A/N: Still attempting to work on this diligently. Even if it does turn into some weird epic monster. Regardless, thank yous and hugs and smoochies to everyone for all the feedback.

It was spring, which meant that Hermione and Lily were once again reading under their tree. Lily had transfigured several leaves into a large Gryffindor blanket with a rampant lion in the middle. She was sprawled out with her homework spread out around her. Hermione was seated near to her, with her legs folded to the side. Lily shook her head, and rolled her eyes. Hermione Potter could make anything look ladylike and graceful. It was damned annoying at times. While Severus could not, of necessity, join them any longer under their favorite tree, Regulus was there almost every day. He knew that his ability to be Hermione's friend publicly was almost at an end. The summer was nearly there, and then he must do what Lucius and Severus had already been forced to do. He was sitting next to Hermione, reading over her shoulder as he usually did, and making small suggestions to her occasionally. The book they were reading was a book on the Dark Arts, which was Hermione's normal reading material anymore. She spent almost all of her efforts on researching the methods of destroying horcruxes. Regulus had plans to dig through the Black library this summer, to see what he could find.

"We might be luckier in my family's library than Lucius has been," Regulus informed Hermione and Lily while he straightened his cuffs. Hermione cocked her head.

"Why would that be, Regulus?" She asked slowly. He shrugged.

"The Blacks have been dark wizards for a very, very long time. The Malfoys are a newer family, and to be blunt, they have been opportunists for the most part. My family has been more…dedicated," he explained with a slight smile. Hermione cleared her throat.

"Dedicated is one word for it," she said dryly.

"Crazy might be a good substitute," Lily muttered. Regulus frowned at her, and she smiled sweetly. It was difficult for him to work with this muggleborn witch, but he had to admit that she was changing many of his preconceptions of muggles and muggleborns. That didn't mean that he liked her. He tolerated her, for Hermione's sake, and for their mission.

"Yes, well," he said flatly. "That also means that my family holds the most books on how to destroy or combat dark magic. One cannot figure out how to destroy a thing if one has no knowledge of it. Most pureblood children are tutored at home prior to attendance at Hogwarts, Lily. Hermione here most likely had a governess, or shared a tutor with James."

"It's true," Hermione said with a light blush. Lily shook her head.

"It's like you're a living Victorian novel," she said in exasperation. Hermione held up her hands in surrender.

"I'm sorry, it's the way things are. There are no magical primary schools, and most parents are afraid of outbursts of accidental magic. A magical child raised in a magical home is far more aware of the…possibilities…and they usually have a much larger number of magical accidents as small children than muggle children do. Thus, they either teach their children themselves, or they hire a tutor," Hermione explained carefully. Lily nodded.

"Okay, that makes sense," she admitted ruefully. Regulus smiled tightly.

"Sirius and I were tutored at home as well, but our early instruction was in the Dark Arts. As a result, I'm far more knowledgeable, even at fifteen, than Malfoy is as a full-fledged Death Eater," Regulus stated calmly. Lily shivered.

"Does that mean that Sirius has all this information as well?" Lily asked nervously. Regulus sighed, and flushed slightly.

"My brother has never been a dark wizard. It's…it's sort of something you're born with inside you. Sirius just didn't have it. Please do not misunderstand me, he is a very powerful wizard, but he has never embraced the Dark Arts. He hated our lessons, while I drank them in like ambrosia. He defied our parents more than once, even before he went to Hogwarts," Regulus said slowly, almost as though it were painful for him to say each word. Hermione put her hand on his arm, and shook her head slightly. He took a deep breath and nodded. The Black boys, both of them, were intensely private men, and revealing this much about his family—and most especially about his brother—was painful for him. Hermione knew most of what he was trying to explain, she had guessed much of it and pieced together the rest from things Old Hermione had overheard from the older Sirius.

"Is that why," Lily frowned, and struggled with herself for a moment. "I'm sorry, but is that why he seems…I don't know…a little less mature than you do? I mean, you're younger than he is, but you seem so much more poised, in control…adult."

"In the Dark Families, the children don't have childhoods, per se," Hermione answered for Regulus. "They are given orders, and expected to obey immediately. They do not play, they are not allowed free time, and they are not given toys as presents. My mother was born a Black. One of my first presents was a doll because she never received one. I would imagine that Sirius' perceived immaturity is another form of rebellion. He is grave enough when the situation warrants it, but I think he fears his darkness. You say that he doesn't have that within him, Regulus, but I know that he does, and he fears it."

"That is incredibly sad," Lily said softly, her eyes wide. Hermione and Regulus looked at one another and then looked at Lily.

"It is their reality," Hermione said as kindly as she could. Lily nodded, trying to understand, but failing.

"It really is a different world, isn't it?" Lily asked in a small voice. Hermione leaned over and hugged her friend.

"It is different from what you know," Hermione said calmly. "That is all."

HP/HG/HP

The halls of Hogwarts were becoming unpleasant enough that Hermione thought about using her disillusionment charm to get from class to class. The glares, the number of girls who accidentally shoved her into walls, or stepped on her feet, or elbowed her sharply as they made their way through the crowd were definitely an influence. She was trying to keep her temper, trying not to let things bother her. It might have been amusing to blast a path through the people with a wide-focus group stunning spell, but then she'd have to explain to the people in authority why she knew Auror crowd control spells. Thank you, Tonks! Her mood was getting downright vicious, when an arm slid around her shoulders.

"Just ignore them, My Own," James muttered, glaring back at a few girls who looked embarrassed to be caught behaving badly by the handsome, popular Chaser.

"I am doing my best, but I have bruises all over my body, and my temper is growing thin," she muttered back at him. James' jaw tightened and his face flushed with anger. His hazel eyes snapped at her.

"Padfoot never said anything about this," he growled. "Doesn't he care about what's happening to you?"

"Jamie, love, he hasn't seen any of the bruises, and I haven't mentioned them to him," Hermione pointed out dryly. She snickered as he immediately backpedaled.

"Oh! Well, that's different. Why have you been hiding this from him? This whole situation is partially his responsibility. He is your boyfriend, he deserves to know," James said in a self-righteous sort of voice that grated on Hermione's nerves.

"I had no idea you'd feel that way, Jamie," Hermione said with wide, innocent eyes. "I'll make sure to strip naked for him tonight so that he can see all my bruises."

"NO! That's not what I meant at all! I meant you need to talk to him about these girls. Maybe he can do something about it," he said brusquely. Hermione chuckled, the low, throaty sound drawing appreciative glances from the male students until they met the glare of James' eyes, and immediately became fascinated by anything other than Hermione Potter.

"What is he supposed to do, Jamie? Order them to leave me alone? Break up with me so they'll leave me alone? Ooooh," Hermione's eyes went wide. "What if he broke up with me? I could cry and hit him in the Great Hall. We could make it very dramatic, yet realistic. You could challenge him to a duel, and then…,"

"Have you lost your mind?" James demanded sharply. "He really likes you, Hermione. He doesn't want to break up with you."

"Well of course he doesn't," Hermione said with a roll of her eyes. "I don't want to break up with him, either. It's just that this is all getting tiresome."

"Love, I think you're forgetting something. If they perceive him as single, they'll be back to attacking him at every available opportunity," James pointed out. Hermione's eyes narrowed and her small nostrils flared slightly. James thought she looked adorable.

"Then we might have an escaped lioness who accidentally savages some girls who can't keep their hands to themselves," Hermione said darkly. James snickered.

"You look more like an angry kitten right now," he told her with a grin. "What? What is it, Hermione?"

"Don't call me that," she said, her expression disturbed.

"What…kitten?" James asked, confusion in his voice. She nodded, the disturbed expression becoming more pronounced.

"It's just wrong," she muttered, suppressing a shudder.

Sirius used to call me kitten all the time. I sort of liked it. He only called me that. He'd call Ginny and Tonks 'love' or 'sweetheart', but he would call me kitten.

I know. That's why I find it kind of creepy to have my brother use it.

Oh. Well that makes sense. Although, it probably makes sense to him because you're a lioness. You know, when you do the animagus thing.

Yes, thank you. I had forgotten my animagus form.

You know, you've become really snarky lately. I don't know if I like it.

Too bad. You and I appear to be stuck together for the rest of my life. It might help our relationship if you could manage to stop insulting my intelligence, my breeding, my upbringing and my extended family every time you attempt communication with me.

Well, excuse me. Just because I'm a muggleborn and I don't know every last little thing about the wizarding world does not mean I'm trying to insult you all the time. I just tend to be blunt. And painfully honest. I've never done well with prevarication.

An admirable quality to be sure.

There's that snarky side again. Do you have to do the heavy mental sigh all the time? It's starting to make me self-conscious.

HP/HG/HP

"So why don't you want to be called kitten, kitten?" A seductive baritone whispered in her ear. Hermione jerked upright slightly in her chair. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and her skin felt like it was on fire. His breath against her ear was only making it worse. She turned and stared into his dark grey eyes.

"You can call me kitten," she whispered back. His eyes were focused on her mouth, and that made her squirm slightly in her chair. "Jamie, most definitely may not."

"Oh," he said in surprise, then he smiled smugly and his eyes darkened to almost charcoal grey. "So I get a special name that only I am allowed to call you?"

"Yes," she whispered, blushing slightly.

"I think I like that, kitten," he murmured into her hair, trying it out. She fought the urge to giggle like an idiot.

"Sirius, there's something Jamie wanted me to talk to you about," Hermione said cautiously. He had his face buried in her hair and he was smelling her. He liked to do that, and it made her think of a big, overgrown puppy, so she let him.

"Mmm," he murmured in agreement. She rolled her eyes.

"Your girls? Your former broom-closet darlings? They're trying to turn me into a walking bruise," she said calmly, waiting for the words to sink in. He pulled back from her.

"What are you talking about?" He asked sharply. She glanced around the library, and pulled her shirt up just enough so that he could see a livid, angry bruise standing out against the creamy flesh of her ribs. His jaw clenched so tightly that she could see the muscles in his neck. A vein seemed to be throbbing at his temple, and he was obviously struggling to control himself—to control the darkness that she'd told Regulus he had inside of him. With one shaking hand he traced the bruise on her ribs, and she could hear him grind his teeth. She turned and put her arms around his neck because sometimes that distracted him enough that he could calm down. "How long have they been doing this to you?"

"The entire length of our relationship. Well, once everyone knew about it," she said, trying to radiate calm.

"And you kept it from me?" Sirius demanded. Hermione removed her arms from around his neck, and scooted away from him.

"Sirius, we both have our secrets. You do not share many of your secrets with me, and I have never asked you to do so. I would imagine that quite a few of them are painful memories, but it's not my business—it's yours. If you choose to share any of them with me someday, I am not going to demand to know why you kept any of them from me," Hermione said coolly, a certain glint in her eye. He frowned at her.

"But—but you're being hurt. You could be in grave danger! What if one of them is crazy like Bella? She'll have you hamstrung in a dungeon somewhere trying to carve you up with her pocketknife!" Sirius was worried as his mind ran through different scenarios.

"What a disturbing thought," Hermione said, surprised at him. "I never really considered that as a possibility. I told you and James knows, so now you will both make sure that doesn't happen. "

"You're that confident in us?" Sirius asked in surprise.

Hermione usually took care of her own business. She was a private sort of person, like he was, which made her very different from her brother who shouted his thoughts and feelings at the top his lungs. She could hex with the best of them, and he'd been on the receiving end more than once. He felt a warm, tingling sensation that she would allow him to do this for her.

"Well, in the Marauders as a group. Remus is the brains, really. I expect that he'll think of something brilliant," she said with a sly smile. He growled at her.

"You'll pay for that…kitten," he hissed in her ear. Then he nipped her neck lightly, and left her alone in the library. She fanned herself with a bit of parchment. When had the library gotten so warm?

HP/HG/HP

Hogwarts had recently acquired weight training rooms at the request of muggleborn Quidditch players who recommended them strongly, and suggested that it would help for player training. James leaned against the wall of the new weight training room and watched Sirius vent his frustrations on a punching bag. He had stripped down to just a pair of sweat pants, and a sheen of sweat covered the corded muscles of his back. Angry tension was visible in the way he held his shoulders, the way he threw his punches and the way he moved. James sighed, pushed off the wall, and walked toward his blood brother.

"Padfoot," James said softly, and Sirius threw one last frustrated punch. He turned to face James, his chest heaving, his jaw tight.

"Why? Why would she keep something like this from me? She's being hurt!" Sirius ranted on for a while, and James let him because he seemed to need to get it all out. Finally, Sirius wound down enough that he slumped to the floor and leaned against the wall. His head was in his hands, and James could only see Sirius' long dark hair, which obscured his face.

"Padfoot, have you told her about what's happened to you? At home? At school?" James asked him quietly. Sirius lifted his head, and looked at James as though he were crazy.

"No, James, I have not," he said firmly, and his tone was disctinctly cool. James nodded in understanding. "Those are private things…things that do not concern Hermione."

"Did you ever suppose, Sirius, that she might feel exactly the same as you do? That this did not concern you? I pointed out that it did, but until I did she had considered it a private, personal matter," James explained, watching Sirius.

"But-," Sirius made to protest, but James stopped him with a hand on his arm.

"If you have your secrets, she must be allowed hers. It is only fair," James said firmly. Sirius frowned at him.

"You don't think that way, Prongs," Sirius argued. James snorted.

"No, but I am not my sister. She's her own person. You were there this last summer, surely you remember her screaming those very words—at the top of her lungs—at me. I recall you being there," James said dryly. Sirius frowned.

"But, I'm her boyfriend," he protested. James rolled his eyes.

"Really? When did that happen?" James said sarcastically. Then he sighed and spoke seriously. "You may be her boyfriend, but she won't accept that as granting you any authority over her person. She barely acknowledges that Dad can tell her what to do, let alone anyone else. I pity her husband. That man will have a hard row to hoe."

"Well, she's not getting married anytime soon," Sirius said darkly, with a severe frown for whoever this future husband might be. James snorted.

"Back to the matter at hand, Padfoot, Hermione needs our help, but how are we supposed to stop these girls? We could hex them all, but would that teach them anything? We want them to stop completely, yeah?" James was worried about his sister, and it bled into his voice. Sirius nodded and looked at James.

"Did she…did she show you?" He asked in a haunted voice. James' eyebrows rose and his face grew angry. Sirius rolled his eyes at him. "She showed me just one, right here."

James looked at the spot on Sirius' ribcage, and realized that Sirius couldn't have seen anything that he shouldn't have. He relaxed slightly, but then his expression darkened again.

"How bad?" James asked in a clipped voice. Sirius' expression darkened again.

"It looked like someone had clipped her in the ribs with a Beater's bat," Sirius growled. James' own growl answered him, and both of them exchanged a look. Then Sirius chuckled darkly. "She's right, the little brat. We need to talk to Moony."

"Let's go find him then."

HP/HG/HP

A feeling of dread crept over Lily and Hermione and trailed after them all week, seeping into them. When Friday arrived, both girls had to force themselves out of bed to face the day. They sat glumly at breakfast, staring at their plates, and picking at their food. The Marauders noticed the girls' strange behavior, and talked about it amongst themselves, but couldn't figure out what was going on. Lily and Hermione left breakfast early, and were missing for a big part of the day. James and Sirius couldn't find them on the map anywhere, and they began to grow concerned. After lunch, they spotted the girls under their tree, and when they noticed a large group of Slytherins near them, hurried closer in case any of the slippery snakes tried to hurt them. They saw Severus, and relaxed just slightly, because they knew that Severus was close with both Lily and Hermione. Then something seemed odd…not quite right. Severus appeared to be verbally sparring with the girls. Hermione and Lily's faces were pink with anger. The Marauders looked at one another in surprise and then ran for the tree.

"…a disgusting blood traitor and her filthy mudblood friend," Severus spat angrily, his black eyes cold and hard. A red haze of rage settled over James' vision.

"Don't you DARE speak to them that way," he snarled in rage and whipped out his wand, pointing it at Severus.

"I'll dare to speak to them however I choose," Severus snapped icily, his own wand out and pointed right back at James. Hermione and Lily both looked horrified.

"No!" Hermione shrieked. "Don't do this!"

"Shut up, you muggle-loving blood traitor," snarled one of the Slytherins with Severus. It was Macnair, Hermione realized, and then somebody cast a hex at somebody else and Hermione cast a quick protego shield to protect herself and Lily. The hexes flew fast and furious until Severus, enraged by a Jelly-Legs Jinx raised his wand furiously and pointed it right at James.

"Sectumsempra!" He bellowed.

"NO!" Hermione screamed, flinging herself in front of James. It took only a second for her to fling her small body in front of him, and yet the moment seemed to last forever. There was a small flash of white light, and it was as though Hermione had been slashed with a sword. Then she was crumpled on the ground in front of them, and the grass was turning red with her blood. Sirius and James' faces had turned chalk white and fear immobilized them.

"No, no, no," Lily was crying and chanting on her knees by Hermione. She had her wand in her hand. "Vulnera Sanentur."

Lily had to cast the counter curse two more times to stabilize Hermione, and carefully levitated her to the infirmary where Madame Pomfrey tended her with dittany to prevent scarring. The Marauders had followed them to the infirmary, and waited anxiously for Madame Pomfrey to let them know that Hermione would be all right. Those horrible, awful moments kept replaying in James' mind over and over. He could hear her screaming 'NO!' and he could see her flinging herself at him.

"Mr. Potter?" Madame Pomfrey came forward wringing her hands. "She can only have one or two visitors at a time. It was a very strong curse and she needs to rest, but she insisted that she must speak to you and Mr. Black. Please, only a few minutes. Then I must insist you let her rest."

"Of course," James said dully, and he followed Madame Pomfrey, Sirius so close to him that he was almost on top of him. Hermione lay in the hospital bed, and her face was so pale, so still, that James' felt his insides twist. When he drew close her side, her eyes fluttered open and she smiled slightly.

"Jamie," she whispered softly. Her gaze flickered briefly to Sirius and she sighed, "Puppy."

"Puppy?" James choked slightly. Sirius flushed and glared at him.

"She's obviously deathly ill and not in her right mind," Sirius whispered furiously. "She meant Padfoot, I'm sure. What do you need, kitten? Madame Pomfrey said you insisted on the two of us."

"Do…not," she whispered slowly, struggling to speak, "seek…revenge."

"Don't go after Severus?" James demanded in surprise. Hermione nodded slightly. Both men turned red in the face.

"Hermione," Sirius began vehemently, but Hermione turned those hazel eyes on him and he couldn't speak. He brushed hair off of her forehead instead.

"Promise…me," she whispered, her eyes on them. They looked at one another and then back at her.

"My Own," James whispered, his voice pained.

"Jamie, no," she whispered, her eyes pleading. Her fingers twitched slightly and he took her hand. "Please, for me."

"Only for you," he whispered, tears running down his cheeks. "Only for you."

Sirius was watching her, so pale, so weak with blood loss and the after effects of the curse, and he longed to destroy Severus Snape. Her eyes were moving, searching for his, and when they found his, ensnared them. How could eyes be like that? Brown and gold and pulling him in so deep that he never wanted to leave? They were like aged whiskey, those eyes, with their amber colored depths. He could deny those eyes nothing.

"I promise," he said unwillingly, and then there was that tiny hint of a smile, and her eyes fluttered closed.

"Thank you," she whispered. Sirius felt something very like a kiss brush his cheek. His eyes widened in shock and he turned to stare at James who quirked a brow at him.

"It's something she figure out after they separated us to separate rooms," James whispered as he led Sirius out of the infirmary.

"When she was five?" Sirius asked in surprise, glancing over his shoulder, back toward his girlfriend.

"What can I say? She's a special girl," James muttered. Sirius frowned.

"Tell me about it."

HP/HG/HP

When we set out to publicly destroy a relationship, we really publicly destroy a relationship.

I'm supposed to be resting, go away.

I mean, those boys will never forgive Snape. It was bad enough in Snape's old memories, but he didn't try to cast a 'sectumsempra' on Lily then. This…this was a very big deal.

It went much further than we had planned. Severus lost his head, unfortunately. We hadn't planned on the Marauders coming across us. We assumed it would just be Slytherins.

It might be all for the best. I mean, Pettigrew saw it, too.

Do you suppose he's a Death Eater?

You know that he is. He refused to come see Sirius on Christmas Hols after he was disowned. He'd probably just received his mark.

I need to neutralize him or expose him. Which do you suggest?

Don't ask me. I long to disembowel him in the middle of the Great Hall and dance in his entrails.

Um…wow. That's a vivid mental picture.

Yes. It's one I use to cheer myself up.

Really?

His actions deeply affected my best friend. Pettigrew is directly responsible for Harry losing almost every single person whom he loved, and who loved him in return.

It won't happen this time. I won't let it.

I know dear. Now, get some rest. I promise to leave you alone and let you sleep.

Several days later, Madame Pomfrey was finally willing to release Hermione. James and Sirius tried not to hover, and failed miserably. On a positive note, the constant presence of either Sirius, Remus or James meant that Sirius' little fangirls from hell couldn't get close enough to her to hurt her. Remus' sense of smell meant that he glared at quite a few of the girls who moved through the hall near them. They seemed shocked that Remus, who was well known for his sweet, gentle, shy nature was capable of such animosity. His need to protect and shelter Hermione astounded him, and then it bothered him. He went to James to talk about it because he was afraid that Sirius might punch first and ask questions later. His friend had a lot of emotions tied up in the tiny girl, emotions that he wasn't willing to admit to himself—let alone anyone else.

"Prongs?" Remus found James alone in his room, working on Quidditch plays.

"Yeah, Moony?" James glanced up, and immediately sat up straight. Remus' eyes darted around the room and he was tugging at his robes. Nervousness radiated off of him in waves. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"I need to talk to someone, and I guess you're the best person for me to talk to," Remus said uncertainly. James frowned.

"I'll do the best I can, mate, but usually Hermione or Lily are better at this kind of stuff," James said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"NO! I mean, no. It's…it's about Hermione," Remus muttered. James' eyebrows shot up his forehead.

"Moony, I think Sirius has already staked his claim there, and I think Hermione really likes him," James said cautiously. Remus shook his head.

"I feel very protective of her," he said, twisting the edge of his robe in his hands. "Is that normal? I don't want to snog her, but I feel happy when she hugs me or kisses my cheek. I'm not…I'm not in love with her…I don't think so anyway, but I think I might love her."

"I know that Hermione considers you to be a dear friend, and I know she loves you," James said seriously. Remus seemed to relax slightly.

"Do you suppose that's it?" Remus asked eagerly. "But why am I so protective?"

"If I had to guess?" James ran an absent hand through his hair. "Is it…I mean…do you consider her part of your pack?"

"Part of my pack?" Remus said softly, frowning in concentration. His eyes narrowed in thought, and then he relaxed completely. "Yeah, I think it is. She's a packmate, but not a mate-mate. She's a lioness, and that sort of turns Moony off…not that you wanted to ever know that. Sorry."

"No, I'm actually thrilled that there is at least one person, aside from me, who doesn't want to shag my sister senseless," James said dryly. Remus laughed.

"I'm sure that must be comforting," he agreed. "At least I don't have to feel bad about feeling so protective."

"Be careful around Hermione. She's gets a little cranky about that sort of thing," James cautioned him. Remus smiled wickedly.

"If I blame it on my werewolf, she won't care," he said smugly. James rolled his eyes at him.

"Good. Keep an eye on her. And keep that psychotic fanclub of Sirius' away from my sister," he said firmly. Remus nodded.

"Definitely. I don't like them," he muttered.

HP/HG/HP

"So this is what the inside of a broom closet looks like," Hermione whispered, looking around herself in fascinated interest.

"Did you come for the view?" Sirius asked with a laugh. Hermione chuckled, and the sound did things to Sirius' insides. He pulled her up against him, and she could feel her soft curves being pressed against the hard muscle of his body.

The feel of Sirius against her was delicious, and it made her body ache. She could tell that his body was just as muscled as Lucius' had been, and she wondered what he looked like, under his robes. She bet he looked delicious. His strong hands were sliding into her hair, massaging her scalp, and she closed her eyes and moaned. The feel of his fingers, rubbing and stoking her scalp made her body tingle all over. Every nerve ending seemed alive, every inch of her skin felt hyper-sensitive. Her magic, which was always wrapped around her in a protective swaddling layer began to loosen. It felt almost like it was unfurling. It was a strange sensation, but not unpleasant. When Sirius kissed her, she felt like her lips were on fire; they tingled and burned, and then if felt like fire was licking along all of those nerve endings, across her sensitive skin. Sirius nipped lightly on her lower lip and she opened her mouth, and her magic to him. She could feel his magic pressing against hers. Light, feathery caresses of power seemed to stroke her everywhere at once. She moaned against his lips and an answering groan was pulled from him.

"Sirius," she gasped against his lips, and she felt his lips create a burning trail down her throat. He nipped lightly at her collarbone and she moaned again. The feather caresses of power were teasing her senses, building her toward something. The tingling sensation across her skin intensified. Her body started to tighten everywhere. Sirius nibbled on her earlobe, wringing another gasp from her. She pulled his face to hers and kissed him passionately. Turnabout was fair play, she decided, and she enfolded Sirius in her magic. He shuddered against her.

"Hermione," he whispered desperately, pushing her against the wall and pressing his large, hard body against hers. Her fingers slid into his robes, and slid under his shirt. Hard muscle met her questing finger tips. Her knees turned to butter, and he had to hold her up. Their magic was swirling around them now and everything was narrowing to a pinpoint, and the only thing that existed within that pinpoint was Sirius and Hermione. Nothing else. They were the center of the universe, and the universe was on fire. They shuddered against one another, clinging together. Hermione saw the universe explode into a million, billion stars, and then Sirius was holding her up and panting into her neck.

"Wow," she said softly in awe. Sirius slid down the wall, until he was sitting on the ground, holding her in his lap. He was still panting slightly, and clutching her to him.

"Wow, indeed," he managed after a minute. "Hermione, I've never felt anything like that…ever. What was that?"

"Magic," she said thoughtfully, looking up at him.

"Magic?" He frowned at her.

"Ours. Yours and mine. I think they melded together," she explained softly. He frowned again.

"Is that normal?" He asked slowly. She shook her head.

"I don't know. I'll have to research it." She brushed a lock of his hair off of his forehead.

"Will it happen every time we kiss?" He asked curiously. "Because I don't know if I could survive anything else if that's what happens with a kiss."

"I don't know, I suppose we could experiment and see," Hermione said gravely. Sirius snorted.

"Can you give me a day to recover? That was fairly intense," he said, and then he flushed.

"It was wasn't it? It was like nothing else I've ever experienced." Hermione bit her lip.

"You're worried?" Sirius asked her with concern. She shook her head.

"It's just an unknown variable, and I'm not sure how it will affect everything," she muttered, almost to herself. Sirius chuckled.

"The way you sweet talk me is just sickening," he teased her. She swatted him on the arm.