was responsible for my father's murder, and so I went to the scene of the raid with revenge in mind. We fought, and I inadvertently killed him. I cast Expelliarmus with such rage that he wasn't just disarmed. He was pushed down a flight of stone steps, and his neck was broken in the fall; he died almost instantly. Even though I hadn't done it on purpose I expected it to feel good, to bring closure, but it didn't. I felt horrible, and it took months to recover, but from then until my injury, the Death Eaters left my mother alone. Now though, they know that I am not at all formidable in battle, and they tried to kill her tonight. If it wasn't for me, both of my parents would be alive and well."

"It's not your fault. Voldemort and his followers are responsible for all of it. There is no one person in the entire world that could stop it all, and you certainly aren't useless. You saved us all today at the battle in Darnayshire, and you captured two Death Eaters. Your parents are probably very proud of you," Sirius said with certainty.

His sureness lessened Hermione's doubt, as well as her guilt. She was relieved that he didn't want to leave now that he knew what had happened to her in the years of his absence. Hermione felt drowsy now; the fatigue of the day's events was coursing through her, and she leaned against Sirius, resting her head on his shoulder and considering whether or not she would be able to sleep.

Sirius seemed to read her mind and said, "You should get some rest. Tomorrow we'll have to wake up early."

"I don't think I'll ever be able to sleep again," Hermione concluded aloud.

"You know, I said the same thing once," Sirius reminisced. "In my first year, I made a bet with James, Remus, and Peter. We decided to see who could stay awake the longest, and the winner of the bet got the entire pile of Honeydukes' candy we had been saving. Peter was the first to lose; we caught him taking a nap later that evening. The competition ended on day two. Remus decided that even chocolate wasn't a good enough incentive to stay awake for days and dozed off during History of Magic. By our last class of the day, which was Potions, I was so tired that I couldn't stand it. I fell asleep and went face first into my cauldron of color changing solution. Luckily, it had cooled, but for the rest of the day, my face switched from green to orange and back again. James won the bet, but he got such a stomachache from eating all the candy by himself that he had to go to the hospital wing. Pomfrey was livid with him, too."

Hermione smiled, somehow feeling that it wasn't wrong of her to do so. The image of Sirius as a child pulling such a stunt was rather amusing. She laughed as she realized that he was right; taking naps was inevitable. She fell asleep in the swing beside Sirius with hope that maybe things would be okay in the morning.

Sirius was momentarily happy as he gazed at the sleeping Hermione. It was good to see her smile again. His thoughts were soon interrupted, though, by a cold wind that swept past, and he picked Hermione up and carried her back into the house.

Sirius wandered through the house with some difficulty, as it was pitch black, and he was currently without a wand, but he eventually managed to reach Hermione's room. He had set Hermione on her bed, pulled the covers around her, and turned to go back to his own room when she shifted in her sleep and closed her fingers around Sirius' hand.

Sirius stopped in his tracks. He didn't think it was possible to free his hand from her grip without waking her, which was something that he didn't intend to do, but he also hoped to return to his room and go to sleep. Sirius decided to sit on the bed beside her and wait.

Half an hour later, Sirius was still waiting, and he was becoming progressively sleepier each minute.Unwittingly, he began to drowse and slumped over to lie next to Hermione.

Hermione woke several hours later, still not entirely alert and very determined to shower and make herself more presentable. She started to get out of bed but found that she couldn't. Someone was in the way, and the same someone had an arm around her waist, making it difficult for her to move.

Hermione looked to her left and noticed Sirius, still asleep and snoring slightly. She laughed; she had no idea that he snored, and she found it quite funny. Sirius is actually very good looking. Wait, I can't be having these thoughts. He's my friend and Harry's godfather, way too old for me. Hmm, well, not anymore, but still off limits.

Hermione reluctantly got up from the other side of the bed and picked out clothing for the day before heading for the shower. Because she was anxious to return to St. Mungo's, she completed her morning routine with unusual haste and was on her way to find breakfast and wake Sirius fifteen minutes later.

Halfway down the now well-lit corridor, Hermione heard an odd noise that seemed to be coming from the living room. It sounded as though someone had caused a rather loud explosion, and Hermione hurried to the aforementioned room to discover the source of the commotion.

When she arrived in the living room, she saw Sirius talking to someone whose head had appeared in her fireplace. "Yes, she's awake. I'll go get her now," he was saying.

Sirius pivoted toward the doorway only to collide with Hermione. "It's a John Harris from the Department of Mysteries. He says it's urgent," he informed her.

What could have possibly happened now? I can't imagine things getting much more complicated. "Sir?" she answered curiously as she came to stand in front of the fireplace.

"Ms. Granger, I think you should report to my office as soon as possible. I have something of the utmost importance and secrecy to discuss with you," Harris announced gravely.

"But sir, I have to go see my mother. She's in St. Mungo's," Hermione meekly protested.

Harris' reply was foreboding of something ominous. "I have been notified about your mother, and I'm truly sorry to hear about what happened to her. You shall be granted paid leave until you manage to sort things out. Do not feel rushed to return to work. However, I have made a rather startling discovery, and I must speak with you. I won't take up much of your time, I promise."

"I'll be right there, sir," Hermione dutifully replied as Harris vanished in a puff of green smoke. Hermione then apparated to the Ministry and traveled to the Department of Mysteries as quickly as possible.

Her apprehension mounted as she made her way down the main corridor and took a right into the side corridor that led to her boss' office. She knew that Harris was a very kind man and would only interrupt her at such a time if there were no other option.

Hermione entered the office and took a seat in one of the two chairs positioned in front of the large desk. When she looked up she was surprised to see Dumbledore also present in the room.

Harris wasted no time in getting down to business. "Ms. Granger, the night before last, an unknown employee of the Department broke into the Unspeakable personal records archive and took your file. We believe that this is how the Death Eaters found your mother, so we have also been led to believe that there is a spy within the Department. The spy has committed no other known acts of espionage, and I do not know if he or she can be identified on the limited knowledge we have, but the Order and I will do our best to located the person responsible. I thought that you should be immediately aware of such a threat."

Hermione was stunned, but she had found renewed vigor for her work. I have to stay with the Department. I won't resign under any circumstance. This spy will be caught and will have hell to pay. Staying is the only way to solve the case.

"I plan to continue working as an Unspeakable despite the danger of the situation. I feel that it is the only way I can help to apprehend the spy, and I will do whatever is necessary to see that the person is brought to justice," Hermione bravely announced.

What came next was also unexpected for her. "I speak on behalf of the entire Order when I declare my support of your decision. We have all underestimated you, but I believe that you are still a valuable asset in such difficult times, Ms. Granger. The Department of Mysteries is lucky to have such a fine Unspeakable," said Dumbledore.

As Hermione said farewell to the two men and left the office, she felt confident. It was amazing really how one could find courage at such a time. Hermione felt that she now had a direction to proceed in, and she refused to stop until she accomplished her objective: find the traitor.

Thanks again for reading. Please review!

Raven176: Thanks for reviewing. The battle scenes were very fun for me, as well as the cliffhanger ending. I was planning all along for Sirius to save her because it just wouldn't be as interesting any other way. It was great to hear from you again.

moonyNZ: Thanks for the review. I hope you liked this chapter, also. I just started reading your story, and I think it's very good.

JTBJAB: You were thinking along the same lines as me about Sirius saving Hermione. It's great to get another review from you, and I hope you liked the rescue scene.

Rane2920072: Thanks for reviewing again. This chapter was fun to write because of the Sirius/Hermione interaction, and although there will be some upcoming obstacles for the happy couple, there will be more romance, too.

vixen519: Glad you liked the prank. It was actually based on a true story. I know someone who once put glue in his teacher's chair, and that's where I got the idea. I really appreciate your review.

Adnama: It's good to hear that you're interested in Unspeakable. Enjoy the rest of the story, and thanks for reviewing.

EnchantingFreak: lol, true. Glad you like the story. Thanks for reviewing.