AN: Hello, fanfiction and Harry Potter fans. I do not own Harry Potter, but feel free to enjoy this or hate it. If you enjoy it please leave a lovely comment, if you hate it, then leave some constructive criticism, thanks!

Can You Take the Jump?

Chapter 13

"I want to see Lucius Malfoy in private"

…

Lucius Malfoy entered the noticeably empty Slytherin common room. At least she had enough sense to demand his presence at a time when no one was around.

He approached Hermione Evans for the first time, who sat staring blankly at the fire. It was impossible not to know her existence after the shocking Welcome Feast where she was sorted into Slytherin, but afterwards, she seemed to have disappeared from the school. She never appeared in the Slytherin common room nor did she eat in the Great Hall. She was not seen anywhere else where he would normally see the younger Slytherins.

He had heard from a few of his other Housemates, especially Bella, about their extracurricular activities, but he was never one to participate in the school yard bullying.

He stepped into the lounge area. There was no doubt she knew he was there, but she made no show of noticing his presence. She looked as if in deep thought, which almost made Lucius chuckle. How many serious thoughts could an 11 year old mudblood girl possibly have?

Even when he took another step closer, she made no effort to acknowledge his presence. Instead of getting offended like other hot-headed Purebloods, Lucius chose to take the moment to observe his opponent. She was different. Something had changed. Lucius didn't know how he knew since he'd seen her a total of twice since the Welcome Feast, but there was something noticeably different about the girl. The utterly ordinary girl who avoided everyone at all costs and hung her head low was gone. Perhaps it was the light, or her expression, or the fact that she had the intriguing nerve to call upon a Malfoy, but her hair a unique shade of red and her hazel eyes changing into different colors against the fire light grabbed his attention.

Lucius had heard in passing about Hermione Evans's beauty, but he wasn't aware of it until now as he gave her a proper look. Upon closer inspection, she didn't just have flaming red hair and interesting eyes, there was something about her entire presence that drew him in. Her rosy skin was smooth and flawless, her brows were perfectly arched framing her pretty eyes, and her pouty lips completed a rather perfect face.

"I hope I wasn't interrupting anything important." She finally responded.

"At this hour?" Lucius scoffed.

"Oh good, I was worried that I would be interrupting some business you might be attending with some lady friends." She responded dryly. Lucius blinked when he realized that he had just openly admitted to the girl that he was single.

Shocked at how easily the girl was able to retrieve information out of him, his mind became highly alert. His eyes scanned her body to scan for tension or tick that might indicate that she was nervous to sit in the Slytherin Common Room alone with the Lucius Malfoy, but nothing indicated her mental state.

He'd vastly underestimated her, distracted by her unlikely presence and her shockingly good looks. She was good. No, she was flawless in terms of how she presented and conducted herself. It was almost admirable. Her blinking was slow and steady, her breathing was calm, and there was not a sight of sweat or jitters. It was like Lucius was staring at a blank piece of parchment.

"You asked young Severus to meet with me?" Lucius asked finally, mentioning the entire reason he was sitting in the empty common room with the mudblood in the first place.

Severus Snape, was Lucius's mentee. It was a special system within the Slytherins that helped the younger students become faster adapted to the school life style by pairing them up with an older student of influence. On the surface it was a great system that helped the younger students, but on a deeper level it was how the young minds were taught the rules and regulations of Slytherin House, and thus how the older students passed on their prejudice ideology to the next generation.

Despite being a half-blood, Lucius didn't mind Severus so much. He was better than those idiots that galivanted around the school wearing their hearts on their sleeves like loud and obnoxious Gryffindors. Snape was quiet and smart. He had a brain for politics and thinking outside the box, so when he called Lucius for a favor, he was surprised since Snape didn't seem like the type to owe someone anything. After all, nothing in Slytherin house came for free.

"Yes, Snape owed me a little favor, so I told him I wanted an audience with you in private."

"You have something against Snape?"

"Had. It's now repaid in full." Hermione explained vaguely, knowing that her elusiveness annoyed him.

"Whatever you want, you have nothing against me to use, so this conversation is pointless." He was used to people trying to manipulate the situation so they could get a favor out of him. He didn't believe for one second that she didn't call him here to ask for something, but he had to admit, the method was unusual.

"What can I ask from you?" Hermione asked, turning her body slightly toward him. It was the most engaging body language she's given him since the moment he stepped into the room. "Punish those who hurt me?" She asked, the corners of her lips lifted slightly. "You wouldn't do it and I won't ask. What I do want is peace, just until you graduate. I want Slytherin house to leave me and my sister alone."

Lucius laughed at the unexpected request. "What makes you think I can do that?"

Hermione scoffed, "I may be an outcast, but I've got eyes, ears and a brain. You're Lucius Abraxas Malfoy. Not only are you Sacred Twenty-Nine, you're also one of the wealthiest Sacred Twenty-Nine. You don't just live off your wealth, you know how to use it. You're by far the most political animal in Hogwarts at the moment, and probably the top 1% outside of Hogwarts as well. And most importantly, you can reign in Bellatrix Black."

If he was impressed with her analysis, he didn't show.

"So, you agree that you don't belong?"

Hermione fought the urge to roll her eyes, almost disappointed that calling herself an outcast was the main thing he got out of what she said. "I know I don't belong here, but I am, so I'm just trying to fucking deal with it. But it's really hard to do that when I've got a whole House of arses beating me half to death every chance they get."

Lucius frowned at the slight emphasis on 'here', but brushed it aside as a by-product from the crass way she talked. "What difference will peace make? You'll still be an outcast. No one in Slytherin will accept you."

"That doesn't concern you."

It was Lucius's turn to scoff at Hermione's impudence. "Mudblood, I don't think you understand how to ask for a favor. Someone of your status should be on their knees before they even think they can ask for a favor from someone like me."

"Who said I was asking for a favor?" Hermione raised her arched brows at the blonde sitting across from to her. "Malfoy, I'm proposing a deal."

"There's nothing you can offer that I don't already have."

"You're far too arrogant if you truly believe you have everything in the world."

Lucius took his wand out and pointed it at her throat. "Watch your tone, filth. I will not be chastised by the likes of you."

Instead of trembling with fear, she calmly pushed the tip of his wand away from her throat. "I have valuable information. Seal the deal and I'll tell you."

Lucius frowned, studying the arrogant girl in front of him. She was gorgeous and there was no point in denying it. Raised in affluence, he'd been surrounded by beauty his entire life, thus easily able to recognize something truly exquisite when he saw it.

"How will I know if the information is worth this deal."

Hermione stared deeply into Lucius Malfoy's grey eyes. His prefect badge reflected the light in the same way his eyes did. He looked at her unblinkingly, not a single visible muscle was tense. It was impressive, especially for a 15 year old boy. A lot of adults couldn't manage Malfoy's current level of self-control. He was even better when he was 30, so it was no wonder he was such a household name before Voldemort rose from the dead.

"I didn't spend the last three and a half months in Hogwarts just twiddling my thumbs while I got beat up. You're going to have to trust that I picked up something juicy and highly beneficial for you."

Lucius knew something about the deal was off, like a mouse chasing cheese, but not noticing the trap. It was an unusual feeling, since he was the one who always set the trap, but now he felt like the mouse.

For a brief moment, Lucius forgot she was a mudblood, forgot she was just 11. He was completely entranced. She wasn't nervous, staring straight into at him with alluring eyes. Confidence oozed out of this girl making her seem much older than merely 11. She could probably make a lesser man empty his pockets and bank account for her.

The thing that he hated the most about their interaction was the fact that he wasn't repulsed by the girl in front of him. In fact, he felt the opposite of repulsed, he was acknowledging her. If she had been a pureblood, she would have made a brilliant one, and to Lucius this was the greatest compliment a non-pureblood could ever receive.

"You have a deal. Three whole years of peace." He consented. "And my information?"

Hermione's mind sang in triumph, the thrill of sealing a deal wasn't one she'd felt in a long time. "Andromeda Black has fallen in love with her muggleborn boyfriend and is planning on eloping. Judging by your expression, you know what that means."

Lucius straightened his back; unaware he'd made an expression.

"The Blacks will try to keep it a secret and try find her, but they won't succeed. If your engagement to Andromeda is nullified, yet the union between your two families still has to occur, who is to be your new bride? I guess the question you have to ask yourself is, which of the remaining sisters do you prefer?"

For the first time, Lucius Malfoy looked shaken, and Hermione didn't blame him. Although beautiful and powerful, Bellatrix Black was as unstable as they come. She wasn't a woman that anyone could love or remotely even tolerate, unless they were equally crazy or more.

"Narcissa is an optimal choice. She's pretty, quiet, and unassuming. She'll spend your money lavishly, while you deal with the politics. She will probably throw extravagant parties to support you and work to provide an heir. A perfect Pureblood wife. It's a 50/50 chance. Perfection or chaos. Based on a woman's intuition, I'd say both hold a flame for you Malfoy." Hermione mused.

"We can stop her, Andromeda. We can stop her from eloping with that mudblood and the union can still continue between her and I."

"As surprised as I am to hear about your willingness to accept her even though she's clearly in love with another man, she'll be miserable all her life. She won't ever let go of her love."

"People change," He scoffed. "She won't cling onto him for forever. Plus, it's an arranged marriage, I don't need her love and affection like some horrible novel."

Hermione paused, studying his face, wondering if he really believed in that. If he didn't believe in love, then she just made a huge miscalculation which could lead to Nymphadora Tonks never being born.

Her eyes strayed away from his face and to his body. His fingers were fidgeting with a loose thread that tied the leather seat together, his feet were crossed as he tucked them under the chair. He was worried, it remined her of the desperate look on his face during the Battle of Hogwarts when he was searching for his wife and son. He loved his family.

"You'll want it in your marriage. Love, I mean." Realizing he never knew he wanted it either. "You'll wish to be happy with the person you will spend the rest of your life with." Unlike your parents, she wanted to add, but Hermione stopped herself from overstepping too much. She wanted him to be at a precarious balance of affronted, but curious.

Lucius stared at her confused at where she'd gotten this idea. Love, he wanted to laugh, what a whimsical thought. He imagined what it would be like to wake up to a beautiful woman who smiled at him and whispered the three words into his ear every morning. It sounded like a dream, something too good to be true.

"There's a reason why you shuddered at the thought of Bellatrix becoming your wife. Theoretically she's also perfect. Powerful, beautiful, and Pureblooded, plus with Andromeda gone, she'd be the main inheritor of her family's wealth."

"Get out."

"Malfoy, desiring affection from your will-be-wife isn't a shameful thing."

"GET OUT!"

Hermione sighed, as she stood up, leaving the blond to mull over her words. She was hoping that she'd set things straight enough to keep Andromeda safe, and Tonks's existence safe.

On second thought, an anonymous letter to Ted Tonks wouldn't hurt.

…

December 19th, 1971

It was the last school day before the students went off to the winter holidays. Lily and Hermione sat across from each other studying their own individual things in the library. Hermione looked up because of Lily's frustrated grunts every once in a while, but decided to let her sister try and figure it out on her own. Besides, if her level of pride was anything like hers, Lily would have wanted to try and figure it out as much as she could.

"I give up." Lily pushed the thick textbook away from herself after 30 minutes and slumped on her seat. "I just don't get Transfiguration."

Hermione compared the expression on Lily's face with the one Harry always wore when he didn't understand his homework. It was comparably amusing.

"I thought you signed up to get a peer tutor."

Lily's jaw dropped in surprised, she'd never told Hermione. Her sister's uncanny ability to know what was happening in everyone else's lives was always impressive and fitting, like an omniscient presence. Something about Hermione hazel eyes that told you that she always knew far more than she let on.

"Yeah, I did. He's…great. Wonderful even." Lily tried to fight the blush forming on her face, but just one look at her sister's face, she knew she hadn't succeeded like she wanted.

"Amos Diggory, right?"

Lily gave her a shy smile and nodded. "He's really smart, and patient, and hardworking, and…"

"And fit?"

Lily gasped at Hermione's blatant response, but couldn't help when a giggle burst out of her lips. Lily peered at her sister though smiling eyes to see her sister smiling as well. It was nice and unexpected to see her sister smile so widely.

"Any who, are you excited to go back home for the hols?"

"I'm actually staying here."

"WHAT?!" Lily cried, earning a glare from the librarian. "What do you mean you're staying?" Lily asked again, this time in a much lower voice.

Hermione observed Lily's oblivious and genuinely shocked face. After what happened in the corridor with the 3rd year Slytherins, it was natural to have detention that extended into the holidays, but Lily looked completely unaware. Lily's reaction, plus the lack of insane rumors about Hermione since her psychotic magical outburst, clued Hermione in on some major memory tampering. Someone had gone to every single person and erased the memory of that evening, except Severus, which was most likely an oversight.

There was only one person with knowledge of what happened that night and has the ability to perform such a perfect memory charm: Dumbledore.

"Hermione, why do you want to stay in the castle? I mean, I know its Hogwarts, but don't you miss mum and dad? What about our birthday?"

"I'm…" Hermione hesitated, wondering what kind of lie she needed to say in order for Lily to accept the fact that she would remain in school instead of going home for the holidays. "I'm failing my classes."

"WH—" Lily nearly shouted once more, but stopped herself and gave a timid look towards their grumpy librarian. "What do you mean you're failing?" Lily whispered back.

Hermione shrugged.

Lily immediately stood up and started digging through Hermione's bag.

"Lily!" Hermione admonished. "What are you doing?"

"What are you doing?" She asked accusingly. "You know that I would have tutored you if you'd asked. You know I would have happily looked over your essays if you simply showed me!" She pulled out parchment paper and the Potions textbook and set it on the table. "I…I knew you weren't doing excellently in school, but failing? I'm going to look over some of the essays you've done in the past and we need to start tutoring you right now! No Evans is going to fail anything in Hogwarts." Lily huffed, taking charge of all her belongings.

She opened up her textbook, but Hermione couldn't help but cringe when the spine of the Potions textbook cracked.

"…You've…you've never even opened your book?" Lily tried to sound nonchalant, but it was evident in her expressions and voice that she was shocked.

"Well Avery always has his open, so…" Hermione shrugged, trying to push the issue aside like it was no big deal.

"What about homework, how did you get that done?"

"Uh..."

"For goodness sake, Hermione." She shook her head and let out a sigh, closing the book again. Perhaps working on homework could come after. Lily turned to the rolled up or scrunched up old essays that her sister never bothered to take out of her bag.

After unrolling the rolls of parchment, Lily's eyes widened at the marks written on the top. 'Poor's, 'Dreadful's, handful of 'Troll's and the occasional 'Acceptable' littered all of Hermione's work. Lily suppressed a gasp at her sister's failing grades. She tactfully glanced up at her sister only to find Hermione not even looking at her, but starting off into space.

Lily frowned at the little corrections made by their professor on her sister's essays, thinking it was another sign that their professors had given up on her twin. She reached into her own bag to pull out a red muggle marker and started checking, but there were no real mistakes that could be fixed; no 'i's undotted and 't's unticked. At first glance, her work was impeccable, but as Lily read along, the only issue she found was that her sister's work was incredibly vague and bland or sometimes didn't even fit the required length.

Lily also noted Hermione's impressive penmanship. Lily still found writing with a quill quite hard; the length of the quill, the weight, the smudging ink and the uneven tip made it hard for Lily's normally neat handwriting to come out as nicely as it could. Hermione penmanship wasn't as 'pretty' as hers, but rather sharp and clean. It was incredibly easy to read and there was not a smudge in sight.

"If you've opened your book, you definitely would have gotten a much better mark." Lily chided. "I don't know why you think you can rely on your own knowledge to write these essays, it's not like you're ever in class, or if you are, you're always sleeping."

Hermione gave her sister a sheepish smile.

"You are really failing, though. I guess I'll have to help mum and dad send your presents through owl."

Hermione chuckled, "I hope they didn't get me anything too big."

Lily let out a laugh in disbelief, "How can you be laughing right now?"

"You're laughing too."

Lily playfully crumpled up one of Hermione's failed essays and threw it at her sister who easily dodged. The twins smiled as they started having a full-on paper dodgeball tournament in their corner of the library.

For the first time, there was an ease in Hermione's school life. She's had never had a school term with such little strife in her long life, but after her deal with Malfoy, Hermione felt the freedom she never thought she'd feel. She wasn't entirely sure what Malfoy had said to the Slytherins but no one bothered her. Sure, they looked and whispered about her behind closed doors, but there was little she could do about rumors. Some braver Slytherins sneered and called her the usual names, but no touched her, not even Bellatrix Black.

The week came to a close and it was time for Lily to board the Hogwarts Express and head back to England. After Lily's tearful goodbye at the train station, with promises to write every day, Hermione was left alone in the castle with just a handful of students and even fewer professors.

With no reason to have a schedule, Hermione's days passed with no concept of time. She fulfilled her detention duties whenever the professors had time. Other than a few meals and reading up on some Dark Arts, her horrible sleeping habits had gotten even worse. She now only slept an hour or two during the night and just took several naps throughout the day.

She placed her book down on the floor of the Room of Requirement and stood up to stretch her limbs. Hermione turned her head towards the massive mountains of forgotten garbage around her.

Being in school without needing to go to class freed up much more time than she'd expected, allowing her to look around the Room of Hidden things. She carefully maneuvered herself around the piles of garbage to the Vanishing Cabinet that lead to the Hogwarts raid in 1997.

It had been two weeks since she found the Cabinet, covered by mountains of junk of past students. It was a colony of pixies living in the hollow Cabinet that helped her find the location of the wretched thing. Past Hermione would have analyzed the magical furniture with awe, but past Hermione marveled at magic in a way that was almost unhealthy. Her current-self destroyed it beyond restoration the moment she found it.

Besides, what Hermione really cared about wasn't the Cabinet, but the beautiful glittering diadem that sat on a wig behind it.

"Hello, Voldy."

Hermione sat across from the headpiece on a dusty rug that was unravelling at the seams. She stared at the corrupted piece of jewelry and planned Tom Riddle's future demise.

This was her daily routine.

"Diary, ring, locket, cup, diadem, snake and Harry." She repeated, over and over again. "What other horcrux did you make, you sick psychopath?"

Even after all these years, she didn't know. There were no more founders, no more Deathly Hollows, no more family, and none of his followers could even be considered as friends. There was always a chance that Voldemort made his last Horcrux post-resurrection, but she couldn't think of any other items that were 'worthy' enough to hold a piece of that demented soul.

She will have to arrange a trip to Little Hangleton to pick up the ring, but the problem was the locket, diary and cup. They were all given to his most trusted followers…

"Whatever you're thinking, Granger, stop thinking it." A snobbish voice warned behind her.

For a moment, Hermione genuinely thought Lucius Malfoy was standing in the middle of the Room of Requirement and was fiercely glaring at her.

"Malfoy."

Draco Malfoy stood before her in all his angsty 16 year old glory. His hair was wet and blood soaked through his white school shirt. Dark circles that travelled down as far as hers made his pasty skin look pastier. His sleeves were rolled up revealing the ugly tattoo that moved around his forearm. This must be Malfoy when Harry had almost accidentally killed him via Sectumsempra.

"It's Evans now."

"I called you Granger even after you were married, it's not a habit I'm going to break now." He deadpanned. "Granger, I'm serious. Don't even consider it."

"I'm not."

"You were."

Hermione's hallucination of Draco Malfoy was only a year older than his father, but Draco looked at least 25. The burden he carried at sixteen must have aged him, but then again, the burden of the second wizarding war aged them all. No one came out of that war looking and feeling younger.

"If I want to end it all, I have to get the ones that I know." Hermione argued.

"Do what you did last time."

"Run around England, half starving and going barking mad from Horcruxes?" She was exasperated by his suggestion. "Harry, Ron and I barely managed and we had each other for support. This time I'm alone."

"Then tell the Order, tell Dumbledore."

"Not everyone in the Order can be trusted. I won't risk betrayal again, not this time. And Dumbledore should only be allowed certain information at a time. Him being all knowing will cause problems all over again."

"Damn it, Granger!" Malfoy shouted.

"I'm NOT Hermione Granger! I'm not the naïve 18 year old who ran around the country with her best friends, thinking she could stop the forces of evil with some hard work and a positive fucking attitude. I'll never be that stupid, ever again."

"The fact that you're contemplating on joining his forces is stupid." Malfoy shook his head. "And let's say, in 1 in a trillion chance that he actually lets you in, he'll test you again and again and again until you've either gone mad or you've lost all sense of your humanity."

"You speak of madness as if I don't know what it is. Malfoy, I'm talking to a hallucination of a boy who hasn't even been conceived yet."

Hermione sighed and walked right through her hallucination, causing it to disappear. She pulled on some boots and changed into more flexible attire. She grabbed a pair of trainers and placed them into a bag and headed out. The outside sky was still twinkling with stars. It was either early morning or still late at night, but the conversation with Malfoy warranted an exercise session.

The sound of snoring portraits filled the halls as the winter winds blew and echoed throughout the castle. There was something quite daunting about the large castle in the dark. All muggleborns who grew up with ghost stories and creepy stories of the creatures of the night would understand her perspective since those tales of fiction turned to reality the moment their Hogwarts Letter arrived in their mail.

Going on her usual exercise routine around the Hogwarts grounds was now impossible, now that the snow reached up to her knees, but Hermione had found a solution to her problem.

The Quidditch Pitch was enchanted to keep the grass on the pitch green and the stadium relatively warmer than the actual temperature in case of long games. It was the perfect place to run a few laps and do some high intensity exercises every day.

After 10 laps around the entire pitch and some light weight training with the bludgers students kept lying around. Hermione lay on the grass trying to catch her breath. She looked up to the sky to see the snow falling, but all of them seemed to melt before it touched the ground.

She pulled herself off the grass and walked towards the change room to take a shower. The Quidditch locker room showers were nothing like the Roman bathhouse that she loved so much in the Room of Requirement, but it was close and had all the necessary things without the need to climb all those steps.

After checking the temperature of the water, she stepped under harsh water fall, allowing the strong water pressure to give herself a much-needed massage. She didn't know how long she stayed under the water for, but by the time she stepped out of the shower, the entire locker room was filled with steam. She dressed and braced to cold once more to trudge up the hill to head back to Hogwarts.

There was someone near the entrance, their black hair flying through the air from the winter winds.

"Sirius?"

"Evans." They two stared at each other for a while, unsure of what to say from the others' unexpected appearance.

"You didn't go home." "You came back early."

They spoke at the same time.

"Uh," Sirius kicked the snow off his feet. "Home isn't great, ever since I was sorted to Gryffindor. James invited me, but he ended going to Spain with his family because of his dad's job."

"Oh," Hermione was unsure of how to respond. She hadn't expected to see anyone for another two weeks, and she hadn't expected Sirius to be so open with her about his home situation. "I'm failing classes, so I stayed behind to make up for lost marks."

It felt weird being honest to him. She knew him as a different Sirius Black, but this young, vivacious, and happy Sirius was someone she'd never met, someone she didn't really know how to connect with.

"Where are you coming from this early in the morning?" He asked, noting her attire.

"A workout at the Quidditch pitch." She explained.

"You workout?" He asked, intrigued. "I had no idea."

Hermione fiddled with the end of her coat, and smiled awkwardly. "Right, well. Enjoy your day."

"Hey Evans," Sirius called out, just before she walked into the castle. "Do you mind if I join you tomorrow?"

"Join me?"

"Yeah, to exercise. I want to get into the Quidditch team next year."

Hermione cocked her head to the side, "I guess that's okay." She didn't think Sirius would be able to join her for her morning workout, but if she divided her morning workout into two separate workouts, Sirius could join her during the afternoon. "How does 2:00 PM at the Quidditch pitch sound?"

Sirius smiled, "Sounds perfect."

...

Sirius was dying. He was sure he was dying. There was no other explanation other than death that could possibly explain his physical state right now.

"Come on, Black. Up you get." Hermione Evans held out her hand to help him off the cold grass floor, but he slapped it out of the way.

"I'm dying."

She let out a small laugh, barely out of breath.

Even in his state, Sirius caught the sound of her laugh; light and delightful, like beautiful windchimes. He'd never heard Hermione Evans laugh before. It softened her face and brought a sparkle in her eye that hadn't been there previously.

"You're not dying, Black, you're just out of shape."

"I thought I was just going to hit a few bludgers around. I told you that I just want to be fit enough to get into the Quidditch team next year. A beater to be exact."

"You mentioned Quidditch, but you specifically said you wanted to join me for my workout. This is how I work out." She shrugged. "Besides how are you going to hit a bludger hard enough to deter other players and protect your team with those noodle arms."

"Noodle arms!" He attempted to get up, affronted by the accusation of weak arms, but the fact that his arms trembled from exhaustion made his argument weak.

She giggled at his state, gently patting him on the shoulder.

"Don't fret. You're a guy. With more testosterone, you'll be able to build muscle a lot faster than I can. I don't build muscle very well, so you'll catch up in no time." She reassured sincerely. "Beaters require more than just strength, you need accuracy too. Why don't you take a break while I finish my workout, and then I can help you test your aim."

He sat on a bench she'd pulled out from the change rooms and drank some water as he watched her finish her routine. She was was doing something she called calisthenics, to increase her endurance. It was fascinating watching Hermione Evans be so alert and hyperfocused, her eyes shined as she pushed her muscles to her bidding. This version of her was so different from his memories of her in class. In his mind, Hermione Evans was lazy, she slept during class, never paid attention or wasn't present at all. She always wore a blank and non-present expression on her face, like she wasn't all there, but not right now. He could tell by the look in her eye that she was very much present and in the moment.

After what felt like forever, she finished her workout routine and walked up to him sweaty and out of breath, but no where near dead as Sirius had felt earlier.

"Ready to hit some bludgers?"

The two of them went into the equipment storage room and pulled out the case of Quidditch balls.

"Let's start simple first," Hermione scanned their options. "First, hit a still bludger at a still target, then hit a still bludger at a moving target, then we advance the bludger into a moving one for a still target, until you can finally hit a moving bludger to a moving target. How does that sound?"

She pulled out some old bludgers and whispered a spell that caused them to float on their own. "These are your targets." Then picked up a newer bludger and threw it at him. "That is the one you will use to hit those targets. Ready?"

...

By the end of their 2 weeks, Sirius was shocked at how much stronger he was and how much more he could eat, now that he was exercising like the devil was after him.

Hermione and Sirius sat on their bench, after a rather extensive cardio workout after their weight training. Sirius noticed how much closer they sat now, compared to that awkward first day. Their legs and shoulders were almost touching.

"You know," Sirius tossed a water bottle at her. She took a drink from his bottle without hesitation. "I never asked why you started working out like this. I mean, most kids just play Quidditch or other sports for fun, but you? You exercise like you're going to be some professional athlete."

Hermione nodded with acknowledgement, knowing what she was doing wasn't exactly normal.

"I learned self-defense first. I didn't want to be helpless in situations where strength was necessary." She spoke quietly. She suddenly had a far off look in her eye, like she was seeing something in the sky that wasn't there. Sirius looked up at the invisible magical dome over their heads that prevented the snow from getting into the pitch and wondered what she was seeing. "I'm pretty good at picking up the skills and techniques, but I lacked strength. So..." She trailed off gesturing to their set up around them.

"Besides," She turned to look at him. "I love the feeling. That moment when your mind empties and all you can do is think about just getting your body to the next lap around the pitch, or the next squat or sit up."

"So, basically you like torturing yourself." Sirius deadpanned.

She laughed. Like music to his ears, she laughed openly and fully.

It was a real laugh, this time. Not like those half-laugh, half-air kind of laughs she did in the past, but a real one. Sirius felt accomplishment bloom in his chest. In the two weeks they'd spent time together, this was the shinning moment that he knew he would remember. She was beautiful when she laughed. There was a small wrinkle on the bridge of her nose and her lips spread to reveal a row of pearly teeth. The tops of her cheeks rose to partially cover her eyes, but that glimmer of amusement in her eyes that lingered afterwards made his heart skip

"Well," Hermione wiped her hand on her pants and stretched it to Sirius. "I guess this is it, then."

The sudden shift made Sirius's smile fall.

"What?"

"It's a new semester. The students will come back tonight and we'll be back in class. No more afternoon exercises."

"R-right." Sirius was so excited for the arrival of his friends that he hadn't realized that it would also mean his time with Hermione Evans came to an end. "You won't keep exercising? I kind of want to continue this."

He blushed at how desperate he sounded.

"I mean, you know. I can't guarantee that I'll get into the quidditch team with just two weeks of training, you know?"

Hermione gave him a small smile, it was sad, unlike the open and happy laugh she'd made earlier.

"I'm not a Quidditch captain or a coach, Sirius. I can't actually help you prepare for that, but you've got strength now and your accuracy has greatly improved. I'm sure you're great on a broom, so I have no doubt you'll be a great contender for the team."

"But you'll keep working out?"

"Yes, in the mornings." Hermione nodded. "Probably around 5AM? Maybe earlier."

"F-f-five?!" Sirius stuttered. He'd been fully prepared to wake up earlier to work out with her, but 5 was a lot earlier than he'd anticipated. "Why that early?"

"When else am I going to do it?" Hermione asked. "Mornings and afternoons are filled with classes, evenings will be filled with team practices."

"Right." Sirius nodded, her logic was undeniable. "So, this really is it."

"I guess it is." She nodded.

Hermione felt melancholic, which was silly since she would still see him during school, but it wouldn't be the same and they both knew it. The last two weeks with Sirius's company was amazing. He was funny, and in between his complaints during the exercises, she really got to see his focus and drive, something she hadn't seen before during school. The way he engaged with her was effortless, as if they'd been friends for years. It was the most comfortable she'd been with someone outside her family.

"Thank you." They both spoke at the same time. They smiled, though their reasons for gratitude were different, the sentiment was the same.

"You're welcome." They spoke in unison once more, causing them to burst into laughter.

"Ask her to have breakfast with you. Lunch. Dinner. Anything!" Sirius shouted at himself internally as he watched her drink from his bottle.

"I guess I'll see you around, Black." Hermione got up from seat, muttered an incantation that placed all their equipment back to it's original spots.

"Yeah, I'll see you around. Don't be a stranger, Evans." Sirius waved.

"You idiot." He muttered to himself as he watched her leave.