Sirius did his best to keep his days so full that he was too exhausted to think at night. It had been five days since he last saw Hermione. James and Lily had done their best to convince him that she would never just abandon Remus, but he couldn't forget her last words to him. They ran through his mind like a mantra. "Time and distance can't separate you from the people you love. Time."

He went to Hogwarts not twenty four hours after Hermione left, but she wasn't there and none of the Professors would answer any of his questions.

Even after reporting this back to James and Lily, they still refused to believe she had left, so Sirius had very little choice but to wait for her to make contact with them.

Work was stressful. The war was not going well and the demands on the Aurors were increasing. Even he and James were being thrown into situations few Aurors in training ever got to handle, at least they were before the whole kidnapping situation. Now Moody had exiled them both to paperwork. Although Sirius was sure their punishment would be temporary.

He wandered around his apartment listlessly. James had asked him to come over for dinner, but he knew he and Lily were still in their honeymoon period and they had had nothing but company for weeks.

Sirius had brought some work home, but couldn't seem to concentrate. He flipped on the wireless, but there was nothing on he cared to listen to. With a groan, he stood and began pacing his apartment. He glanced at the front door. It had been too long since he last saw Laura. He had been avoiding seeing her, but he knew he owed her a lot of explanations.

He left his apartment and walked a few doors down to hers. He knocked lightly on her door and waited. Within a few seconds the door opened a crack. "Laura?" he asked.

"No," said the voice from inside the door. "Who's there?"

"Umm, I'm a friend of Laura's. I live a few doors down. Is she here?"

"No, she's not," answered the voice and they began to shut the door.

"Wait," said Sirius as the door closed. "I just wanted to see if she's alright." He knocked again, but got no answer. He waited a few more seconds before slowly moving away from the door. When he was nearly back to his apartment he could hear Laura's door opening again. He turned to see a small girl with dark hair standing in the doorway.

"You're not Sirius, are you?" she asked quietly.

He nodded and took a step toward her. She grabbed the handle of the door and looked like she was about to bolt back into the apartment so Sirius stopped his forward movement. "Are you a friend of Laura's?" he asked.

She nodded. "She told me you might come by. She said I wasn't to let anyone in but you."

Sirius took that as a sign he was going to be admitted into the apartment, but he knew he should be cautious. "Can we go inside and talk?" he asked.

The girl hesitated for a second before nodding yes. She opened the door for Sirius to enter. "My name's Charlotte," she began. "Laura asked me to stay at her place for a few weeks."

"Where is she?" asked Sirius.

"Last week Laura called me in a panic. She said she needed to get out of town for awhile and would I mind apartment sitting for her, you know, water the plants, feed the fish, that kind of thing. She was obviously upset and I asked her what was wrong, but she said I wouldn't believe her even if she told me. Then she told me that a guy named Sirius might stop by and if he did I should give him this." As she spoke, she made her way to a desk and pulled a small sealed envelope from the drawer. She crossed the room back to Sirius and handed him the letter.

"Thanks," he said, accepting the letter. "I don't want to bother you," he said quietly. "I'll just go." He was eager to get back to his apartment and read the letter.

If Charlotte was surprised by his abrupt departure, she didn't show it. She merely walked him to the door. "You should know," she said as he was leaving. "A couple of men stopped by a few days ago. They asked for Laura and seemed pretty put out that she wasn't here."

"Men?" questioned Sirius. "Who were they?"

"They wouldn't say," said Charlotte.

"Well, what did they look like? Were they wearing, uhh… were they wearing anything odd?"

"No," she replied. "One of them was older with a medium build, I suppose, he kept his head down, I didn't really get a good look at him. The other one was young, cute; he had black hair and was wearing glasses."

Sirius stared at her. "Black hair?"

"Yeah," she replied. "I remember because it was really messy."

Sirius felt cold. "I better go," he said quietly. He reached for the door, but she stopped him.

"Is Laura in trouble?" she asked. "I mean is she in danger?"

"No," said Sirius. "She's not. Listen, if those guys come back around tell them that… you know what, never mind. I'll take care of it myself. They won't be bothering you again. If you talk to Laura, just tell her I'm sorry and I'll take care of everything." Without waiting for an answer, he left the apartment.

He left his building and walked down the street, wondering what the hell James had been doing visiting Laura. He could think of a few reasons, but he forced himself not to jump to any conclusions. He could have ducked into an isolated area and apparated to Godric's Hollow, but he knew he needed some time to sort things out.

The letter from Laura was still in his hand, unopened. He toyed with it as he walked, wanting to know what she wrote, but oddly enough he worried what she had to say. After some internal stalling, he ripped open the letter and read as he walked. It was everything you expected in a Dear John letter. He lied to her and she didn't want to see him again. It was just too weird, she explained. With a sigh, he crumbled the letter in his hand.

He knew he should feel bad and he did, but there was also a small part of him that felt relieved. He continued walking, feeling somewhat calmer and was about to duck into an empty alleyway to apparate the rest of the way to Godric's Hollow, when he thought he saw Hermione out of the corner of his eye. "It can't be," he whispered to himself.

The girl, who had Hermione's hair, was moving along at a brisk pace. He could only see her back and was about to dismiss the thought, but something made him follow her. She was quite a bit ahead of him and he practically had to run to keep up with her.

At one point the girl turned and he was able to see her profile. It was definitely Hermione. "Hermione," he called out excitedly, but in the busy street, his voice was swallowed by the surrounding noise. He picked up his speed and tried to catch up with her, but she seemed to be in a big hurry. He nearly lost her as she crossed the street and disappeared into a large crowd.

When he crossed the street following her he saw her duck down a side street. Sirius slowed his pace and peered around the corner of the street she had just disappeared down. He saw Hermione standing next to a man in a dark robe. Sirius watched as the man lowered his hood, revealing himself to be Severus Snape.

Sirius gripped his wand tightly and watched them. Hermione and Severus were obviously deep in conversation and Sirius couldn't make out what they were saying. They spoke for about ten or fifteen minutes and then Severus handed something to Hermione and disapparated. Using a concealment charm, Sirius hid himself from Hermione when she walked past him.

He wasn't sure what he had just seen and he didn't want to face her yet. Once she was out of his sight line, Sirius disappeared down the street and apparated the rest of the way to Godric's Hollow.

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Hermione pulled her coat tighter around her as she walked down the chilly street. Even in late March it still felt cold. She had just left from her meeting with Snape and now she was heading to the Lupin's. She hadn't been able to see him before tonight. Despite what Mr. Lupin had said, Mrs. Lupin hadn't allowed her to see him the first few nights. Finally, Hermione had gone to Dumbledore and he had interceded on her behalf.

Hermione made sure she was out of the sight line of any muggles before apparating to the Lupin's. She walked to their front door and knocked firmly. After a few seconds, Mr. Lupin opened it and let her in.

"Hello Hermione," he said kindly.

"Hello," she returned. She wasn't particularly interested in exchanging pleasantries all she wanted was to see Remus.

"I'm sure you're eager to see Remus," he said. "I'll take you to his room."

"Thank you," she said and followed him through the house. "How is he?"

Mr. Lupin sighed. "I'm afraid there's been no change." They reached Remus' room and Hermione was about to enter, but Mr. Lupin put his hand on her arm, stalling her. "There's something you need to know," he began. "The Healer we've hired to care for Remus has warned us that if there isn't some change in his condition before the next full moon, he might not survive the transformation."

The news hit Hermione like a punch in the stomach, but she didn't outwardly react. She merely nodded and went into the room, closing the door behind her.

Remus was lying on the bed, looking like he was just asleep. She approached the bed and knelt next to him. "Morning sleepy head," she said softly. "It's far past the time for you to be up." She brushed the hair off his forehead and leaned over and kissed him lightly.

"It's been a long couple of weeks," she continued. "I understand if you're tired. You just rest up because I'm going to need you in top shape soon." She paused. "Dumbledore's given me a new assignment," she continued talking as if they were having an actual conversation. "It's not too dangerous, so you don't have to worry. Nobody knows about it, though. Dumbledore is insisting it be kept top secret. And considering my background, I'm sort of perfect for the job."

She paused, running her hand over his cheek. "Oh I wish you would wake up," she sighed. "I miss talking to you." A few tears fell down her face and she brushed them away. "I was thinking," she continued. "I know according to wizarding law we can't be married, but there's nothing stopping us from getting married according to muggle law. And once we were married, nobody could keep us apart." Then she found she couldn't continue talking. She laid her head down on his chest and tried to stifle her crying.

Hermione emerged from his room a while later. She wanted to make a quick escape, not wanting to run into either of the Lupin's, but she was not so fortunate. Mrs. Lupin was waiting outside her son's room for Hermione.

"I can't do this right now," said Hermione, trying to get past Mrs. Lupin.

"I want to speak to you, Hermione," said Mrs. Lupin firmly.

"Well I don't want to speak to you," she replied.

"I'm afraid you have to."

Hermione whirled around. "What do you want from me? Don't you think you've done enough? I know you wish your son hadn't met me. I know you blame me for what happened to him. Well I blame me too, but I love Remus and I would do anything for him."

"You love him?" questioned Mrs. Lupin. "I don't doubt you've made him believe that."

"I'm leaving," said Hermione, clearly disgusted.

"I know you've been lying about who you are," accused Mrs. Lupin. "I checked around and there's no record of a Hermione Granger ever attending Beauxbaton School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Hermione froze and closed her eyes wearily.

"Now why don't you tell me who you really are," she finished coldly.

Hermione didn't answer her. She didn't know what to say.

"I knew from the first time you set foot in this house there was something not quite right about you. And then you ran off with that boy and still Remus followed you. I couldn't understand how Remus could still…"

"Remus loves me," Hermione cut her off.

"Remus has always been a very loving, very forgiving child," said Mrs. Lupin, "especially after the accident. There aren't many people who accept him for what he is." Mrs. Lupin paused, shaking her head and breathing deeply. "Remus tends to overlook his friends faults. Part of him has always felt that he doesn't deserve love."

The two women stared at each other and Hermione finally felt like she understood Remus' mother. She didn't hate her, she was just afraid that Remus might love her and that she might love him back just as much. It couldn't have been easy on Mrs. Lupin watching her only son struggle with a horrible affliction. It had caused her to become overly protective of him.

"You're afraid you're going to lose him," said Hermione quietly. "But you're not. He loves you, he loves both of you. You're his parents, but he loves me too."

"He loves an illusion," replied Mrs. Lupin. "Nothing about you is real. So before you say anything else, why don't you tell me who you really are and why you've been lying to us all."

"I better go," said Hermione, trying to step past her.

Mrs. Lupin's hand shot out and she grabbed Hermione. "Why have you been lying to us? Who are you?" she insisted.

Hermione tried to break free of her grasp, but Mrs. Lupin had too strong of a hold on her.

"Daphne, let go of Hermione," exclaimed Mr. Lupin. He advanced towards his wife. "What's going on?"

"She's been lying to us, Robert," said Mrs. Lupin. "And I don't want her around my son anymore."

"Daphne, we agreed…" he began.

"No," she shouted, cutting him off. "I won't have her in this house."

Mr. Lupin sighed deeply. "Hermione, maybe you ought to go home."

Hermione nodded slowly and started to walk toward the front door. A few feet away, she turned back. "I just want you both to know that I don't have any secrets from your son. And I never lied about loving him." Hermione turned back and left the house.

Her head was pounding and she wished she could block out all the noise in her mind. She couldn't blame Mrs. Lupin for anything because ultimately she was right. Hermione had lied about who she was and where she came from. If their roles had been reversed she wouldn't have trusted her either.

Mr. Lupin had told her to go home and the only place she could think to go was James' home. They were the only family she had. It only took a few moments to arrive at Godric's Hollow. She knocked lightly on the door and waited.

Lily answered and when she saw who it was, she threw the door open wide and threw her arms around Hermione. "Oh I'm so happy to see you. Why'd you stay away so long? It's nearly been a week."

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, returning Lily's hug.

"Don't apologize," said Lily quickly. "I'm just glad to see you. How's Remus?" she asked.

Hermione shook her head, unable to say anything.

Lily put an arm around her. "Come on in," she said sympathetically.

"You're crazy," shouted James from another room. "I can't believe you're even suggesting it."

"What's going on?" Hermione asked Lily.

Lily shrugged. "Sirius is here. He came to see James, but he wanted to talk in private." The two girls heard more commotion and the voices sounded like they were getting closer.

"James I saw her," said Sirius, he was following James who was walking towards the girls. When they saw Hermione they both froze.

"Hermione," gasped James. He moved toward her and pulled her into a tight hug. Hermione was shocked and didn't return his hug right away.

"Is everything all right, James?" she asked uncertainly.

"Of course," he laughed lightly. "I'm just glad to see you."

When they pulled away, Hermione acknowledged Sirius with a small smile. "Hello Sirius," she said.

"Hermione," he replied coldly.

Hermione took a step away from him at his obvious coldness to her. "What?" she questioned. "What's wrong?"

He smiled at her, but it didn't reach his eyes. "You've been gone for a while," he said. "How have you been keeping yourself busy?"

"Sirius, stop it," said James angrily.

"What's going on?" asked Lily, her voice full of concern. "Sirius what's the matter with you?"

"Why don't you ask Hermione," he said.

"Sirius, have I done something to make you upset?" she asked in confusion.

"I saw you," he hissed at her, "today."

Hermione shook her head. "I… I don't understand."

He exhaled loudly. "I think you do understand. You didn't see me, but I saw you."

Hermione paled. "Maybe I should go," she said and turned to leave. Sirius was quick and moved to block her exit.

"No Hermione, don't leave," said James. "Sirius is in a foul temper and if he can't learn to control it, he can go home."

"I'm not leaving until she tells you both where she was this afternoon," said Sirius.

"Sirius, please don't do this. I've had such a long day. I don't think I can take anymore."

James looked at Hermione in horror. "You weren't," he said. "It's not true."

"What is going on?" demanded Lily.

"She was with Snape today," accused Sirius. "Don't bother to deny it. I saw you."

"That's ridiculous," said Lily.

Hermione looked down at the ground. "You don't understand," she said.

"Hermione," gasped Lily in shock. "You weren't?"

She looked up at all of them. "Please don't ask me about it. If you all only knew what kind of a day I've had."

"Tell me you weren't with Snivellus today," shouted James. "I don't believe it."

Hermione rubbed her eyes wearily. "I'll just go back to Hogwarts," she said. "We can talk about this some other time."

"No we'll talk about this now," said Sirius. "It's really not that difficult. Were you or were you not with Severus Snape today?"

"I was," she said quietly.

"How could you see him after what he did to Lily?" asked James. "Hermione, it's traitorous."

Hermione's head hurt and she was tired and heartsick. She didn't have any fight left in her. "I'm going to go," she said again.

"Hermione, you're either with us or you're not," said Sirius.

"Of course I'm with you," she said angrily, finally losing her temper.

"Not if you're having secret meetings with a known Death Eater," said James. "What were you thinking? They could throw you out of the Order for that."

"I don't care," she said.

"Hermione, what are you saying?" asked Lily.

"I said I don't care," she shouted. She pushed past Sirius. "I came here to get away from accusations and questions. I thought this was home. I thought I could come here to rest and be taken care of. I know it's pathetic, but I'm tired and I just don't want to be strong for everyone anymore." She opened the front door and slammed it behind her.

"She's not a traitor," said Lily.

"She didn't even bother explaining what she was doing with him," said Sirius.

"We didn't give her a chance to explain," said Lily.

"It doesn't matter what the explanation was. She shouldn't have been with Snape," said James. "Not after everything he's done. He's a Death Eater and if she's associating with him then she's a traitor."

"James," gasped Lily. "How can you say that?"

"Because it's the truth," he said and then he left the room.

"Sirius, you have to talk to him," said Lily. "James has never been able to think rationally where Severus was concerned."

"I can't Lily," said Sirius quietly.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because I agree with him," said Sirius.

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The days turned into weeks and the weeks into months and before anyone knew it, the summer was beginning. James, Sirius, and Lily hadn't seen Hermione since the night of their awful argument. They all took her disappearance very hard, the boys especially. They felt a lot of guilt over their actions that night.

Sirius and James spent a good deal of their off time trying to hunt her down. What baffled them the most was Dumbledore's reaction. He seemed unconcerned with her disappearance and wouldn't cooperate with their search.

Lily took Hermione's place where Remus was concerned. She went to visit him every night and they were all relieved when he made it through his first transformation.

One June evening, James was heading home after a particularly long day. Lily was there to meet them. She hugged her husband tightly when he came inside. "Hello, my love," said James, kissing his wife.

"Hi James," she replied. "How was work?"

James shook his head. "I swear that Moody wants to kill us with work."

Lily laughed. "It sure seems that way sometimes. Come sit down, I've got dinner waiting." Lily led her husband to the dining room table and made him sit. She massaged her husband's shoulders lightly. "Oh boy, you're so tense." She applied a little more pressure.

"Mmm, that feels good," said James, melting into the massage. He tipped his head up for a kiss, which his wife eagerly obliged him with. "Maybe we should skip dinner," he murmured. Lily smiled and kissed him again. James stood and was about to lead his wife into their bedroom when there was a loud knock at their front door. With a sigh, he and Lily went to answer it.

It was Sirius and he was breathless with excitement.

"What's going on?" asked James.

"It's Remus," said Sirius happily. "He's awake."

"What?" exclaimed Lily.

Sirius stepped into the house, picked Lily up and twirled her around. "He's awake, Lil. He's awake."

They were all shouting and laughing their excitement. "I was going to go straight to him, but I had to let you both know first. Come on, let's go see him," said Sirius excitedly.

"All right," replied Lily. "Let's go."

They arrived at the Lupin's shortly thereafter. Sirius knocked and they all waited eagerly. Mr. Lupin opened the door and allowed them in. "It's a miracle," he boomed. They all laughed happily. "The healer's in with him, but I know he's eager to see you all. Go right in," he said.

They moved as one to his room. They found Remus sitting up in bed, looking tired and weak, but he was awake.

"Remus, you're awake. You look great. We're so happy to see you." They were all talking at once.

Remus smiled tiredly. "It's good to see you too." He tilted his head slightly, trying to look around them. "Where's Hermione?" he asked.

There was an immediate hush around the room.

"What?" he asked. "Where is she? I want to see her."

"Remus," began Lily stepping forward. "We don't know where she is."

"What do you mean?" he asked, starting to get agitated.

"Please stay calm," begged Lily. She sat on the bed next to him. "We don't know where she is."

"I don't understand," said Remus. "She's not hurt, is she?"

"No," said Lily. "She just…" she paused, not wanting to lie to him. "After you got sick, she had such a hard time dealing with it."

"That's not true," said Sirius stepping forward. "Remus, we argued with her," he confessed. "We're the reason she left. But James and I are doing everything we can to find her. We spend almost all of our free time searching."

Remus threw the blankets off him and started to get out of bed.

"What are you doing?" exclaimed Lily.

"I'm going to find my fiancé," he said, struggling to stand.

"Remus you're too weak," argued James. "You need to conserve your strength."

"No, I need to find Hermione," he said, but before he could take one step he started to fall. James and Sirius caught him and eased him back into his bed.

"Remus, we promise, as soon as you're strong enough. We'll all look for her."

Remus stared at his friends, taking deep breaths. The tiny bit of exertion after months of being in bed had drained him. "I want to see Dumbledore," he said weakly. "Bring Dumbledore here."

"Remus," began James.

"Bring Dumbledore," he shouted. "Or I'll find a way to get to him."

"We'll bring him," agreed James quickly.

Remus laid back against his pillows. "Just bring Dumbledore," he said. "He'll know where she is. I know it."