Disclaimer: Like always, I don't own Harry Potter and I'm pretty sure I never will.
I am so sorry for not updating. I just started work. I now have a lovely new niece called Chloe and my schoolwork has been catching up on me.
Do enjoy.
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'Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow…"' – Mary Anne Radmacher
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The sweltering sun sat low in the sky as Hermione and Sirius approached the Hogwarts gates. Sweat was running from Hermione's neck and gathering at the small of her back, but it was not from the heat. Her heart was skittering from the thought of stepping on Hogwarts grounds after it was now shut down. She was finding it hard to imagine it without any students covering the lawns or dangling their legs in the lake.
They stopped before the large steel gates and Sirius caught her hand. Hermione spun around to face him. "If you tell me that this is a trap one more time-"
Sirius shook his hand. "All I was going to saw was pass me the map."
"Oh," Hermione answered and quickly fished in her pocket for the gleaming red map, handing it quickly to Sirius.
A frown crossed his features as he studied the map. After several minutes his head snapped up and his eyes were narrowed.
"What is it?"
As if realizing Hermione was still next to him, his eyes returned to normal and he shook his head. "I was just thinking," he said as he ran a hand through his shaggy hair.
Hermione crossed her arms across her chest. "Like you said Sirius we are in this together," she told him grimly, "so I suggest you tell me what's making you frown."
Her stubborn companion sighed. "I'm just trying to think what the hell could be waiting for is in the forbidden forest," he answered with the frown still creasing his brow.
Hermione let out an irritated groan. "You're not still thinking that it's a trap are you?"
"Well what if it is?"
"After what I've just seen I think I would be pretty happy to hurt someone," her tone was clipped with anger. She looked around her then back to him. "Seeing that no-one else is around it's either you or someone that might deserve it."
Sirius raised an eyebrow. "You want this to be a trap?"
Hermione threw her hands up in disgust. "Of course not, you idiot. Why would I want this to be a trap?" She shook her head at him. "This is way it is hard to fight with males; they jump to the stupidest assumptions."
"You just said-"
"I just want to find what is waiting for us. If you weren't so damn stubborn we would already be in the Forbidden Forest and we wouldn't be trying to guess whether this is a trap or not!" Hermione told him venomously.
To Hermione's dismay, Sirius simply nodded his head. "Well what are we waiting for?"
The words muttered from Hermione's mouth as she marched past Sirius sounded along the lines of 'stupid idiot' and 'complete jerk'. He ignored it as he followed Hermione with his eyes and watched her pull out her wand.
The huge gates parted.
Hermione turned back to Sirius. "I didn't even say anything," she said in disbelief. "Shouldn't they be locked?"
Sirius shrugged as he grabbed her arm and squeezed through the gap with Hermione behind him. He tightened his hold on her arm as the atmosphere froze. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up and he looked to the sky to see the sun disappearing from the sky to be replaced by a white curved line. At least he was thankful that it wasn't a full moon.
He let go of her arm and they walked in silence along the dirt path. Night was falling fully upon them and the sky was fast becoming a velvet black.
Struck by the sudden realization that it was the same path the thestral drawn carriages would travel up every year, Hermione clenched her hands into fists and clenched her teeth. She was not looking forward to entering the Forbidden Forest at night. Hermione turned her head to meet eyes with Sirius' but the cool grey eyes were staring straight ahead. Instead, she contented herself to the sound of her footsteps to fight away her eerie feeling.
The castle started to creep up and Sirius stopped Hermione with a tug on her arm. "We aren't going up there."
Hermione nodded without looking at him and turned to walk toward the eerie darkness of the Forbidden Forest. As they walked closer, the tops of the trees started to shake and crow sounds filled the air. Hermione could almost remember the sounds of Grawp pulling up trees.
They stopped in front of the forest and Hermione shivered. "God I am not looking forward to this." Hermione told Sirius as she stared into the darkness.
"Do you want to stay here then?"
Hermione glared at him. "You really are stupid, aren't you?" She asked him and, without waiting for an answer, plunging into the forest.
Twigs crunched under her feet and she felt Sirius walk behind her as they headed down the over grown path. A nagging feeling was grabbing at her brain but Hermione ignored it, instead focusing on the darkness around her. She really didn't like the Forbidden Forest and definitely not whilst feeling that someone was watching her.
After several minutes of walking through the darkness Sirius finally asked, "Where exactly are we going?"
Hermione rubbed her arm from where a branch hit her. "I'm sort of hoping that we stumble upon what we are supposed to find," she answered, wincing as another branch smacked onto her cheek.
"What are we looking for?"
Hermione shrugged even though Sirius couldn't see her. "I don't know but hopefully it glows."
"Why?"
"Because it will be easier to find."
Sirius shook his head but continued following closely behind her. After another painful 10 minutes, Hermione stopped and was almost bowled over by Sirius. His arms went around her before she fell and he put her feet firmly on the ground.
"Why did you stop?" He asked her softly.
Hermione grinned. "It glows," she answered and pried his arm from her and ran through the overgrowth.
Sirius sighed and raced after to her, smashing through the trees to catch up with her. He could feel the bruises emerging on his arms and legs but he ran blindly to catch Hermione. He was going to kill her from running away.
He spied Hermione running into a clearly a couple of meters away and he skidded to a halt beside her when he reached the clearing.
"I'm – going – to – kill – you!" Sirius said between breaths as he bent over with his hands on his knees. "You – idiot!"
Hermione scoffed. "Just because you're not as fit as you once were old man doesn't mean I can't run to what I see."
Sirius narrowed his eyes as he straightened his back. "Did you just call me old man?"
"I did."
He frowned. "I'm not that old."
Hermione crossed her arms. "Is that why you got tired from running?"
"When do you think was the last time I ran through an overgrowth of trees?" He asked sarcastically. "And why the hell were you running in the first place? Are you stupid?"
"Don't call me stupid," Hermione told him in a warning. "Besides, I'm surprised you didn't break a hip-"
"Hey!"
Hermione grinned. "And I was running because of that," she said, pointing to the trunk sitting in the middle of the clearing. "It's lighting the whole damn forest."
Continuing to grumble, Sirius trudged towards the trunk and tried to lift the lid. It wouldn't budge. "Stupid-" he gave it another tug "piece-" tug "of-" tug "crap!" smack.
"Sirius don't punch it," Hermione hissed at him. "You're a wizard. Use your wand."
Sirius whipped his wand from his pocket. "Thank you," he said sarcastically and blasted the lid off its hinges. "Stupid thing."
Hermione shook her head at him and knelt down to look at the contents of the trunk. A lone muggle rubber was the only thing inside it and Hermione snorted at it.
"What is it?" Sirius asked as he knelt down next to her. "And please let itbe something that screams 'You found the treasure'."
Hermione held up the rubber. "I don't think it screams treasure," Hermione said, examining it.
Sirius let out a disgruntled sigh. "What does it mean?"
Placing the rubber in her pocket, Hermione shrugged. "I think it means we go home. There isn't anything else here and I need to go talk to Harry."
"No you don't."
Hermione glared at him. "Yes I do."
"If you want to talk to him about what I think it is then no. He doesn't need to know." Sirius narrowed his eyes at her. "I won't let you fuck it up."
"Fuck what up?" Hermione asked incredulously. "It's already fucked up! That town is destroyed. There are bodies everywhere and Voldermort is getting away with it. Harry needs to know!"
"Hermione-"
Hermione crossed her arms. "Do you want me to punch you again?"
Silence.
"I think you should listen to the woman Black and everything will go fine," a voice cut through the air like ice and Hermione instantly knew who it was.
Five people stepped into the clearing, surrounding them.
"Shit," Hermione said.
"Damn right," Sirius answered.