A Lion in a Cage

By Sashi Mizumoto

A/N: I've been lazy in updating recently, and I'm sorry. My computer down, I was sick, my birthday came and went, Christmakuh was here, I have my permit, etc. Also, I was having a bit of writer's block, as you may see reflected in this chapter. And I swear, this is developing into a larger plot. Just as a hint, pay attention to those little Lucius/Peter moments going on. They're important later. :D

Dedication: To Laura, who gave me a very nice birthday present.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, I would demand that I play the role of Hermione in the movies.

CHAPTER 5

Hermione set herself next to Sirius while he sat up properly. Nick floated before them, a somber look gracing his face. He stared down at the floor, as if wanting to avoid having this conversation. After a few moments of an awkward silence, he began telling Hermione of the things he had seen...

"When I first went back to the Gryffindor Common Room, I thought I was somewhere entirely different. It was so much darker than I had remembered it, and I quickly noticed the Slytherin colors adorning the walls instead of the warm golden and scarlet colors of Gryffindor.

I looked where I could, but I was not able to find any of the Gryffindor students. However, I found that disgusting little weasel, Draco Malfoy, sitting in front of the fireplace. He was sipping on a glass of butterbeer nonchalantly, as if he was a ruler of a kingdom. I hid myself behind one of the hung tapestries that had been put up which bore the Slytherin emblem. I watched him for a few minutes, just sipping and staring into the fireplace.

Soon, a group of students came into the room, sporting Slytherin robes. They dragged both Harry and Ronald in with them. I am sorry to say, Hermione, that they looked absolutely dreadful. Harry and Ronald were both covered in dark black-blue bruises, and blood caked their pallid skin. I could only watch as they were thrown to the ground carelessly. I wanted to help them, but there was nothing I could really do.

They couldn't even really move. Harry let out a low moan and Malfoy quickly stood and kicked him squarely in the stomach. Harry coughed up blood, and Ronald shook. His face was contorted with rage, and he tried to lift his hand. He curled it into a fist and brought it down on Malfoy's foot. However, it was a weak little hit, and Malfoy just laughed at him."

Hermione, with tears rolling down her face, stared at Nick blankly. "P-Please stop Nick. No more. I don't want to hear anymore right now!" She covered her ears with her hands, and Sirius rubbed her back in comfort. Nick looked at the ground in discomfort. He smiled awkwardly and said, "I'm so sorry Hermione… I'll come back in a few days and tell you the rest…" He bowed at the couple before leaving the room. Sirius stared after Nick for a moment before turning his attention back to Hermione.

"'Mione, I don't know who these people are, but, I'm not going to lie to you. They don't sound as if they are entirely all right…"

Hermione smacked away his hand and stood. She glared at him, angrily wiping away the tears that didn't seem to fade. "How could you say something like that? That's such a horrible and insensitive thing… I can't even talk with you right now!" She stomped out of the infirmary, going back to the common room. They had only been together officially for only a few hours, and they had already had their first large fight.

Hermione picked at her breakfast, nothing really entering her mouth. Mostly it either fell off the fork before it reached her mouth or it missed her mouth and went into the side of her face. 'Ugh, I can't even talk to Remus about our fight either. He's not here!' She didn't want to talk to Peter either. She knew it was not wise to tell him anything.

"Hermione, I'm not exactly sure what to say, but…" Hermione snapped out of her reverie to meet the eyes of Har-James. Attached to his arm fiercely was Lily, her red hair tied up in a loose ponytail. Hermione was not sure whether or not James had told Lily about their near kiss, but Lily was definitely paranoid this morning, clinging to James and glaring at any girl who tried to approach him. Her thoughts returned to James, who had a worried glimmer in his eyes.

"It's all right James. You don't have to say anything." Hermione smiled, and James gave an appreciative nod. He turned to Lily and just as he was about to speak, he was tapped on the shoulder. Annoyed that someone had interrupted his time with Lily, he turned sharply and, with a glare, was about to throw a disgusting insult when he realized it was Professor McGonagall. His expression changed immediately, from anger to what looked like anxiety. Professor McGonagall cleared her throat and looked darkly down at the trio.

"Tonight, the three of you are to meet in my office. I am afraid we must…discuss… this incident involving Mister Black." Hermione's thoughts seemed to fly out of her head and she froze. She had completely forgotten that the teachers had seen Sirius transform into his Animagus form. Professor McGonagall disappeared as quickly as she had come. Hermione scowled.

'This is what I get for traveling back in time. Sirius wasn't expelled before! He would have mentioned something this important to Harry. And he changed to save me…' Hermione's face flushed. 'Why would he do that? I barely know him! This isn't 'Romeo and Juliet'! Love at first sight doesn't really exist!' She glared at her utensils, feeling as though if she glowered for a long period of time, they would spontaneously com bust.

Remus opened his eyes groggily, meeting with pain the instant he moved just a bit. He could feel the dampness of blood clinging to his skin and the hair was plastered to his forehead from his heavy perspiration. As his vision cleared, he gasped, which resulted in heavy chest pains. For some reason, he was in the Infirmary!

'This is not good. Someone found out. Someone knows I'm a werewolf.' He attempted to sit himself up, but his arm buckled and he fell back down to the bed. He winced, a giant pain circulating up and down his body. 'This isn't good at all. What's going on? I need to find out.' He turned his head back and forth slowly, wincing at the pain that reached his neck. As a door opened and the hinges squeaked a bit, his eyes quickly traveled over to the person.

'Hermione...'

Thinking she had come to see him, he started to sit up, but stopped when Hermione passed him and went to the bed next to him, which was surrounded by a tall curtain. She threw it back, and there was Sirius. He slowly awakened and smiled gently when she appeared. Remus watched as Hermione bent down to hug him and he turned away and closed his eyes.

'Why is Sirius here? Did I hurt him last night? And are they dating? Well, good for Sirius!'

His thoughts paused and he slightly drew the sheets around him.

'But am I jealous? She's one of my best friends after all. But...'

Remus stopped breathing when Hermione came to check on him. Slowly, he began to breathe again, to pretend he was sleeping. She pushed a few strands of hair from his eyes and sighed. She bent down near his face, and he could feel her warm, vanilla scented breath on his cheeks.

"Oh Remus, this isn't fair... Don't worry, your transformations will be a bit more bearable soon, I promise..." She gently ran her fingers through his bangs before going back to Sirius, who was now asleep again. Remus opened his eyes a bit and blushed, twirling a piece of hair between two fingers.

'She knows about my transformations! How does she know? I have to ask her.'

Remus grunted as he sat up, and Hermione gasped. She turned quickly and smiled kindly when she realized it was just Remus. She moved next to him.

"Oh good, you're awake! They found you passed out in the common room!" Remus glared at her and took out his wand.

"Who are you? What do you want with me?" Hermione looked taken aback, and stared down at the tiled floor. "I'm Hermione Granger. And I'm from the future."

By the time she had finished explaining everything, night had fallen, and the stars were out. Remus looked at Hermione as if she had grown an extra head.

"So, you're...?"

Before he could finish his sentence, James and Lily raced into the Infirmary.

"Hermione, we have to get to McGonagall's office. It's time to talk about Sirius." Hermione nodded towards them gravely and she turned back to Remus. "Remus, I swear, we'll talk later." Remus looked at her in confusion. "Why do you have to talk to McGonagall about Sirius?" Hermione tensed and looked rather uneasy. Deciding that it would probably be best if she told him, she did.

"Sirius transformed in front of the teachers. He saved me. From you." Remus instantly paled and reached for her hand delicately. "How could I have attacked you? I was in the Shrieking Shack!" Hermione turned towards James and Lily, then back to Remus. "Look, please, can you wait for an explanation? We have to leave." She stood abruptly and turned when he grabbed her wrist. The strength of his grip almost caused her to fall, but he stood and caught her. He let out a wince of pain and Hermione gasped. James had to repress a chuckle, since their position reminded him of a couple on a poster for some sort for romance movie.

Remus bent down until his face was about an inch from hers. Hermione gasped and a bright blush covered her cheeks. She had rarely been that close to a boy, and Remus' eyes were stunning after all. Hermione wondered if a bit of the werewolf in him was still left over. After all, he had just changed back earlier that morning.

"I'm not letting you go until you tell me more. I'm not going to let you just run at the worst part of the story." Hermione squirmed and squeezed her eyes shut. "Remus, you have to understand. We need to see McGonagall! And Sirius is too ill to explain this to you! It'd be cruel to ask him to!" A light trickle of tears started to run down her cheeks.

Remus closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again. He looked down at her, and at her tear stained face. Inwardly, he cursed. 'Damn werewolf instincts, making me act wonky.' He kissed her on the forehead gently and released her.

"Tell me when you get back."

Hermione brushed her fingers against her forehead gently and blushed. "All right. I promise."

Hermione, James, and Lily sat down in the chairs that McGonagall pointed at. Quickly, they set themselves down, and McGonagall walked around them in silence for a minute, as if studying her prey before attacking.

"How long have you three known of Sirius' Animagus form?" They squirmed uncomfortably, but none answered. McGonagall smirked. "Of course, I shouldn't expect an answer from any of you. However, if you can't tell me anything about this situation, I will have no choice but to expel Sirius Black for illegal activity." This statement caused an uproar from the three.

"You can't do that!"

"No! We won't let you!"

"I love him! Don't hurt him!"

Everyone stopped and turned to Hermione. Tears brimmed in her eyes and she stood angrily. "That's right! I love Sirius Black! And I won't let anyone hurt him! Whether it be physically or mentally! So, Professor McGonagall, I will do anything in my power to save him from you!" Hermione took a few deep breaths and fell back down into her seat.

'I stood up against a teacher! I'll be expelled! But if Sirius is too, at least we can be together...'

McGonagall looked at the three students for a moment, the glaring James and Lily and the near sobbing Hermione. She sighed in defeat and waved towards James and Lily. "You two, leave for a moment." James and Lily looked towards Hermione, then back at McGonagall. "No. We won't leave our friend." Hermione looked at them for a few moments.

'I can't let them get into any more trouble.'

"Guys, please leave." James and Lily looked at Hermione. "W-What?" Hermione turned to them with a serious expression on her face.

"You guys need to leave. I won't let you get into anymore trouble. Please, leave." Lily and James looked at her for a few more silent seconds before standing.

"Good luck Hermione."

The door closed, and Hermione was left with McGonagall. For a few minutes, the two sat in silence, and Hermione was reminded of a calm before the storm. It lasted for a few seconds, and it caused people to let their guards down. And then they were hit.

"Care to explain yourself?" Hermione looked up at McGonagall and nodded.

James and Lily paced outside of McGonagall's office, anxiety building inside of them as time passed.

"James, do you think Hermione's all right?" James looked at Lily. "Of course she is! It is Hermione after all!" And even though James expected this to comfort him, it didn't. However, his fears flew away when the door opened and Hermione walked out. She hugged her friends and smiled.

"Let's go back to see Sirius and Remus." James and Lily asked her for information on the way to the Infirmary, like how she had gotten everyone out of trouble. But Hermione wouldn't say a word. At least, not yet. She decided that she would though. And soon.

Remus was sitting on the edge of his bed when they came in, and he stood abruptly. His injuries stung and throbbed, but he ignored it.

"Hermione, sit. Now." Hermione glared at Remus. "I'm not a dog you know." However, she complied and sat down on the chair closest to him. "Tell me who you are Hermione." Sirius sat up and leaned forward, curious as to which direction this conversation would take.

"Like I said, I'm Hermione Granger." She looked anxiously over at James and twirled her fingers nervously. "But, I'm also from the future."

Silence hung over the friends, and the flabbergasted Remus was the first to speak.

"And you expect us to believe that?" Hermione gasped and looked up at Remus. "Of course I do! Why would I lie to you? And don't you think I would come up with something better than that?" Hermione felt anger bubbling up inside of her. "I haven't done anything to tarnish my name yet, right? And how else would I know about Remus' condition?" At this point, James clamped his hand over Hermione's mouth and everyone stared at him. He whispered, "Lily doesn't know about Remus yet!"

Remus stared at Hermione. "Let me look at you for a minute." Hermione slowly inched towards him and Sirius sat up cautiously, ready to get up if Hermione needed him. Remus grabbed Hermione's chin and brought her face close to his. She gasped and waited quietly as Remus looked into her eyes. She could feel tears of fear in her eyes as her anxiety grew. She was about to pull away when Remus' fingers slid away from her face. Sirius slid off his bed and wobbled over to her. Hermione caught him in her arms as he fell to the floor. Remus leaned back and stared at her for a few more seconds with a cold expression before smiling.

"She's not lying." He let out a sigh of relief and leaned forward in interest. "What time period are you from 'Mione?" James perked and grinned. "Are there flying automobiles? Food in pill form?" Hermione rolled her eyes and smiled a bit. She was just glad that she was friends with such good people.

"No James, there are no flying automobiles. And no, there's no food in pill form. Sorry to disappoint you." James awed in sadness and Hermione chuckled. For a few hours, Hermione discussed with them about the future, talking mainly about herself and her parents. She did remember to leave out Harry and Ron, though she desperately wanted to tell James about Harry. She wanted to tell him about the sweet and gentle son he'd have with the woman he loved. But she couldn't do it. She wasn't brave enough to risk everything for a spare moment of joy.

Peter opened the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room and ushered the two cloaked figures in. Floorboards creaked and Lucius shot a dirty glare at Peter. Peter mouthed an apology before continuing along. He pointed up the boy's stairwell and took out the scroll of paper that Lucius had given him earlier. He gingerly opened the door to James' Head Boy bedroom and placed it on the bed carefully. Quickly, Peter ran down the stairs again and Lucius and Severus followed him out of the Gryffindor Tower.

"Well Pettigrew, it seems as though you may have some uses after all." Severus sneered down at Peter and Peter inwardly grimaced. Severus was naturally an unpleasant person to look at, but when he scrunched up his nose like that...

Lucius patted him on the back with his gloved hand. "Of course he does Severus! He's a great friend!" He bent down to Peter and grinned. "You did a very good job Peter. And of course, you'll be rewarded." He dug into his back pant pocket and pulled out a small brown satchel. "Here's some Galleons for you to spend in Hogsmeade next week. Go buy yourself some candy from Honeyduke's." Peter opened the satchel and gasped at the large pile of glittering coins. "But Lucius, are you sure this is all right?" Lucius smirked coolly.

"Of course it is little Pettigrew. Of course. You've done a great favor for me. Now, go back to the Common Room and do that research I need, all right? Severus and I have to go back to our own Common Room to change out of our robes. Go have some fun." Peter nodded enthusiastically and ran back to the Gryffindor Tower.

Lucius stared after Peter and delicately slid his black satin gloves off. He threw them at Severus and gave him a frosty glare.

"Burn my gloves. I can't wear them anymore. That little beast dirtied them."

As the friends headed towards the door to leave the Infirmary, James hung back a bit to talk to Sirius. He clutched a piece of fabric in his hand. "Oy, Padfoot. If you feel like visiting us, use this." He handed Sirius the invisibility cloak and winked. "Maybe you'll want to come see Hermione for some pity sex or something while you're ill." Sirius smacked James over the head with his good arm. "I'll come tonight. So you better stay out of 'Mione's room." James grinned slyly. "Why Padfoot, whatever would I be doing in her room?" Sirius smirked and patted him awkwardly on the arm. "Like I said, I'll be there tonight. I just have to get past that damn nurse."

James, Lily and Hermione waved happily to Remus and Sirius as they left the Infirmary. For hours, the friends had talked about themselves, talking of their pasts. Hermione was glad that she had gotten to know a bit more about Sirius, but she still didn't know him that well. She was excited and eager to learn more though.

The trio entered the Common Room in laughter after a particularly funny joke that James told. They sat down by the fireplace and watched the fire flicker. Hermione sighed as they quieted down and she settled herself into the red plush couch in front of the fireplace. She looked over lazily at the mahogany bookcase, and wanted to take out the book she had been reading over the last few days. However, the comfortable suede fabric of the couch, the warmth of the fireplace, and the cinnamon aroma wafting through the Tower made her feel exhausted. Her eyes drifted shut, but her mind was screaming at her to stay awake. Something was wrong, and she knew she had to wake up. But she could not be risen from her deep slumber.

Meanwhile, James and Lily were up in James' room, sitting together on his bed. James mentally cheered as he leaned in and kissed her. As he continued with multiple kisses, his eyes trailed away from Lily's delicate face over to a scroll of paper placed on his bed. He pulled away from Lily, who let out a little "Aw!" of disappointment.

"Hey, what's this?" Lily shrugged and looked over James' shoulder in curiosity. "I don't know. Open it!" James turned to Lily and smiled. "All right, all right! Jeez, you're like a little kid at Christmas time." Lily blushed and looked at the scroll. James slowly slid the crimson ribbon that had been tied around it away, and as it slowly fell to the bedsheets, he opened the scroll. A bright light flashed quickly through the room, and Lily and James screamed before passing out.

Hermione awakened when she felt herself being slapped fiercely on the cheek and a male voice called out to her. Her eyes fluttered open and she felt tears at the corners of her eyes. Sirius stopped slapping her, and Hermione cradled her cheek as a stinging pain spread. She glared up at Sirius.

"Why the hell did you slap me Sirius? And what are you doing here anyway? You should be resting!" Sirius covered her mouth with his hand and she squirmed underneath his towering figure. Hermione squeaked and blushed as the heat from his hand traveled over her lips. To get him to remove his hand, she gently licked the palm of his hand. He flinched and instantly pulled away. He stumbled back and blushed a bright red.

"Hermione you idiot, lower your voice!" His voice was a rough whisper, and he stared at her in anxiety. "I came here to see you, but this is not good! We need to get Lily and James to the Infirmary." Hermione quickly stood from the chair and tensed. "Sirius, what's going on?" Sirius grabbed Hermione's hand and led her upstairs to James' room. He kicked opened the door and Hermione gasped as she saw the limp bodies of James and Lily.

"What happened?" She looked at Sirius with fright in her eyes and tears rolling down her cheeks. Sirius bent down to help the two sit up properly. "I don't exactly know. James had given me his cloak earlier so I could give you a surprise visit tonight. When I came in here, I found you passed out on the couch. I thought you were just sleeping, but it turned out that you were put under a sleeping curse." Hermione gasped. "Was that the odd cinnamon smell that passed through here?" Sirius nodded. "I tried to wake you up by shaking you, but it wouldn't work. I went to go check on James and Lily, and found them passed out. I also found this scroll." He held up the scroll by the tips of his fingers and Hermione gently took it in hers. "What could this mean?" As she stared intently at it, she could feel her eyes drifting shut again. Her vision blurred and Sirius grabbed it away from her. She fell to the floor, and leaned against the wall while grasping her forehead.

"I feel so sick... What's going on?" Sirius bent down and she laid against his chest. He looked down at her face and watched her breathe deeply for a few moments, a thin layer of sweat running down her face onto her neck. He frowned deeply before leaning down and touching his forehead against hers. She gasped, and looked up at him, though her vision was still somewhat blurry. Gently, he took his arm out of the sling and winced. He took his hands and placed his cool palms against Hermione's warm cheeks. She felt herself blush and she closed her eyes in comfort. For a few moments they stayed in this position until Hermione's breathing returned to normal and the sweat dried a bit. She shakily stood and stared at the scroll, then at James and Lily.

"What's going on?"

Hermione had gone with Sirius back to the Infirmary before going to the nurse and begging for help. James and Lily were carried to the Infirmary and were being treated. Hermione had left out the part of her being ill though, and had hidden the scroll. She simply claimed that she had found them collapsed when she had awakened from her nap. As she waited in the Common Room, she stared at the scroll, which she had placed on the table in front of her. Just as she reached out to remove it, the scent of cinnamon sneaked into the room again. Hermione stood up quickly and struggled to run to the door to leave, but collapsed just before she reached it. As she closed her eyes, three figures appeared before her, and she felt herself being lifted into someone's arms.

When Hermione awakened, she tried to sit up quickly only to have rope cut into her flesh. She bit down and prevented herself from squeaking in pain. She looked around as her vision cleared and saw that she was in a small cabin. From the noises outside, she gathered that she must be in the Forbidden Forest. He turned her head a bit and saw that Severus and Lucius were sitting at the nearby table playing Wizard Chess. Severus slowly turned towards her and frowned. He spoke in whispers to Lucius who turned towards her and gave her a cat like smirk. They both stood and walked towards her slowly.

Lucius bent down, as did Severus. "Well little girl, it's too bad you woke up. Though this does give us the chance to talk." He smirked and turned towards Severus. "Will you please hand me my gloves, Severus?" He nodded and glared at Hermione before digging them out of his pocket and handing them to him. Lucius slowly put them on before taking Hermione's chin in his cold, thin fingers. Hermione squirmed under his intense gaze and wished that her wand was in her pocket right now. However, Severus was now playing with it idly, twirling it around in his fingers.

"We will let you live if you help us kill Potter and Black." Hermione stared at Lucius for a few seconds before spitting in his face. "I would never betray my friends! I love them!" Lucius glared at Hermione before slapping her. She fell to the ground and tears stung her eyes. "How dare you, you filthy creature! I wouldn't be surprised if you were a Mudblood." Hermione smirked. "I am, you bastard!" Lucius kicked her squarely in the stomach and this time, she could not hold back the cry of pain. Severus leaned against the wall next to her, looking very bored indeed. Hermione felt a sharp pain run through her chest. 'My ribs must be broken! No!' Hermione stared up at Lucius and he plucked away a stray hair that had escaped from his ponytail when he had attacked her in rage.

"You filthy Mudblood. You spit at me. And you'll have to pay for that." He slowly took his wand out of his pocket and pointed it squarely at her. "Ava-"

Just as he was about to give Hermione the Killing Curse, the door burst open in a large cloud of smoke. Hermione tried to move to see who it was, but could not boost herself off the ground. However, a clean voice did go through her ears.

"Lucius, keep away from Hermione!"

Hermione gasped. "Remus!"

END OF CHAPTER 5

A/N: Well! That definitely turned out a lot different than I had expected it to! Oh well. And I'm sorry I haven't updated for a long time. Inspiration hasn't visited me in awhile. I hope to have the next chapter up soon!