Hermione laughed and Fred and George relaxed slightly at the sound.

"Can't it wait?" She teased. "I'm tired."

The Twins exchanged dark looks, which made her frown.

"No. It's..." George seemed to lose his nerve as his voice dried up. "Um..."

"You look nice." Fred blurted, apropos of nothing in particular.

Hermione stared at them, frowning.

"Thank you?" She offered, utterly confused. They continued to stare at her and eventually Hermione sighed. "Look, I'm going to bed. Dancing wore me out." She headed for the main staircase, only to hear what sounded like a growl coming from behind her. Before she could turn around to look, George reached out and grabbed her arm, dragging her into the nearest empty classroom. He dropped her arm as Fred locked the door behind them and she glared at the pair of them fiercely.

"I am not some eleven-year-old you two can just drag around Diagon Alley anymore!" She snapped, stepping resolutely away from them and ignoring their wince.

"Believe us..."

"We know."

Fred and George appeared to be having a conversation over her head and Hermione sighed heavily, resisting the urge to stamp her feet.

"What is this about?" She asked at last, when she was sure she could speak without shouting.

There was a dual sigh and then Fred asked.

"Why did you go with...him?"

"Victor?" Fred bared his teeth and she scowled. "Because he asked me." Hermione snapped defensively. "He's nice. Does it matter?"

"I told you so." George hissed furiously to his twin. Fred grimaced.

"Told him what?" Hermione asked cautiously. "What's going on?"

"We should have asked you to the Ball." Fred breathed and Hermione flinched.

"What?"

"We should have asked you." George repeated, hollowly. "We're sorry."

"Why..." Hermione cleared her throat when her own voice died. "Why would you want to ask me?" She managed.

Fred and George looked at each before each removed their own bracelet. The soul bonds on their arms were still black and seemed to run continuous from one twin to the other. They didn't even need her in the middle, Hermione thought sadly.

"We want you." Fred told her intently, eyes almost glowing in the dark. His brother smacked him with the flat of his hand.

"We've been idiots." George added, somewhat apologetically. "We should've done something before someone else asked you out. And now you're dating Victor and..."

"I'm not." Hermione whispered, shaking her head. "It was just to the Ball. We're friends." She almost staggered back under the relief that washed through the bond.

George bit his lip and nodded.

"Right. Good. Well..."

"We're friends, right?" Fred started again, staring at her intently.

Hermione eyed him, worried.

"You two are my best friends," She murmured. "You know that."

Fred bit his lip.

"Right. But what if we wanted to be...more than your best friends?"

There was a lump in her throat and Hermione couldn't swallow properly.

"Where is this going?" She asked, backing away from them. Neither twin seemed to notice.

"You know what Professor Flitwick said..." George started. "About identical twins usually ending up with the same person?"

"Because we've only got half a soul, or something..." Fred waved that away. "Look, our point is...we always knew we were going to fall for the same girl. And..."

"We fell for you." George finished.

The classroom was silent, save for the ragged rasp of their breathing. In the distance, there was the faint sounds of exhausted students making their way to bed and the occasional bellow of a teacher.

"No." Hermione breathed, tears springing to her eyes. "No!"

Fred and George staggered backwards as though they'd been pushed.

"No!" She cried. "You weren't supposed to like me back!"

"Hermione..." George breathed eyes wide, as Fred pleaded, "Amazon..."

"Did you forget," Hermione rasped, tugging her own bracelets off her wrists. "That we're friends?" Her soul bonds were grey and faded, but they were visible all the way to her collar bones. She shuddered and continued hollowly. "We are destined to be friends! So no matter what we might feel this cannot happen. We are predetermined to be friends and nothing more!"

Fred stepped forward.

"What we feel...? Hermione, do you..."

"It doesn't matter!" Hermione yelled, shoving her bracelets back on. "The bonds can't be broken, can't be changed, you two said it yourselves!"

"The bonds don't matter!" George cried, finally losing his head. "'Mione we..."

"They do matter!" Hermione was tear-stained and exhausted and she wanted nothing more at that moment than to be anywhere other than where she was. "And even if they didn't...You're talking about forever. Everyone here is talking about forever. Harry and Luna...She's thirteen years old for crying out loud! And yet Harry's decided she's his true love! I am fifteen bloody years old! I can't even consent yet!" Hermione cried. "And...Even if we weren't tied together by some stupid bond, I am far too young to deal with this. So just..." She stepped towards the door. "Just let me go."

Fred and George stood there and Hermione almost crumpled under the backwash of agony she felt through the bonds.

She yanked desperately at the door and it sprung open.

"I really am sorry." She whispered, before leaving.

Minerva walked through the empty and cold corridors slowly, checking every classroom and cupboard on her way. Most of the students should be in bed now, but you could never be too certain, especially with the boys from Bouxbatons. If she had to deal with one more fainting sixth year...

The was a quiet sound coming from the Transfiguration corridor and Minerva turned down it with a frown. It sounded like crying.

There was a small lump on the floor next to the entrance to Minerva's own quarters, dark blue in the wand light.

The lump sniffled and then raised its head.

Hermione blinked up at her, eyes red and puffy, expression distraught.

"I said no." She whispered.

Minerva managed to usher her adopted daughter into her sitting room with only a little effort. Hermione seemed too exhausted to think straight and merely collapsed into her preferred armchair, wrinkling her dress dreadfully in the process.

"Here." Minerva reached for a large quilt her mother had made and draped it around the girl's shoulders. "Now why don't you tell me what happened?" She asked gently, stoking the fire with her wand and setting the kettle onto it.

"The Twins..." Hermione drew in a shuddering breath and wiped her tears on a corner of the blanket. "They..."

Minerva stilled, eyes glinting in the firelight.

"Hermione, did they hurt you?" She asked seriously, not wanting to believe the implications behind that question but determined to ask anyway.

Hermione jerked slightly and her wide brown eyes met Minerva's with what looked like shock in her gaze.

"No! They wouldn't. It was me." She drew in a shaky breath. "I hurt them."

"I'm sure..."

"They said they liked me!" Hermione wailed, staring at Minerva in what appeared to be horror. Things became very obvious to the older witch then and she sighed. "They said they liked me and they meant forever." She trailed off, hunching her shoulders and pulling the quilt tighter around herself. Minerva crouched down next to her and tried to understand.

The issue probably wasn't that Hermione hadn't returned their feelings. Minerva had eyes after all and she'd suspected the direction the trio were heading in for some time. But Hermione was very young and she was muggleborn. The wizarding tradition of getting engaged in seventh year was still, for the most part, alive and well. She remembered the rumpus James had caused...

"Why did you say no?" Minerva quietly asked.

"I couldn't..." Hermione swallowed. "I can't...I'm fifteen!"

"I know." She gave in to what little maternal instincts she had and wrapped her arms around the shaking girl. "I know. It's all right, Hermione. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Yes, I did." Hermione sniffled. "I did, I hurt them."

"No, little one, you didn't." Minerva paused. "Listen to me, Hermione. You should never, ever agree to something you're not ready for."

Hermione scrubbed at her face with the back of her hand.

"It's not just that." She said in a whisper. "Harry's going through the tournament and someone's out to get him. This wouldn't be the time. Besides," She flicked at her bracelet with one finger. "We're platonic soulmates. We shouldn't be together anyway. Just go to sleep." She added and Minerva was distracted from the phrase that had caught her attention by the sudden change of topic. Hermione was rubbing at her temples with her fingers. "Just go to sleep," She begged, seemingly talking to herself. "Please. I know, it's my fault...just go to sleep!"

"Hermione..." Minerva asked cautiously. "Who are you talking to?"

Exhausted and miserable brown eyes opened to stare at her.

"The Twins." She breathed. "They're so upset and they won't go to sleep so the Bond's full of it and it's all my fault!" Her eyes closed again and she whispered, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." under her breath. "Please go to sleep. Please!"

"What do you mean?"

"I can feel their emotions." Hermione cried thickly. "Constantly, in the back of my head. And now...They're heartbroken and I can't get away from it. It's not usually this strong." She began crying again and Minerva wasn't certain if it was her own sorrow or bitter feedback from the Twins. "Please, Aunt Minnie" She begged, looking desperately at Minerva. "I need them out of my head!" Hermione sobbed and several breakable items shattered.

Minerva McGonagall stormed down the Charms corridor, terrifying several early rising Ravenclaw's who happened to get in her way. She hissed out the password to Flitwick's office which such vehemence that the painting banged against the wall in its haste to get out of her way.

"You lied to them!"

I must confess some confusion and no small amount of fear in reaction to her presence. As any former student will tell you, Minerva is not one to cross.

"Who?" Flitwick squeaked, smoothing down his hair which stuck up in tufts around his ears. He had clearly just woken up, a blue dressing gown was wrapped loosely around his nightshirt.

"My daughter came to see me last night, in floods of tears. It took a sleeping draught to get to her to rest, she was so distraught. And you. Told. Her. It. Was. Platonic!"

Flitwick winced.

"Ah." He sighed. "I was wondering when this would come up."

"Explain." Minerva bit out. "Now."

Filius scowled up at her.

"I had a good reason for lying!" He snapped. "It would be a terrible thing indeed for me to lay the responsibilities of a complete romantic bond on children under fourteen. They would have felt pressured...It was for the best for them not to know." He defended.

Minerva scowled.

"Honestly," She hissed. "Couldn't you have just not given them full disclosure and then told them the rest when they were older?" She sat down heavily in a chair. "How do I dampen the Bond?"

Filius stared at her in disbelief.

"Why on earth would you want to do that?"

The witch sighed heavily.

"Because last night, that Bond fell apart. All three of them are heartbroken and Hermione cannot get away from the pair of them because they are living inside her mind!"

He frowned.

"Well...distance would help, at least immediately. Their Bond isn't matured at this point, so a lack of contact is still an issue. Occlumency might help." He offered and Minerva raised an eyebrow at him.

"As brilliant as my daughter undoubtedly is, she is only fifteen. Occlumency is beyond her."

"She's been learning the Patronus charm." Filius murmured.

"Believe me, I am aware." Hermione spent more than one-afternoon tea session fretting over her failure to get the spell right. Minerva occasionally, and very quietly, worried that the girl was entirely too bitter for the charm to take. "But there is a difference..."

"Well, what can it hurt?" Filius cried, throwing up his arms. "Minerva, these things aren't designed to be blocked..."

"The Bond's in tatters anyway." Minerva snapped and Filius glanced at her. "Her marks are grey." She sighed. "The Bond isn't healthy enough at the moment. Maybe distance will help." She fixed him with a serious look. "Can I trust you to look after the school while I'm gone?"

"Gone?" Filius spluttered, "Where are you going?"

Minerva snorted.

"I think I've been neglecting my duties as a parent. I've been shipping her off to Black's for years now, it is high time I took some responsibility."

"What will you tell Dumbledore?" He demanded, wide-eyed.

She sniffed imperiously.

"I believe I am well owed some time off and no one will notice one missing muggleborn," She scowled. "As irritating as that fact may be." She ground out, getting to her feet.

"Where will you go?"

Minerva paused at that.

"Home, I imagine." She murmured, heading for the portrait.

It wasn't until recently I learned exactly what had happened to the trio the night of the Yule Ball. The effects of it were noticed by almost everyone but very few knew the actual cause and none who did, not even Harry Black, would speak of it. After leaving my office Minerva went straight to Dumbledore and, according to some of the portraits I've spoken to, almost bullied the man into letting her leave the castle. Technically speaking, as Deputy Head, Minerva was never actually off duty and, unlike some other professors who preferred to return to their families during the holidays, was required to stay at Hogwarts over Christmas and Easter. Whatever it was Minerva said, it evidently worked as she, with Hermione in tow, left Hogwarts castle before ten that morning.

Hermione relaxed almost instantly when they stepped out of the fireplace into the darkroom and the ringing in her head lessened to a dull ache.

''Where are we?'' She murmured, hoisting her bag slightly higher on her shoulder.

Minerva flicked her wand and the curtains parted over the windows as the dust covers flew off several pieces of furniture.

''Galashiels.'' She murmured, shrugging off her travelling cloak. ''Or close enough.''

Hermione stared out the window at the snowy landscape and made out what was probably a large garden bordered in trees under the white blanket.

''This is my house.'' The older witch added as she led the way into the kitchen. It was bright with the curtains open and, although cold, smelled fresh and clean. ''I have a house elf come in once a month and make sure nothing gets out of order.'' She lifted a large bright copper kettle and filled it with water out of the tap, before setting it on the range which she lit with her wand. She sighed. ''I haven't spent as much time here as I'd like since I started teaching.''

Hermione put her bag down by her feet and sat carefully on one of the kitchen chairs. The house wasn't much like her parent's had been. They had always favoured modern houses because they were easier to keep clean and they liked living on housing estates. They'd never had much of a garden either.

''Were you always a teacher?'' She asked quietly. Minerva lit the candles on the mantelpiece and the scent of honeysuckle and vanilla began to float through the air.

''Not always. I used to work in the Department for Magical Law Enforcement.''

''Like Aunt Amy?'' Hermione murmured.

''Quite. I took up the job as Transfiguration Teacher when Dumbledore left it to become Headmaster.'' She bustled off into the small pantry and Hermione took the opportunity to look around.

Here and there were the scattered remnants of a life lived long before Hermione's arrival. An old and slightly threadbare Gryffindor scarf pinned above a portrait of a Scottish castle. A racing broom leaning in the corner with bent twigs and an unpolished handle. Stacks of books from all manner of subjects were bursting from the shelves and bits of cat fur inevitably covered most of the furniture. On the mantelpiece was a series of pictures, all moving and all in black and white, picturing a variety of people and above them all was the background of a portrait in an otherwise empty frame. Its occupant had apparently vacated the premises.

Minerva wandered back in with a biscuit tin as the kettle began to boil and set about making tea. Hermione was suddenly, inexplicably, tired and she accepted her cup quietly, ignoring the worried look her adopted mother was giving her.

''Filius believes,'' Minerva murmured sometime later, ''That there may be a way to dampen the Bond if you want.''

Hermione peered at her.

''How?''

Minerva grimaced.

''It is not a form of magic you've ever approached before.'' Her eyes narrowed behind her spectacles. ''I don't expect you to be able to master it. Filius is mad if you ask me.''

Hermione shrugged. People tended not to expect things of her. Her grandmother hadn't expected her to be a freak. Peter Pettigrew hadn't expected to be set on fire by a child. The Twins hadn't expected her to break their hearts.

If no one expected her to be able to do this, then there was no reason why she couldn't.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" Amelia asked, kissing Sirius' cheek as she sat down at the breakfast table next to him.

Sirius scowled down at the letter in his hands.

"I'm trying to decide if I should be annoyed or not." He announced as Remus entered the room. From further down the table a slightly hungover Tonks groaned.

"Why?" The werewolf enquired, giving the blue-haired witch a rather nervous look and sitting on Sirius' other side.

"Minerva sent me a letter." Sirius looked unusually serious, his dark eyes scanning the words on the brief letter intently.

"Oh no." Amelia groaned. "What's our son done now?"

"Nothing." There was a slight tone of disbelief in Sirius' voice at this. "It's Hermione."

That got everyone's attention. Everyone except Tonks who had just fallen asleep into her cereal.

"What's wrong?" Remus asked.

"She's taking her out of school." The wizard sighed. "Apparently, something went wrong with the Twins and 'Mione needs to be away from them for a while."

Amelia peered over his shoulder with a frown.

"Did she say why?"

"No." He passed over the letter so she could read it.

"Why do you think you should be annoyed?" Remus asked warily, fixing his coffee.

Sirius tugged at his hair.

"She can't just drag Hermione off to wherever she wants to without consulting me. I'm her other parent!"

"You do it." Remus murmured.

"I always tell Minerva beforehand," Sirius grumbled.

Remus jerked around to stare at him.

"You do?" He cried, amazed.

Sirius fixed him with a rather bemused look.

"I'll have you know I am the epitome of sensible parenting." Amelia started snickering into her tea.

Remus just raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry, but aren't you the same Sirius Black who once sent me an owl reading, "HELP. I've kidnapped Harry. Bring food and nappies!"?"

"I was twenty-one!" Sirius exclaimed. "Babies are scary and Lily was the one who always knew what to do!"

There was a long pause in which everyone seemed to sigh.

"Still," Remus murmured, turning back to his plate of bacon. "She's Minerva's Heir, not yours and I really doubt Hermione lets anyone take her anywhere without her express permission."

Sirius growled and only stopped when Amelia reached out with one hand absent-mindedly and scratched behind his ear.

"You're making fun of me," He complained, twisting his head slightly into her hand.

"Of course, dear." Amelia tossed down the letter. "I wonder what happened. Hermione and the Twins are..." They sent a wary look at Tonks who had woken up again and was rigidly spooning cereal into her mouth. "Close."

"That's an understatement," Remus whispered. "I hope she's okay though."

"She's got a crush." Bright, alarming eyes stared up at them from the other end of the table. Tonks ability to change her appearance had an odd habit of going slightly wacky whenever she went near alcohol so the toxic yellow eyes, irises rather larger than irises should be, were paired with skin tinged faintly green, sky blue hair and high, fey-like cheekbones. "You know no one ever told her she could date Twins?"

Sirius looked rather nauseous.

"Oh no." He cried when Remus looked at him accusingly. "That's definitely Minerva's job."

''Oh thank bloody Merlin.'' Lee Jordan grabbed Harry by the shoulders and shook him roughly. ''What the hell is wrong with them?''

Harry, who in his defence had just woken up, blinked at him blearily.

''Wha'?'' He managed.

Lee shook him again.

''Fred and George. Something's wrong with them!''

Harry help up a finger to indicate that Lee should wait, gently removed the older boy's hands from his shoulder, downed the mug of black coffee that Neville had thoughtfully just handed him in one gulp and then blinked.

''What do you mean something's wrong with the Twins?'' He demanded, imperiously returning the mug to Neville, whilst he turned back to Lee. ''Blimey, you look shite.'' He added, channelling his father.

Lee Jordan looked awful and not in the same way that everyone who had been the Yule Ball the night before did. His dreadlocks were wildly askew and his skin was a strange shade of grey it wasn't normally capable of. Large bags under his eyes indicated the boy had gotten no sleep the night before and the slightly mad look in his eyes indicated that he wasn't happy about it.

''They're...Just...'' He threw up his hands. ''Just come and fix it because I dealt with them all night and I can't find their girlfriend anywhere to help.''

Harry frowned.

''What do you mean? Hermione's just...'' He paused glancing up and down the breakfast table. Hermione, usually a mostly silent and sarcastic shadow at Harry's side was nowhere to be found. ''Oi, Lavender!'' Harry yelled and the blonde turned towards him with a sneer. ''Where's 'Mione?''

The girl shrugged.

''She went home.'' She told him. ''House elf packed her things this morning, she was gone before we even got up.''

Harry gritted his teeth and turned back to Lee who winced and took a step back. Whenever Harry got annoyed or angry, he had a tendency to look just like Sirius, who was actually rather terrifying when riled.

''Give me a moment.'' He hissed and charged off to the Hufflepuff table. Susan spotted him coming and sighed, viciously shoving Ernie McMillian up the bench to make room. Harry dropped into the offered space, easily ignoring the offended boy.

''Where's Hermione?'' He demanded quietly.

His step-sister frowned.

''Isn't she with you?''

''Lavender Brown says a house elf packed her things this morning and apparently, she's gone home.''

Susan frowned.

''And you're trusting Lavender's word, are you?'' She asked doubtfully.

''Lee can't find her either and the Twins are in a right state, 'cording to him.''

Susan frowned and nodded towards the teachers' table.

''McGonagall's gone.'' She pointed out quietly. ''You don't think something's happened, do you?''

''I haven't heard anything from Sirius.'' He scowled. ''Come on, I'm going to need back up if the Twins really are upset.''

Susan eyed her breakfast sadly but didn't disagree. Then she paused, nodding towards the Slytherin table.

''Have you considered asking her date?'' She murmured.

Harry's eyes widened as he stared at the broad back of Victor Krum.

''You don't think...?'' He started and Susan slapped his arm.

''No! But he was the last person to see her last night, so maybe he knows something.''

The Slytherin table eyed them unhappily and Harry's cousin...although most of them were probably related to Harry anyway in one shape or form, outright scowled at his approach. Harry glared right back at Draco. Someone nudged the Durmstrang champion and he turned to look at them, frowning in confusion.

''Da?'' He asked.

Harry smiled charmingly.

''Can we have a word?'' He asked.

Victor raised an eyebrow, but got up anyway, following them from the Great Hall.

''Vhat is this about? Is 'ermione well?'' He added, looking genuinely concerned.

Susan blinked.

''We don't know. Have you seen her?''

The burly teenager shook his head solemnly.

''I saw her last, last night. After ze ball.'' He eyed Harry warily. ''I zaid goodnight. Like gentleman.''

Harry rolled his eyes.

''Please, I'm not the one you need to look out for. Have you seen her since?''

''No.''

''Was she upset?'' Susan added desperately, ''Unwell?''

''No. She was happy.'' His eyes narrowed. ''Vhy?''

Harry was grinding his teeth.

''Apparently, she's gone home.'' He muttered. ''And we don't know why.''

''But...'' Victor frowned. ''She is an orphan, no?''

''And that's why we're worried.'' Because as far as anyone outside the family knew, Hermione didn't have a home. He grimaced at the Bulgarian and left.

Smuggling a Hufflepuff into the boy's dormitory in Gryffindor Tower was easier than some might expect. This is probably because no one really looks at Hufflepuffs which is why they get away with everything and partly because everyone knew Susan was Harry's cousin anyway.

Harry approached the sixth-year dormitory door with a nervous look on his face, which changed to annoyance when he spotted Lee hovering, behind Susan.

''It can't be that bad.'' He hissed at him.

Lee glowered at him.

''Five Galleons says you're wrong.'' He snapped and stormed off.

Harry and Susan both rolled their eyes before he opened the door and they stepped into the dorm.

Harry sucked in a breath.

''Susan,'' He murmured, taking in the tear-stained boys sitting on the bed practically radiating misery. ''Can I borrow five Galleons?''

Prongslet,

Your sister's gone to stay with her mother for the rest of the holidays. Apparently, something went wrong with her and the Twins. Keep an eye on them for me,

Dad.

Harry,

I'm at Minerva's.

I needed some space from Fred and George. I said no, Harry. Keep an eye on them for me.

I'll be back for the next term.

Hermione.

Harry scowled down at the letters, both of which told him almost nothing.

''What does it mean, 'she said no'?'' He asked Susan.

She snatched the letters out of his hands and read them, frowning.

''Oh dear.'' She murmured and Harry leaned over her shoulder, trying to work out what she'd realised. Susan batted him out of the way playfully.

''What is it?'' He whined.

''Urgh, you're worse than Uncle Sirius.'' She snapped. ''Hermione said no.''

''Yeah.''

''To the Twins.''

''Yeah.''

She sighed.

''Who by your own admission, Black, had just realised they liked her.''

Harry froze.

''Oh.''

''They're not sick.'' She nodded towards the boy's staircase from which the Twins had yet to descend. ''They're heartbroken.''

''Shite.'' said Harry succinctly.

The Twins didn't appear for the rest of Boxing Day and Lee spent that night camped out in the Common Room. Eventually, Ginny Weasley declared enough was enough and dragged them out of their dorm room by their ears and down to breakfast on the twenty-seventh. Harry couldn't decide whose side he was supposed to be on and as a result spent most of his time with Susan. Luna was missing but this wasn't unusual and, aside from some mild pouting, Harry didn't mind.

The Twins improved drastically over the next couple of days and had even started grinning at the Black's in the corridor whenever they passed. At least, Susan pointed out, they seemed to have accepted Hermione's decision with good grace. Harry personally thought it would be a long time before the trio's friendship was back on track.

There are many who believe Occlumency to be a forgotten art, which for the most part is true. Many Pureblood families still insist in tutoring their Heir in its practice - because giving away secrets whilst drunk is one thing, but having House secrets ripped from your mind is quite another. However, there are so few skilled in Legillimens that knowing the art is almost pointless. But one of the benefits that come with Occlumency is control over your own mind and your thoughts. Which, when you have an undisciplined Bond, is extremely useful.

"Breathe…" Minerva watched the small girl as she sat quietly on the sofa. She'd been in place for almost half an hour now, working hard to examine her own mind. They'd had little success until recently. Teaching Hermione how to do something that was based on emotions or general feelings…had been unsuccessful. So, after some brief owl consultation with Amelia, Minerva had changed tack. Hermione was building a wall (Or at least, she was supposed to be. It was possible she'd fallen asleep again.). Visualisation worked to an extent with Hermione, but what worked better was for her to actually build a wall of facts to block out the Bond. This required a great amount of concentration on Hermione's part and a lot of patience on Minerva's. New Year's was approaching fast, and she didn't want to return her daughter to Hogwarts unless she could control this. It just wouldn't be fair. The chances of Bouxbatons taking her in mid-term weren't good but Minerva was determined. It was time she started putting her daughter first.

"Oh, sweetheart."

Sirius and Remus had taken one look at Hermione and wrapped their arms around her.

"Minerva told you?" Hermione asked weakly, trying to hide her tears.

Remus scoffed.

"Twist, we were James Potter's best friends. We know heartbreak when we see it."

Sirius moved back so he could look into her eyes. His usually playful expression had settled into something more serious.

"Hermione, I want you to know something, and I need you to remember it." He waited until she'd wiped her eyes before he continued. "You are a daughter of this House. We will stand with you no matter what you choose. And I am so proud of you right now."

She gaped at him.

"But…What about…? I was horrible to them!" She cried.

Sirius scowled.

"'Mione you did what was right by yourself. You weren't afraid to say no, and that can be one of the hardest things to say, particularly to the ones we love." He smiled at her sadly. "Fred and George are your friends, but they aren't the beginning or the end of you. I am so proud of you, and I'm sorry it hurts right now, but it will get better darling, trust me on that." He hugged her again, letting the girl cry herself out. "It'll be alright, I promise."

Amelia, sipping on a gin and tonic, watched them fondly from the corner and made a mental note to take the girl shopping again.

"This New Year's Eve party got depressing fast," Tonks muttered, standing next to her. Amelia kicked her in the shin.

"I think," Hermione breathed wearily. "I've got it."

The marks on her arms were a pale ashen grey, the palest they had ever been but more importantly, the distracting rush of feelings from the Twins was blocked. And just in time too, as term started up again in the day after tomorrow.

Minerva sighed heavily.

"Are you sure?" She pressed. "You don't have to go back if you don't want to."

"I don't...I want…" Hermione scowled. "I'm not a coward." She complained. "And...I want to see them again." She admitted.

The older witch watched her suspiciously but sensing there was to be no arguing with her adopted daughter changed the subject.

To avoid suspicion Minerva left Hermione outside King's Cross Station to board the train with the handful of other students who'd gone home for the holidays. Hermione hid away from them, spending the journey curled up in a compartment by herself, silently reading the book Amelia had gotten her for Christmas. She tried to focus on eighteenth-century defensive spells and the rather strange fashion for dairy-related hexes that had developed in France at the time and attempted to ignore how the Bond awoke with every mile North the train travelled.

The sheer raw agony that had driven her away from the castle was gone, replaced by a hollow sense of emptiness that was somehow almost worse. She could feel it seeping around her shields, driving her already low mood even further down.

By the time the train had drawn into Hogsmead Hermione was emotionally exhausted and she stumbled onto the platform, following the few returning pupils towards the horse-drawn carriages. She tried not to look at the horses. Ever since she'd overcome the memory erase last year she'd been able to see them. Something about that told her not to tell anyone.

When they arrive at the gates, Hermione stepped straight from the carriage into her adopted brother's arms.

Harry Black hugged as exuberantly as he did everything else and Hermione crumbled as he wrapped himself around her, resting his chin on top of her head.

''Long time, no see.'' He commented mildly.

Hermione sobbed out a bitter laugh into his jumper.

They decided to skip dinner and Harry escorted her upstairs, keeping one arm firmly around her shoulders. They passed groups of students, some of whom openly stared at Hermione as they walked by.

''I should warn you...'' Harry started but was cut off as the Fat Lady's portrait swung open and a gaggle of third years were deposited into the seventh-floor corridor. Harry winced as Ginny Weasley caught sight of Hermione and pushed her way to the front of the group.

''You!'' She hissed furiously, advancing.

Hermione stopped and looked confused. As far as Harry knew she'd never even spoken to the Twins little sister.

''What did you do to my brothers?'' Ginny demanded.

Hermione's eyes widened and Harry shifted uneasily.

''I didn't...'' Hermione started, but the red-haired witch wasn't interested in listening to her.

''They've been miserable ever since they saw you at the Ball with...'' Ginny trailed off, eyes widening. ''That's it, isn't it?'' She spat. ''You were cheating on them with Krum and thought you'd flaunt it in front of the entire school!''

''No!'' Harry yelled as Hermione's face drained of blood.

''I wouldn't,'' She breathed. ''I didn't I...''

CRACK!

Hermione's head snapped to the side with the force of Ginny's slap and Harry moved without thinking, stepping between the witches and lifting his wand on the younger girl.

''Don't even think about it.'' He snarled and Ginny flinched backwards. ''You ever lay a hand on her again...''

Ginny recovered quickly and snorted disdainfully.

''Who would want to?'' She spat and stepped around the pair, leading the goggling gaggle of third years away.

''Bollocks.'' Harry breathed, once they were out of range. This would be all over the school by morning, Hogwarts students weren't the most closed-lipped of people. ''C'mon.'' He added, wrapping his arm back around Hermione's shoulder and tugging her towards the portrait.

The few Gryffindor's in the Common Room fell silent, staring at them as Harry dragged a catatonic Hermione through the portrait hole. He stepped towards the boy's staircase and froze in indecision, feeling the eyes of the assembled students on his back. Harry sighed and changed course smoothly for the armchairs tucked in the corner.

''You okay?'' He asked once he'd gotten Hermione sat down.

She visibly shook herself and grimaced.

''Yes. I'm fine.'' She muttered.

Harry rolled his eyes but ignored the lie.

''Where have you been?'' He pressed.

''My mother's for a bit,'' Hermione eyed the suspiciously quiet students behind him warily. ''We went to Auntie Amy's for New Years.''

''Remus get rat-arsed?'' Harry asked, bemused.

''I think Padfoot spiked his drink.'' Hermione agreed. Harry sighed at the lack of emotion behind the words. She hadn't sounded this bad since he'd first met her. ''He ended up asleep on the dining room table.''

''Wish I hadn't missed that.'' He murmured.

Hermione hummed.

''What...'' He sighed. ''What happened with the Twins?''

''I said no,'' Hermione told him quietly. Her lips looked bloodless. ''They...asked me out, I suppose and I said no. Then the...'' She waved her wrist and the bracelet slipped out from under her sleeve. ''It got to be too much. I needed space. So Aunt Minnie took me out of school and she taught me how to dampen the...thing. So it wasn't so overwhelming.''

Harry eyes widened and remember the day before yesterday where Fred and George had spent the day sitting by the fire, staring blankly at nothing.

''Is that safe?'' He asked.

Hermione shrugged listlessly.

''Until I find a way to break it, it'll have to do.''

Harry flinched.

''You can't break it!'' He breathed, shocked. ''It's a...'' He scowled, glancing over his shoulder. They were definitely being eavesdropped on. ''Hermione, they can't be broken. You know that.''

''No.'' Hermione murmured. ''You know that. Just because I haven't found a way yet doesn't mean that one doesn't exist.''

Harry shoved his hands into his hair, scowled when he felt air hit his forehead and then frantically flattened it down again.

"How are they?" She asked him nervously.

Harry tried to think of a way to say "utterly heartbroken" without verbally gutting his adopted sister.

"They weren't great." He admitted. "But they're better. I think they just needed some time to adjust. Give them some space."

"You think they'll forgive me?" She asked.

He shrugged.

''It's their problem if they don't. Get some rest.'' He told her, catching sight of his watch. Dinner would be ending soon and the Common Room would be filled with nosy Gryffindor students which were the last thing they needed. ''I'll meet you down here in the morning?''

Hermione nodded and got to her feet, heading for the girl's dormitory.

Harry pulled at his hair unhappily and headed for his own bed.

The adopted siblings met in the common room early the next morning, Harry, half-asleep, Hermione, looking as though she hadn't slept at all. They made their way downstairs quietly, dodging the few other early risers they met until they got to the Great Hall.

''Coffee.'' Harry pleaded, yawning.

Hermione huffed but poured his mug anyway, pushing it towards him without a word.

''Ta.'' He mumbled.

''You're as bad as Dad,'' Hermione muttered.

Harry choked and Hermione rubbed his back until he could suck in air again.

''Dad.'' He breathed.

She poured her own tea, eyeing his strangely.

''You called him Dad.'' Harry broke into a blinding grin. ''He's your Dad.''

Hermione froze for a second before she nodded warily.

''It's just...'' She sighed. ''It's just a title. And I think Sirius has more than earned it. Urgh, Harry..!'' Harry had squirmed his way under her arm and wrapped his own around her middle, hugging her tightly.

''You,'' He murmured in her ear, ''Are the best big sister I could ever wish to have.''

Hermione swallowed loudly and forced herself to relax.

''Thank you.'' She breathed.

Harry butted the side of her head with his forehead and let her go, turning back to his breakfast.

''You're my brother,'' Hermione whispered, staring into her mug of tea. Next to her Harry sighed and grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly.

''Yeah, I am.''

Susan arrived five minutes later and dropped into the seat on Hermione's other side.

''Cousins.'' She greeted chirpily, hugging Hermione tightly before reaching for her own food.

''You know this is the Gryffindor table,'' Hermione asked quietly, ''Don't you?''

Susan gave her an imperious look over the forkful of eggs she was trying to stuff into her already full mouth. She swallowed, paused and then swallowed again, before saying,

''Family's more important, 'Mione. Pass the ketchup would you, Harry?''

Harry passed the ketchup over Hermione's head whilst the girl sat there feeling slightly stunned.

''Family's more important.'' She breathed. "Right."

They left before breakfast really got going, which was just as well because the early risers were starting to whisper pointedly and stare in their direction.

''What've you got first?'' Harry asked, rummaging in his school bag.

''Divination. Same as you.'' Susan rolled her eyes. ''What are you even looking for?''

''My quill. I swear I had a box of them...''

Hermione let out a choked noise and froze. Harry and Susan turned to her with frowns on their faces as they took in her pale face and large eyes.

It wasn't hard to spot what made her freeze.

Fred and George were standing side by side at the end of the fourth-floor corridor, ties loosely knotted at their necks, uniform rumpled despite it being the first day of term. They looked sleepy and bored, slouched lazily.

Susan knew the moment they spotted Hermione. They froze in place and for a moment they looked so completely relieved, staring at her with so much longing and worry that Susan's heart tripped but those tender emotions were replaced with sheer anger so fast Susan almost thought she'd imagined it.

''Shit.'' Harry breathed, tugging on Hermione's arm.

The Twins glowered at her from the other end of the hallway before one of them grabbed the other and they vanished down a side-passage.

''Hermione?'' Susan asked, nervously. ''What was that about...?''

Hermione let out one slightly hysterical sob.

''Nothing more than I deserved.'' She muttered. ''I'm sure.''

Susan scowled at a nearby first year who had been watching the entire thing with wide eyes.

''Get lost,'' She ordered and the Ravenclaw scurried off. ''You don't deserve that. They've got no reason to be mean.'' She added fiercely.

Harry nodded.

''It's fine.'' Hermione rasped, unconvincingly. ''No, really.'' She insisted when they looked unconvinced. She dragged in a deep breath and grimaced at them. Susan assumed she'd been trying to smile, but somewhere in the process, it had gone awfully wrong. ''We've got other things to worry about.''

Susan exchanged a long look with Harry. They had grown up together, in an endless cycle of shared babysitters, holidays and awkward family dates where Sirius and Amelia made everyone feel nauseous. At this point, words weren't necessary. They silently agreed that perhaps letting Hermione ignore this was best and turn back to their adopted sister.

''Like what?'' Harry asked, suspiciously.

Hermione smiles coldly and Susan thought that that one didn't come out right either.

''Like getting you through the Second Task. Have you figured out that egg yet?''

Harry groaned and lead the way down the corridor, loudly complaining that he'd had better things to do with his time.

But not loudly enough that Susan didn't hear one of the fifth years who'd witnessed everything turn to her friends and hiss,

''I told you she cheated on them.''

The rumour mill at Hogwarts is faster than most Daily Prophet deliveries and far more adept at getting things wrong. The news that Hermione had spurned the Twins, however inaccurate, spread like wildfire, fuelled by the Twins continued stony silence on the matter. Either Fred and George were unaware of the rumours, or, more likely, they were simply too angry to disagree with them. As they continued unchallenged, the populace began to turn on Hermione for her perceived adultery. During her time at Hogwarts, and indeed later in life, Hermione was never a terribly popular girl. Mostly this was due to her somewhat abrasive personality and her unwillingness to tolerate fools but also because Hermione developed, somewhere in her early life, an extreme distrust of other people. It is hard to be popular when you refuse to allow many to know you. Needless to say, the Weasley Twins were exceedingly popular with the students and when this rumour came to the attention of the castle...well Hermione's life became very difficult very quickly. I remember being amazed at the sheer level of hostility being shown towards a single student.

To their credit, the Black family closed ranks around Hermione, with Harry and Susan standing firmly between her and everyone else. Not that that stopped a great many people. Surprisingly Victor Krum sided with her as well, accompanying her to the library where she spent most of her time.

''Who was it this time?'' Harry asked warily as Hermione stumbled into the common room.

Hermione blinked at him or at least tried to.

''What?'' She managed, setting down a large stack of books on the table next to him.

''You seem to have broken your face.'' The wizard said dryly.

''Oh.'' She prodded her black eye with a finger and scowled. ''Ravenclaw wanted to duel me.''

''And...''

''And then she called me a slut so I kicked her. That's not important...''

''You kicked someone?'' Harry said, amazed.

Hermione looked impatient.

''That doesn't matter...''

''How'd you get a black eye?'' Harry demanded, incredulous.

''I tripped. Look...''

Harry scowled darkly.

''Who?''

''Pardon?'' Hermione managed, finally appearing to listen to him. Getting her to talk recently had been difficult. When she wasn't holed up in the library or being confronted by angry students, she was a near-silent shadow near Harry's elbow. Several days into the term Sirius had written to ask how she was doing. Harry didn't think his response of ''She's still alive'' was really welcomed.

''Who hit you?'' He growled.

Hermione paused and looked slightly shifty as though she was contemplating running away.

''Anthony Goldstein?'' She offered.

''You said it was a girl,'' Harry dismissed easily. ''Stop lying.''

Hermione clenched her fists in frustration and Harry's quill burst into flames. He watched it smoulder on the tabletop idly. The Twins had hold of Hermione's book of interesting magic to stop her practising unsupervised. With them no longer speaking to her, she didn't have access to her book, making her magic slightly…rebellious.

''I have something important to tell you,'' Hermione insisted, pulling the top book in her pile towards them. ''Read this.'' She insisted, jabbing a finger at an open passage.

''...outside of their watery habitat the language of the merpeople, although translatable by humans, becomes incomprehensible in the open air. It is suggested that this may be to do with the different densities between water and...What does this mean?'' Harry whined.

''It means, you ridiculous boy, that we need to find you a bath.''

''Oh.''

They trudged through the thick snow down by the lake, their breath billowing out like dragon's breath in front of them. The Durmstrang ship creaked and groaned at the far end, so Harry and Hermione headed away from it, towards the Forbidden Forest.

''I don't like the sound of this,'' She murmured. ''An hour-long you'll have to look...''

Harry shoved wet strands of hair back behind his ear and shivered uselessly. He'd refused drying charms because he didn't want to risk anyone seeing him with frizz. Hermione had called him vain and elected to let him freeze.

''I'm more worried about what they're going to take.'' Harry kicked out at the snow. "It could be anything, couldn't it?"

Hermione shrugged, eyeing her shivering brother with grim amusement.

"That's not the issue here." She murmured. "The real problem is going to be working out how to breathe underwater. There are charms for this I'm sure, but you've got to be able to master them."

"What's Victor doing?" Harry asked, stepping neatly out of swatting range when Hermione reached for him.

"I haven't the foggiest if you must know," Hermione grumbled. "We don't exactly talk much."

"Oh, you don't do you?" He leered at her comically. Hermione kicked his leg.

"Shut it, Black." She snapped. "It's not like that and you know it."

"Dad wrote to me the other day." Sirius had actually written to him several times, but Harry didn't think mentioning that would help. "Wanted to know how you're doing."

"Tell him I'm fine." She muttered, hauling her cloak closer around her shoulders. She was pale, his sister, pale and quiet. If she wasn't dressed in black he'd be worried he was going to lose her in the snow.

"Generally," Harry said in a conversational tone, "I try to avoid lying to my father about things that a bloody obvious. You're not fine."

"Of course I'm not!" Hermione snapped, rounding on him. "My best friends hate me! I cared about them and I still hurt them. But I can't fix that. They don't want me to fix that." One of the reasons Hermione had taken up residence in the library was because the Twins would leave a room that she happened to enter. If it wasn't hurting his sister so much, Harry would have been impressed with the lengths they were willing to go to. "So, I'm just going to ignore it until this whole mess goes away!"

She stormed off.

"Well, that's healthy," Harry muttered, jogging after her.

"You're going to do what to us?" Hermione snapped furiously.

Dumbledore sighed heavily. This argument had been going on for a while. Standing just behind the Headmaster, Minerva looked incredibly amused.

"You will be perfectly safe...The magic involved is quite simple and…"

"And you told the champions that after an hour their treasure would be lost forever," She continued, talking straight over him. "How utterly disturbed to you have to be to think that putting someone through that kind of torture is okay?"

Next to her were three other girls. Cho Chang, who was nodding grimly, Luna, who was staring at her own fingers and a tiny little girl with white-blonde hair who introduced herself as Gabrielle in broken English.

"She's not even ten years old!" Cho added furiously, gesturing to the French girl.

It was the night before the Second Task and Hermione was exhausted. Bone tired. The effort required to keep the Twins out of her head, combined with school work and the Tournament and the emotional pressure she was under at the moment was proving to be too much. She was worried that Susan and Harry were going to see how many cracks she was shoring over every day. They had enough to worry about as it was without adding her problems to it.

"Surely you need permission?" The Ravenclaw was demanding.

Dumbledore was scowling at them.

"As we operate as loco parentis for all our students we only need your permission. And as Miss Granger is a ward of the school, we don't even need hers. Now, will you help or not?"

Minerva looked suddenly furious, lips thinned into one grim line.

In the end, they all took the potions and, exchanging a grim and slightly frightened look, swallowed them. It was just like falling asleep, Hermione realised. Not such a bad way to go really.

"What the hell," Harry seethed, straining against Susan's grip. "Do you two want?"

Fred and George winced.

"Look," One of them started, probably George. "I know you're mad at us, but we just need to ask you if you've seen 'Mione today. Please it's important!"
Susan snorted.

"What? Now, you two care about her? Get lost."

Fred snarled.

"Tell us where she is! We need to know she's okay!"

Harry broke free of his cousin's hold and grabbed the front of Fred's shirt, hauling him down to his level.

"She's been miserable because of you two for months. Why do you care if she's okay today?" He shoved the twin away from him, scowling fiercely. "Jog on boys. We're not telling you anything!"

Fred lunged for him but was successfully caught by George.

"Leave it." He muttered. "We'll find out ourselves."

Harry and Susan turned and walked off, heading for the bank of the loch where stands had been set up.

"Harry…" Susan started quietly.

"You're going to say maybe we should have asked them why, right?"

"Mm"

"Because we haven't seen Hermione since last night?"

"Uh huh."

"We don't need them to find our sister."

Susan nodded decisively, well used to the stubborn Black temper.

"Okay then."

They'd found a solution to Harry's aquatic problems. Gillyweed, Susan told them, would allow him to breathe underwater. Judging by the way Neville Longbottom had started flinching whenever Susan walked into a room, she'd probably had some help with that information.

Still, Harry wasn't going to complain. After making a rude gesture at the judges, who insisted on calling him Harry Potter instead of Harry Black, he dove into the icy loch.

It was as dark and cold and gloomy as promised, but nothing he hadn't expected. The merpeople weren't dissimilar to the Mediterranean ones near Sirius' villa, so he did his best to steer clear of them.

It's hard to swear when you've got gills, but Harry gave it his best shot. There, hanging from a massive stone arch, were Luna and Hermione.

He only waited long enough to be sure that the Bulgarian had saved his sister before he took Luna and propelled himself towards the surface. He didn't know what it was that was holding the girls so perfectly still, but he was willing to bet it was why the Twins had been so upset. They'd been able to tell when she was petrified after all.

Luna hiccupped to life in his arms as they broke through the water and Harry became temporarily distracted with swimming to the shore.

Everyone was rescued and Harry came third, which he would have been quite pleased about had he actually cared. He and Luna were too busy trying to get past the throngs of Durmstrang students to actually listen to the scores. He hauled his girlfri…his fri… Luna through a gap which deposited them directly at Hermione's side. She was tucked to one side of the celebrations looking tired and cold.

Harry hugged her tightly.

"Hey," He breathed.

She mumbled something into his shoulder and sighed. Luna, feeling unusually tactile, slipped under Hermione's arm and wrapped herself tightly around the older girl.

"What the hell were they thinking?" Harry demanded furiously. "Taking actual people…"

Hermione opened her mouth of say something when angry shouting from the crowd behind them cut across her. Fred and George pushed their way to the front looking frantic and Hermione began to tremble, looking very pale.

"Oi!" Harry snapped, but George cut across him.

"We thought you were dead!" He yelled at Hermione, relief making him loud. Fred was clutching at his arm, staring, wide-eyed at her.

Hermione gaped silently at the pair of them and just shook her head.

"I think you should leave…" Victor, with the advantage of sheer muscle mass, stepped in front of them and folded his arms. The Durmstrang students took their cue from their champion and moved as a mass, herding the twins away from them.

"C'mon," Harry muttered. He and Luna got Hermione back up to the castle, wrapped in blankets and ducking past students and well-wishers.

"Hermione," Susan asked cautiously. "Can I ask you a question?"

"No," Hermione grumbled, pulling her book closer to her face.

Susan scowled. Sitting across from them and pretending he didn't exist, Harry sighed. Susan was impossible when there was something she wanted to know.

"Why did you say no to the Twins? It's obvious you liked them back."

Hermione went rigid and Harry winced.

They had very carefully not talked about this, mostly out of respect for Hermione's feelings but also because the witch tended to react badly when pushed.

"Why the hell do you care?" Hermione spat.

Case in point.

Susan didn't even blink.

"I know you liked them. Most people thought you were already dating them."

Hermione was almost entirely hidden behind her book, only the top of her hair visible as she ignored the Hufflepuff.

"Susan…" Harry warned.

The red-haired witch scowled furiously.

"No. It's about time she talked about this."

"But…"

"I didn't want to," Hermione said quietly. Harry and Susan froze.

"But you like them.." Susan pressed gently.

"I'm fifteen years old." Hermione lowered her book and stared at them impassively. "And I'm already permanently tied to two boys who are almost adults with a bond I didn't ask for and that everyone says I can't break." She flicked her bracelets dismissively. "I am already going to spend the rest of my life trying to keep the Twins out of my head. I'm not... I can't face being with them…" She grimaced. "romantically. Not right now. Do you realise how utterly bizarre it is to get in a relationship with someone at fifteen and be honestly planning to spend the rest of your life with them? Let alone with two different people?"

"That's normal for Purebloods," Susan said gently. "Harry's parents got married just out of Hogwarts. Mine were betrothed from their fifth year."

"Well, it's not normal for me." Hermione looked slightly sad. "My parents were in their late thirties when they got married."

Harry and Susan gaped at her. The only reason Sirius and Amelia had gotten married so late in their lives was that they already had their own children to consider.

"If I…" She made a slightly peculiar face. "..got together with the Twins...it would be a forever sort of thing…"

"And that terrifies you." Susan nodded. "Fair enough." She sat down next to Hermione and leaned into her.

"Besides," Now Hermione had started speaking she didn't seem able to stop. "I've never been in a relationship. What if this is just a crush? What if I change my mind? I've never even kissed anyone!" She seemed to be panicking slightly.

"S'ok." Harry grinned at her. "Me neither."

"I have," Susan said, matter of factly. The adopted siblings gaped at her.

"Who have you been kissing?" Harry demanded.

"Never you mind." She sniffed imperiously.

There was a marked change in tone from the Twins at this point. Mostly because they had begun to realise quite how stupid they were actually being.

"You made a smart move coming to me instead of Harry." Susan eyed the sixth-years thoughtfully. Fred and George stared back.

"Figured you'd be less likely to hex first." One of them muttered.

Susan hummed.

"Probably. How can I help you, gentlemen?"

"Look," One sighed. "We just want to know if she's okay."

Susan snorted.

"You just want to know how badly you screwed up. You were her friends, you know. She needed you and you abandoned her over some sore feelings."

"That's not…" the other one said, visibly frustrated. "Look, just answer the question."

Susan smirked.

"She's fine. Holding it together at least. Helping Harry with the Third Task."

"Just...look after her." One, probably George sighed. "Make sure she doesn't burn herself out."

"I think you've forgotten something." Susan spat, baring her teeth. "I'm a Hufflepuff. I'm loyal. Unlike you two."

"…Granger, a plain muggleborn girl in Gryffindor house is most notable known amongst the student population of Hogwarts for being the romantic paramour of Victor Krum. However, Witch Weekly has learned that the Bulgarian Seeker had better watch out as Granger is known to go through men at an alarming rate. Speculation was set alight at Christmas when Miss Granger, who had previously been dating two sixth year boys, appeared on the arm of Krum at the Yule Ball. It is suspected that Miss Granger could not wait until the end of her current relationship to get her hands on Krum, preferring to string all three boys along.

But move forward to the end of the Second Task where there was an alarming scene between two sixth year boys, Victor Krum and Harry Potter. Yes, even the Boy-Who-Lived isn't immune to this witch's dubious charms and…" (Witch Weekly)

"And then they accuse you of shagging Harry and making love potions." Susan finished dryly. Hermione sighed.

Harry was too busy striding irritably around the empty classroom. He would stop occasionally and make an effusive gesture whilst muttering "She's my sister!" in a disgusted tone.

"Are they even allowed to do this?" Hermione asked. "I thought they couldn't print stuff about minors."

Susan gave her a pitying look.

"In the muggle world maybe, but here…where our entire generation fits into one school? I'd doubt it."

"We'll get Dad or Amy to do something!" Harry declared.

"They won't do anything, and you know it," Susan grumbled. "They'd have to explain why they were taking an interest in one muggleborn orphan. Which would draw unnecessary attention."

"Do you think…" Hermione paused for a moment. "Do you think the Twins have seen it?"

Harry and Susan scowled.

"If they believe that rubbish then you're better off without them."

Fred and George did see the article. Mostly because a Slytherin girl in their charms class took great joy in reading it aloud. They sat there, stony-faced, as the girl continued to make lewd comments about Hermione until one of them, Fred I suspect, wordlessly set fire to the magazine she was reading from.

The article, which had been widespread the day before, became impossible to find and a week later not a single copy could be found inside the castle.

"Revenge Curse Work!

Witch Weekly reported that Rita Skeeter found herself on the wrong end of a grudge when some unknown individual caused a whirlwind inside the reporter's office. It proved to be impossible to control and has caused significant damage to Miss Skeeter's personal property. It required Gringotts Curse Breakers to remove the charm. Mr Weasley, a junior Cursebreaker, claimed that it was a harmless, if vindictive, prank. Amelia Bones claimed that as there was no evidence, the Aurors would not be able to investigate." (Daily Prophet)

Hermione stared quietly at the article…more of a clipping really. Susan, who's scrapbooking hobby had reached frightening levels of efficiency this year, had slipped it to her when Harry hadn't been looking.

I think you know who did this. She'd scrawled on it.

She had a suspicion that she knew who'd done it. She just didn't know why.

Fred and George hadn't spoken to her since the Second Trial, and before that not since Christmas. If it hadn't been for Harry and Susan, she didn't know what she would have done.

Very carefully, she lowered her shields.

Having someone in your head wasn't that strange, George had always reckoned. It was just a bit of additional noise. But not having someone in your head who was supposed to be there? That was eerie and distracting. He couldn't feel Fred, never had been able to, the bond didn't work that way. But up until Christmas 'Mione had been a constant buzz of noise and emotions. They'd felt it the moment she'd left Hogwarts because the awful feeling of her own misery had dropped from a roar to a cold dull ache at the base of his skull.

Two weeks later everything had vanished. He and Fred had woken up late to an unnerving sense of nothing, and emptiness the likes of which they hadn't felt since their fourth year. The only comfort they had was that neither Harry or Susan looked worried and that the bonds marks hadn't faded.

A wave of trepidation and fear broke over him as he reached the top of the stairs and he fainted, collapsing backwards.

Down two flights of steps.

Fred had been luckier, he'd been sitting in the common room and had only come round because Alicia Spinnet was shaking him awake to tell him that his twin was in the Hospital Wing.

He was halfway there before he became aware of the nervous feeling that definitely wasn't his.

"Oh good." Madam Pomfrey called him over to a bed where she was holding her wand to the back of George's head, healing what looked like a nasty bruise.

"What happened?" Fred demanded. George winced at him, holding his left arm gingerly against his body.

"I tripped." He grumbled.

" Mr Weasley fell down two flights of stairs." Madam Pomfrey corrected sharply. "And he still won't tell me how." She lowered her wand. "I'll get you a potion for that arm. Won't be a tick."

Fred waited until she'd had bustled off before he hissed to his brother.

"Can you feel it?"

"The Bond?" George's eyes lost a little bit of focus. "I'm getting a hint of nervousness and a lot of worry."

"She's back." Fred sighed. "She's back and I don't know what to do."

George went very still and Fred didn't need to turn round to know why. The Bond flared into proper life as Hermione helped a swearing and irritable Harry into the Hospital Wing.

"Ruddy stupid wand." He grumbled loudly as she helped him onto a bed. Hermione was studiously keeping her back to them and the Twins drank in the sight of her. They'd stopped deliberately avoiding her after the Second Task but by that point, she'd adjusted her schedule to avoid them so well that they only saw her briefly in the corridors. She looked tired, her hair was getting long enough to reach her waist now and she'd tied it back into a braid.

"Here we are, Mr Weasley." Madam Pomfrey handed over the potions vial, oblivious to the tension in the room. "And Mr Black. What was it this time?"

Harry, whose eyes had swollen up until they were nearly entirely closed, scowled.

"I got the conjunctivitis jinx wrong." He complained.

The medi-witch scowled.

"That's the fourth misfired spell in two weeks. I know you're only training for the Task, what Dumbledore was thinking I'll never know…" She ushered Hermione away from the bed as she drew the privacy curtains. "That'll just take a minute." She promised.

Hermione was left standing somewhat awkwardly in the middle of the Hospital Wing, with Fred and George staring at her back.

"I'm sorry."

Her whisper barely reached them, but they heard it anyway. The Twins flinched.

"Yeah," George breathed. "So are we."

"Are you…?" She turned to look at them, wincing when she took in George's dishevelled appearance "Alright?"

George shrugged, smiling slightly.

"I'm fine. Just tripped."

Fred watched silently as she nodded to herself. She looked unusually unsure of herself, nervously twisting the cuff of her robes between her fingers.

"Right. OK. I'm just going to…" She turned on her heel and walked out, posture stiff and unyielding.

"How the fuck did we let it get to this?" George demanded.

Fred turned back to his brother and sighed.

"Dunno." Fred crumpled slightly. "I miss her."

"Yeah. Me too."

On the other side of the curtain, Harry Black sighed heavily. His eyes may be swollen shut but his hearing worked perfectly.

"Can we help you?" Susan asked icily.

The disused classroom the "Black Support Term" (Harry's idea) had claimed was on the fourth floor, well out of the way of other students or Hufflepuff spies.

The Twins stood awkwardly in the doorway as the fourth years stared at them.

"Look, we've messed up…"

"...a lot…" Fred muttered

"...but we want to help. With the Task." George finished.

"We know a whole bunch of spells that might help you."

Harry scowled at the pair of them before he turned to his sister.

"'Mione?" He asked.

Hermione had been studiously looking at the floor but she glanced up now and shrugged.

"At this point...We need all the help we can get, Harry."

Harry grunted.

"Okay. You can stay."

Although the teachers of Hogwarts were forbidden from helping either Mr Black or Mr Diggory, we were not forbidden from answering academic questions from other students. In fact in the months between the Second and Third Tasks Fred, George and Hermione asked more questions in class than they had for the previous three years combined. The staff were well aware of what they were doing but were more than happy enough to help. No teacher, with the possible exception of Professor Snape, was happy to have a fourteen-year-old competing in the Triwizard Tournament.

"Right…" a slightly singed Harry sighed, lowering his wand. "That's enough for one day. Or a lifetime." He added, unhappily.

Hermione and Susan, who'd been duelling him, lowered their own wands, trying not to laugh as Harry hopped sideways over one of the trick floorboards the Twins had installed around the room.

"We'll do this again on Friday," Hermione agreed.

Slowly the five of them broke down the wards they'd thrown up around the room and collecting their things. Susan paused by the door, glancing back across the room.

"Walk me back to the common room, Harry?" She asked.

It was an example of Harry's Pureblood upbringing that Harry didn't even blink at this, just scooped up his book bag and offered Susan his arm so he could escort her from the room. Susan had the nerve to smirk at Hermione as she left.

The Twins were dismantling the traps they'd set into the floor and didn't realise they were even alone with Hermione until she spoke up.

"Didn't you two have somewhere else to be tonight?"

Fred and George shrugged.

"This was more important."

Hermione watched them silently as they finished removing the last of their charms.

"Okay," She whispered, hoisting her bag onto her shoulder. "Happy Birthday then."

"Wait!"

She paused by the door and glanced back at them.

"We were gonna.." Fred winced.

"..Go up to the astronomy towers. Test some of our fireworks. Would you…"

"...Like to come with us?"

Hermione stared at the Twins, who stared straight back at her. The bond pushed and burned and she gave in.

"Yeah," Hermione murmured. "That'd be nice."

They made their way in silence up to the Astronomy Tower, Hermione pulling her school robes tightly around her to ward off the April chill. Fred tipped up the bag the Twins had been carrying around and emptied a pile of fireworks onto the ground. He picked one seemingly at random and propped it against the edge of the tower. He licked his thumb and used that to light the fuse. He and George ushered Hermione towards the other side of the tower and waited.

The firework went off without a sound sending out long streaks of magenta and orange which twisted in on themselves to form petals and eventually flowers which floated gently in the air before drifting down gently towards the ground.

"So," George said slowly, "We owe you an apology."

Hermione didn't say anything, just hunched her shoulders slightly.

"What happened...we were wrong to spring it on you like that. And we know we've got no right to be jealous of Krum just because we were cowards." Fred sighed. "So we're sorry. For that. But…"

"Promise us you'll never do that again!" George said in rush, unusually insistent.

Hermione scowled.

"What? Reject you?"

"No!" George scowled, looking frustrated. "...no. Merlin, that's...your business. No. Whatever the hell it is you did at before term started."

"With the bond," Fred added when she just looked confused. "We know you did something because we could feel it."

Hermione became aware of a horrible sinking feeling in her gut as she realised exactly what they were talking about.

"I sealed it off." She breathed quietly.

"We thought you were dead!" Fred snapped. George scowled at him and he winced apologetically. "Well, we did. Do you know what it felt like to us, to wake up one morning and just have you gone from our heads?"

"We were worried sick," George explained. "But Susan and Harry didn't seem worried so we waited to see and then, there you were. Completely fine. You'd just…"

"...rejected us completely." Fred finished. They weren't looking at her directly, staring out into the night. The bond burned with the strength of their emotions.

"I needed some space," Hermione told them nervously. "You don't know what it's like being in the middle of this. I've got both of you in my head and you both feel so strongly. Minerva took me out of the castle to weaken the bond and then she taught me to block it. I can't break it. I've not found a way yet. But I couldn't...cope."

"You're still trying to break the bond?" Fred demanded, turning towards her. George caught his shoulder and held him back. "Even after all this?"

"Especially after this." Hermione rubbed her eyes tiredly. "There's something wrong with this stupid bond. And I just…" She stepped back. "I just want my best friends back."

"That's all we want," George assured her.

They stared at each other for a long moment before Hermione lost her nerve and looked away.

"Okay. For what it's worth…" She sighed, "I never meant to hurt you." They nodded. "And I'm sorry that I did. But right now, Harry is my priority. I refuse to lose my brother to this stupid Tournament. Everything else..can just wait."

They nodded as though they had expected that. Fred kicked another firework up into his hand, lit the fuse with his wand and lobbed it off the tower. It too exploded silently and split into ten tiny little corkscrews, spiralling off into the night.

"We are going to have to talk about this eventually." George murmured.

"How we feel hasn't changed," Fred added. Both of them had gone back to watching the fireworks. The next one George set off spun out sparks in every direction.

"Yeah," Hermione looked towards the door. "But not now."

"Later." They agreed.

"And I don't feel the same as you two do." She said decisively.

George looked at her from the corner of his eye and smirked.

"Liar." They drawled.

Hermione flushed and stormed down the Astronomy Tower stairs.

"Wait, you two lost all your savings to Ludo Bagman?" Harry said.

The Twins grimaced.

"Yeah, we won the bet but he paid us in leprechaun gold."

"Huh," Harry said thoughtfully.

The Twins went back to their letter to their mother. Her Easter presents had arrived the day before and it was very obvious that Mrs Weasley had read Rita Skeeter's article. They were trying to explain to her that she had the wrong impression, without giving her the impression that they were dating Hermione. If they did, it would probably shatter the quiet truce the three had set up. Harry was enjoying their struggle whilst watching the Marauders Map.

"Are you stalking Lovegood again?" Fred asked pointedly.

"No." Harry murmured.

"Good because she's right behind you," George told him.

"Nice try, she's in Greenhouse 3." Harry paused. "Shit." He whispered.

The Twins laughed at him.

"Don't you think it's weird that Karkaroff keeps following Snape around?" He said, desperately trying to change the subject.

"Don't you think it's weird you can't even talk to the girl you say you're in love with?" Fred teased.

Harry looked up and stared at him.

"You really wanna go there? Because I'll win and you two know it."

"So what's weird about Karkaroff?" George said evenly, while Fred glowered at the raven-haired wizard.

"This is the third time I've seen him alone with Snape."

"Maybe they're comparing hair care tips." George joked.

"Maybe they're talking about the old days," Hermione said as she joined them. The Twins smiled at her, causing Hermione to blush slightly and look down at the map.

"How do you mean?" Harry asked,

"Dad said that he used to be a Death Eater." Harry stared at her. "He told me when I saw him at New Years. He and Snape would have known each other."

"And they just put him in charge of a school?" Fred demanded, disgusted. Harry watched as George very carefully slipped the letter to their mother up his sleeve.

"Different world in Durmstrang." Hermione murmured. Fred opened his mouth to say something Harry suspected would have to do with a certain Bulgarian seeker and George kicked him. He closed his mouth. Something moved on the map and Harry scowled.

"Urgh,"

"What?"

"Barty Crouch." He jabbed the label with his finger. "Guess he's feeling better." Mr Crouch had been missing from the judges of the Second Task due to ill health. He hadn't been seen in months. He was moving quickly along the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Harry wiped the map out of disgust. "Mischief Managed."

"And you hate him why?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, he was the one who tried to have Dad sent to Azkaban without trial." Harry scowled. "If it wasn't for Amy he would have succeeded."

"Is that why he says his good looks saved his life?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Bizarrely it is one of several instances." Harry rolled his eyes. "Vain prick."

"Oh, we talking about Uncle Sirius?" Susan asked brightly as she sat down.

Dear mum,

Please tell us you didn't believe that stupid article Rita Skeeter wrote? That stupid harpy wrote nothing but lies about Hermione who's been our friend for years. She's never dated Harry or that git Krum. And you know she's not our girlfriend.

Apologise to her or we'll cause hell when we get back. We're seventeen now and you can't stop us doing magic at home.

Gred and Forge.

(Donated by the Weasley Family)

The Third Task was a maze, everyone knew that. But no one knew the specifics and no one knew the dangers that waited inside. The day of the Task dawned bright and clear, the only problem being the look of sheer fury on the face of Lord Black as he arrived at the castle.

"I still can't believe this is going ahead," Sirius growled, scowling furiously at Ludo Bagman, who'd started looking very pale.

Amelia grunted in agreement as they waited for the Champions to be shown towards their families. Hermione and Susan had already joined them, although technically only one of them had permission to be there. There was a nearby group of French witches who could only be Fleur Delacours' family and a quiet pair conversing in Bulgarian who were watching Hermione closely.

"Did you get that gag order out on Skeeter in time?" Amelia asked quietly. The girls stared at them curiously.

"The bitch tried to write an article claiming Harry was mad," Sirius grumbled. "And yeah, I did. He's the heir to an Ancient and Noble House. She can't touch him."

"Unlike Hermione," Susan muttered irritably.

Both Amelia and Sirius winced.

The Champions were shown in and Harry made a beeline for them, happily hugging his adopted parents.

"Hey, Prongslet." Sirius grinned at him before frowning at the lot of them. "Amy, dear, how did I acquire so many kids?"

"Eh, you stole most of them." She grinned at them. "C'mon. I thought we could have a picnic down by the lake."

"She says picnic," Sirius warned, shepherding them out. "She means combat lesson."

"Harry," Sirius said seriously as the Black-Bones family hovered outside the Champions tent. Amelia had wandered off to oversee the last of the preparations. "Don't try to win this, okay?"

Harry stared at him.

"What?"

Sirius grimaced.

"Look, I don't give a damn about this competition, or about this eternal glory nonsense. I care about my son. I want you alive not fucking victorious, do you hear me?"

Harry stared at him looking slightly taken aback, but he nodded.

"Yeah, okay."

He hugged them all before heading into the Champions tent. Sirius waited until they were slightly further away before he hugged Hermione and Susan tightly.

"You two know I love you both as well, right?"

Both girls nodded, Hermione, slightly teary-eyed.

"I know I'm not your father but…"

Susan scowled.

"You're as good as." She declared fiercely, her red hair glowing brightly in the light from the late afternoon sun.

Sirius stared at the pair of them with wet eyes.

"We…" Hermione swallowed heavily. "We love you too, Dad."

"Fuck, buggery, shite." Sirius sniffed loudly and swiped at his eyes. "C'mon, we can't let Harry see us with red eyes. He's got enough to worry about." He produced a handkerchief and passed it around. "We'd better take our seats."

The Task itself passed without much interest. Sirius, thankfully, didn't make a comment about the Twins, who turned up and stood with Hermione as she watched the maze that had swallowed her brother. They were unusually silent, simply holding her hands tightly.

Both Fleur and Krum had to be rescued from the maze, leaving only the Hogwarts champions.

"I told him not to be a hero," Sirius muttered, glowering at the maze. "Ruddy Potter genes."

Susan snorted.

"Where's Auntie Amy?" Hermione asked quietly.

"Dunno." Sirius shrugged.

The end of Third Task is something most at Hogwarts try to forget. The flash of the portkey as it deposited a distraught Harry Black onto the ground next to the stands. The sight of Cedric Diggory's body. The sound of Amos Diggory's cries.

The Black family got caught in the crush of the crowd, so the only person who noticed Harry being almost dragged away by Professor Moody was Amelia Bones.

Amelia had worked with Moody since her induction into the Auror training program some twenty years ago. Her own paranoia was a bizarre legacy from learning under his tutelage. She had greeted him earlier with the agreed-upon password they had set up years ago. Her suspicion had been aroused when she hadn't even been acknowledged.

Upon sight of Moody attempting to remove Harry, she immediately gave chase.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY SON!" Amelia roared.

Moody, or whoever it was, looked up and narrowed his eyes. Throwing Harry behind him he lifted his wand just in time to cast a hurried shield against Amelia's blasting hex. Her next jinx was similarly blocked and then he began to cast back.

The duel between the imposter and Madam Bones was furious, the like I hadn't seen in a long time. Amelia more than held her own but was hampered by the need to not hurt Harry, who was slouched on the ground.

"STUPIFY!" A jolt of bright red light hit Moody's shield and obliterated it, throwing the man twenty feet back to land on the grass, where he didn't move.

Amelia spun to see who had cast the jinx just in time to see her husband, still up in the stands, shoving himself in front of Hermione and the Twins, blocking them from view and lifting his own wand.

"Did I hit him?" He called, unnecessarily loudly.

Amelia gave him a grim nod and headed for Harry.

There was a lot of key memories of that night. Harry recovered in the Hospital Wing with his family by his side whilst Dumbledore and Amelia Bones interrogated Barty Crouch Jr. Amelia's fury when Fudge gave the man the Dementor's Kiss, without a trial and without listening to his statement thus taking all of the evidence. And the suspicion over how Sirius Black managed to cast a spell so powerful. The resolve of Dumbledore to reform the Order of the Phoenix, calling all of the families of the Light together.

Hermione sat on one of the sofas in the Common Room, curled up between Fred and George. Harry had gone home the day after the Task, Sirius drawing him out of school immediately.

"I'm scared." She breathed.

"Me too."

"Later may have to wait." Hermione murmured.

They shrugged.

"Then so will we."

"Hey, kid." Sirius murmured. He was frowning at a pile of letters which were spread out on his text. "You up for an excursion?"

Hermione eyed him warily. They'd only been home from school for a few days.

"Where're we going?"

"Ely." He grinned at her. "C'mon. It'll be fine."

The two of them appeared on the outskirts of the quiet Cambridgeshire town, the mighty cathedral dwarfing all of the other buildings around. They blended in quite well, Hermione in jeans, trainers and an overlarge quidditch jersey with "Weasley" printed on the back, Sirius in motorcycle boots, ripped jeans and one of his prized muggle band t-shirts, his sunglasses firmly in place. He led them through the town to a small muggle cafe where he ordered for both of them before dropping into a seat outdoors and sprawling artlessly.

Hermione, perched on the edge of her own seat, rolled her eyes.

"Why're we here?"

Sirius lowered his sunglasses so he could look at her over the top of them.

"Two reasons. Firstly, I woke up looking this good this morning and it would be a shame not to share it with the world." She laughed and the wizard winked at her. "Secondly, we are meeting someone here."

"Who?"

He shrugged.

"Wait and see. I don't honestly think they'll turn up."

"But we're in a muggle town?" Hermione asked, accepting her tea and cake from the waitress. Sirius waited until he had sipped at his own coffee before he answered.

"You're going to be Head of your own House someday…Two Houses actually..."

"I am?"

"Mmhmm. It is important to remember your own position. If someone wants to meet with you, they must come to you. Choose a meeting place where you are at ease, but they are not." He smirked. "Dress to show your power...not your wealth."

"So the reason you look like a seventies punk is…"

"Firstly," Sirius grinned. "I was a seventies punk. And I look good. Secondly, I don't need to rely on my clothes to show that I hold all the cards here. The fact that I haven't dressed up…"

"Shows how little you care about this." Hermione finished. Sirius nodded."But why am I here?"

"I had a feeling a show of faith might be necessary." Sirius sighed. "Should really be Minerva teaching you this stuff." He mumbled, "But I figured you're my daughter too. Urgh...how weird is it that I have a kid with my Transfiguration Teacher?"

Hermione would have answered that but her eyes caught on something further down the street. Two people walked towards them, moving briskly through the crowd. Their wizard robes meant that they stood out, blonde hair shining in the sunlight. They caught sight of the Blacks almost immediately and headed straight towards them.

Narcissa Malfoy dropped into a full curtesy in front of their cafe table, dipping almost impossibly low with unwavering grace. She kept her head bowed as even behind her Draco, looking very shocked, hurriedly followed his mother's lead and bowed to Sirius.

"Lord Black." Narcissa murmured.

Sirius, sprawled in his chair, pushed his sunglasses up his nose and smirked, almost oozing entitled rich arrogance.

"Narcissa, dear. No need to stand on ceremony."

The blonde witch rose carefully and sat down in one of the spare chairs, ushering Draco to do the same. The boy looked from his mother to Hermione to Sirius with nervous wide eyes and sat very gingerly.

"I don't believe we've been introduced," Narcissa asked politely, looking to Hermione.

Sirius sighed, as though already bored by this encounter.

"No, I don't believe you have. Narcissa Malfoy, my daughter Hermione. Hermione, your…" He rolled his eyes, "Distant cousin, Narcissa Malfoy."

The older witch betrayed her shock for only a bare second before she offered her hand.

"A pleasure to meet you." She said, almost warmly.

Hermione, thoroughly unnerved, shook her hand but didn't say anything. Across the table, Draco looked like he wanted to be sick.

"So, what can I do for you?" Sirius asked, sipping his drink.

Narcissa lifted her head and looked directly at Sirius.

"Lord Black...I come to you asking for protection. I need you to dissolve my marriage to Lucius Malfoy."

Updated 2020