Chapter Eleven

When Hermione got up the next morning, a terrified Lily and Sandie met her. "Have you heard?"

"Heard what?" Hermione asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She was groggy from the night before; staying up with Lily and Sandie to discuss the Marauders and their bad behaviour.

"My sister," said Sandie, her eyes blazing. They headed down to breakfast, Lily and Sandie's head down.

"What's wrong with your sister?" queried Hermione, as they took their seats in the Gryffindor table. A few seats away sat the Marauders, James played around with the famous snitch (trying to impress Lily, of course), while he cleverly took a sip of his pumpkin juice at the same time. A girl (who Hermione assumed was Mauve Lindon, the girl who called her 'mudblood') was kissing Sirius passionately, and he didnt seem to be resisting the kiss.

On queue, over his shoulder, Mauve caught Hermione's eye. If possible, she kissed him harder to spite Hermione. I got him, and you don't, so don't pry, Mauve's eyes seemed to be telling her.

"Pertida? Are you listening to me?"

It was hard to pull her eyes from the kissing couple, but Hermione managed in the end.

"No, sorry," Hermione apologized at once.

"My sister's at ST. Mungos," Sandie said, her voice giving away no emotion.

The blood drained away from Hermione's face. "B-but it was said that Madame Pomfrey could h-heal everything."

"Not everything," murmured Lily, her eyes small. She wasn't listening to the conversation until Madame Pomfrey's name was mentioned. Instead, she was glaring in the direction of a messy black-haired boy.

"That boy could drive anyone insane," she muttered, her hands clamped together.

"Not everything," Sandie repeated at Lily. "Not when someone cuts their arteries."

"Arteries?" said Hermione faintly. Before she came to Hogwarts, she had learnt a lot about cutting in her primary school. When you cut an artery, it's impossible to heal, as blood would continue to pour.

Sandie nodded. "Do you know what's strange? Clover cut herself in the bathroom I tried to cut myself. She did it this morning, and no one found her until a few minutes later. I think she had lost a lot of blood already."

"Oh My God," Hermione whispered.

The death of her parents, Harry's parents, Clover, and Sandie's Father, and a lot more, pointed to one man. Voldemort. He was the cause of all this pain. He wasn't filled with regret, remorse or guilt. He was happy.

000

Sirius was elated. That one, simple breakfast brought bounce into his footsteps. He finally managed to capture the beautiful Mauve's heart. He'd been going for her since the beginning of the year, and now they were officially a couple.

However, a suspicion had been nagging in his mind since Mauve had voiced it out loud: "Have you seen the way Pertida Hart keeps on looking at you? I think she fancies you."

Of course, Sirius denied the astonishing suggestion at once. But as he threw his bag roughly down to the floor and sat on the stool next to James, he wondered how close Mauve was to the truth.

"Now," thundered the Potions Master, his curly blonde hair falling in his eyes. "I'm assigning you to a project."

"NO!" howled James. Professor Adams glared at him while everyone laughed.

"I feel the same as you, James," agreed Sirius with a laugh, giving a friendly slap on James' back.

"Everyone, be quiet!" barked Professor Adams, his eyes as icy as frost. "Potter, you will stay behind after class with me for a few minutes."

"Whoopee," said James quietly, with sarcasm. Sirius grinned.

"You will be in partners," Adams informed them. "And I will be deciding who partners who," he added, as Sirius and James looked at each other.

"Now, stand in the front when I read your name. Your partner's name will follow yours. Sandie Cross, Jhonno Nott."

Sandie got up and went to the front of the class, followed by the sneering Slytherin.

"Remus Lupin, Severus Snape."

Remus whitened as he headed to the front, and Snape was after him, smirking.

"James Potter, Lily Evans."

James beamed at Sirius, his eyes bright with happiness. He went to Remus, Lily tailing after him with a frown and eyes full of fire.

"Peter Pettigrew, Citrus Avery."

Adams continued to read out the names until practically half the class was in the front. Sirius stared at them, still on the stool.

Finally: "Sirius Black, Pertida Hart."

"What?" exclaimed Sirius, jumping off from the stool. His anger flared up suddenly, his shock simmering down.

"You heard me Black," glared Adams, a cold smile on his lips. "Your partner is Hart."

"I'm not that bad, Sirius," Pertida Hart piped up from across the room. Sirius felt his hands go into balls.

"Oh please sir, don't make me go with her!"

"How amazing: Black is grovelling," sneered Adams. Sirius turned to Pertida, whose brown hair was tied back.

"Tell him not to make us partners," Sirius ordered, and was surprised when fury filled Pertida's face.

"No I will not," she retorted hotly.

"I can't help it that you fancy me," snarled Sirius, playing his trump card. It worked well. She blanched.

"I do not!"

"Quiet at once!" roared Adams, but he was ignored. The students watched with fascination as Sirius picked up his wand from the table and Hart copied him.

"Admit it, Hart, admit that you fancy me!"

"You're too bigheaded to know what 'yes' and 'no' means! You're a spoilt brat, always expecting someone to follow your orders, Black! You believe girls will fall at your feet and plead you to love them! But I'm not one of those girls!"

"Tarantallegra!" yelled Sirius, pointing his wand at Hart. Hart, in time, managed to put her shield charm around her. As soon as it was lifted, Hart cried: "Stop!"

000

But he continued. "Densaugeo!" screamed Sirius, and Hermione's teeth grew at an alarming rate. That's when it hit Hermione.

Sirius is like him. Her mind travelled back to when he hit her with the very same spell in year four. And then doing the dancing spell on Harry in the second year.

"You're just like him!" sobbed Hermione. She noticed that Sirius paused, his temper calming down.

"Like who?"

"You're like a copy: arrogant, conceited, cruel with spells…you act just like Malfoy!"

A/n: already started on next chapter! Hopefully you all enjoyed it. Some Hermione/Sirius…as promised! Be warned, it may take awhile before the romance…I just hate the time-travel fics when they go straight into the romance…just to be warned…

Feel free to give me any: tips/praise/ideas….

Thanks to:

CrystalShard: hehe, thanks DarkPegasiKnight: I didn't put it in this chapter because I don't think it would've fit. Skadesake: well, was this a cliffie? Doubt it, though… Kates Master: hope this is another quick chapter :) thanks Holla-BOO: I usually hope it's different then people expect it to be ;) OnerousOrangutang: yeah, I kinda liked that too. Thanks ;) Padfoot's Sidekick: No, I wouldn't either Serendipity-England-1922: yeah, even though I'm the author, I didn't practically liked their old personalities,either hogwartsgirl52: yeah, thought so to. Enchantedlight: thanks ghilliekitten: thanks LunaLovegoss: Same, I love Hermione time-travel stories ;) The Gryffindor Drummer: sorry about your friend, but thanks for the suggestion ForgottenIceTea: lol, I guess…but thanks. childoftheorient: yeah, I liked that bit to. Thanksxx little mimi: thanks Padfootsvapirehuntress: maybe… amrawo: thanks uchika na kage: yeah, I guess she is, but…well, thanks for your interest! Lol swirlywhirlynutcase: hehe, here it is! Brooke: thanks