Seventh Year, Fall 1977

Hogwarts and surrounding areas

It was their final year and Remus was suddenly feeling introspective. James and Sirius had seemed edgy on the train all the way to Hogwarts when Peter didn't join them in their compartment. Peter didn't show up to the sorting either, and James and Sirius had exchanged a significant look that confused Remus. He could feel anger and rage coming from them, but no worry…no fear for Peter's well-being. What was going on? This was their last year it was just the three of them. He felt like an arm was missing, or something. They'd all gone up to their dorm room, and Peter's things were at the foot of his bed. James and Sirius looked at one another again, and Remus frowned. What the bloody hell was going on? He'd never seen James or Sirius as angry as they had been when Peter walked into their dorm room with a cheery wave and a smile. James had slammed him against the wall, and Sirius had shoved up his sleeve revealing the Dark Mark. Remus thought he was going to be sick right there in their dorm room. Peter…their friend…was a fucking Death Eater? The other two boys had unceremoniously thrown him out of their dorm room and told him to not come back. Then they turned to Remus, their chests heaving with anger and rage and he had pulled up his own sleeve and shown them his bare arm, in case they were coming after him next.

"No, Remus, my friend, we're not coming after you," James had sighed sadly, and he'd pulled the werewolf in for a back-breaking hug. Remus had cried then, and he wasn't ashamed to admit it. To learn that someone that you thought you knew, that you thought was a friend, was a servant of You-know-who made him cold inside. James had just held him, and Remus thought that maybe Prongs had shed a few tears too.

"How did you know?" Remus had asked in a slightly choked voice. James and Sirius looked at one another and frowned.

"I'll ask and see if we can tell you," James said finally.

"I don't know if that's a good idea," Sirius protested, and James frowned at him.

"It's not your decision, Padfoot," James said somewhat coolly. Sirius sulked and went and sat on his bed. "Do you honestly think that Remus is somehow a risk?"

"No," Sirius growled from behind his bed curtains. Remus looked between his friends, frowning.

"What am I missing?" He asked curiously.

"Nothing," Sirius growled from his bed. Remus snorted. He could tell that Sirius was lying about something.

"So we've just lost one of our friends, and no one's going to tell me how or why you two knew?" Remus asked a little stiffly. His eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Did you two join the Order behind my back?"

"No!" James and Sirius said in unison. Sirius poked his head out of the curtains to glare at James and then turn to Remus.

"You know they won't take anybody who's not graduated already," Sirius said with a disgusted look. Remus didn't blame him there. It seemed beyond stupid when the enemy was recruiting their schoolmates from around them.

"True," Remus agreed.

"We'll tell you, we just have to get it cleared first," James explained, with a quick glance at Sirius, whose expression had turned dark. "Come on, it only makes sense to tell Remus."

"I suppose so," Sirius said at last with a heavy sigh. Remus snorted.

"Thank you so much for that vote of confidence, Padfoot," Remus muttered coolly. James looked apologetic, which made Remus wonder what on earth was going on.

"I'm sorry, Remus, it's not that I doubt you at all," James explained carefully. "It's just that it's not exactly our secret to tell, and we've got to check with the other person first."

"So, any idea yet on whether or not you still have a rampant fangirl problem?" Remus asked curiously. Sirius smirked.

"We shouldn't," he said firmly.

"And, why, pray tell, is that?" Remus asked looking between James and Sirius.

"The great prat has officially requested permission to court with intent to offer," James muttered. Sirius smirked a little more and James threw his pillow at him. "Do you have to do that? It's revolting."

"It's just because it's your sister. If it were any other girl, you wouldn't care," Sirius drawled, throwing the pillow back.

"Yeah, I would," James muttered. "Because you'd still be smirking like that, and it's revolting."

"Congratulations, Sirius," Remus offered sincerely. He pulled Sirius into a fierce hug, which Sirius returned. When he pulled back his cheeks were pink.

"Thanks," he said with a bashful smile.

HP/HG/HP

If there's one thing that Gryffindors do well it's being obvious. Hermione spent the first several days of school with her sleeves rolled up to her elbows and waving her hands around a lot. She raised her hand in class more times in those few days than she had in the previous six years she'd attended school. She always used the arm with the bracelet on it, too. Lily was trying not to die laughing, but it was hysterically funny. The first day back to school, the pureblood girls saw it almost immediately and knew exactly what it was because the only boy who came within a ten-foot radius of Hermione was Sirius or her brother. When he walked her to class, his hand was proprietarily on the small of her back or on her elbow. He kissed her cheek when he dropped her off for class, and when he picked her up. All of the pureblood girls immediately adjusted how they behaved around Sirius.

"That's a beautiful piece," Marlene McKinnon noted politely at breakfast on Friday. "Congratulations."

"Thank you," Hermione said with a genuine smile. A couple of the muggleborn girls frowned.

"Why are you congratulating Hermione," asked Carol Pierce finally. Marlene blinked at her and the other muggleborns. She pointed to Hermione's prominently displayed bracelet.

"That's a betrothal piece," Marlene said as though it were completely obvious, and she felt silly for pointing it out. She probably did feel silly, Lily thought. To her, it would sort of be like saying 'the sky is blue' or 'Hogwarts is a big castle'.

"What's a betrothal?" asked Sarah Bennett. Marlene turned and stared at Hermione with a deer in headlights sort of look.

Hermione smiled and was about to speak when the morning owls arrived, essentially interrupting conversation. A beautiful black owl dropped a small package in front of Hermione. A silly smile formed itself on her lips, and she glanced around the hall. Sirius wasn't there yet. She picked up the box and opened it. Lily gasped in surprise. It was a beautiful little lioness brooch that matched her bracelet. Hermione was entranced with it; she took one finger and delicately traced the lines of the brooch.

"You like it?" Sirius' baritone was behind her, his breath on her ear. She nodded. He held out his hand and she laid the box in it. He took the lioness brooch out and pinned it to the front of her collar. He looked into her eyes and smiled at her. "Perfect."

Lily had already scooted down so that Sirius could sit with Hermione, and James sat down across from her with Remus. The boys filled their plates and began eating, and Hermione turned her attention back to Sarah Bennett.

"We use it in the archaic sense that means the drawing up and signing of marriage contracts," Hermione explained carefully. "It is a little different and more binding than the muggle concept of engagement. It would take a team of lawyers and a lot of money to break a wizarding betrothal contract."

"Is that another betrothal piece then?" Carol Pierce asked curiously. She had not been one of Sirius' many, many girls, and so Hermione had no problems answering her curious questions.

"Yes," she said simply. "It is the custom to gift a variety of pieces during the courting process and before the actual betrothal ceremony."

"I plan on showering you with them," Sirius murmured in her ear so that no one else could hear him. She blushed slightly.

"So you're not engaged yet, but you're as good as?" Carol asked carefully, a hint of confusion on her face.

"Yes," Sirius' voice answered her for Hermione, his arm sliding around her waist and pulling her against him. She blushed again.

Several of the faces at their table showed profound disappointment, which made Hermione glad that Sirius had gone a little bit over the top. Apparently they hadn't made it clear enough to some students, while the faculty and the pureblood students had automatically known what her bracelet meant. The pureblood boys were automatically adjusting their behavior near her. They didn't look at her unless it was strictly necessary, and their interactions with her were scrupulously correct. No pureblood boy would dare approach her by himself for the rest of the school year; they would all make sure that she had a female student, her brother, or Sirius with her first.

HP/HG/HP

The Marauders were sitting in the common room when Hermione and Lily came down from the girls' dormitory and stood in front of their couch. Sirius and James were talking about something in low tones so as not to disturb Remus' reading, but every now and then one of them would snicker.

"Remus, would you walk with us?" Hermione asked suddenly. Remus blinked at her in surprise and then turned to his fellow Marauders who had become instantly serious.

"Of course," he said uncertainly, frowning slightly. James and Sirius were tense. Lily was afraid, but Hermione was utterly calm. He wasn't sure if he'd ever seen her so relaxed.

They found an empty classroom, and Hermione sealed and warded it completely silently, with a casual flick of her wand. Remus' eyes widened in surprise. It wasn't often that Hermione made a deliberate show of power. Generally, she seemed to keep her head down, and did her best not to attract attention from professors. She turned to face Remus, and he saw her peel back several of her outer layers. She was watching him, and waiting to see what he thought. There was power there, and something else he couldn't quite name. She was letting all of them see more of her than any of them had ever seen before, except Lily, who seemed calm and relaxed in the face of this Hermione, which told Remus that this was a facet of Hermione that she knew well. James looked resigned, and Sirius looked reluctant.

"I'm the reason that James and Sirius didn't want to talk to you about Pettigrew in the dorm rooms," Hermione said quietly. Remus looked at James and Sirius. They were still worried and tense. He could tell that they wanted to shield her, to protect her, and is bothered them that they couldn't.

"You are?" Remus asked, looking at his friends again.

"I'm a Seer, Remus," Hermione said quietly. "James and Sirius didn't know…they sort of saw me in action so to speak."

"No," Remus said, shaking his head to deny it. Hermione stood there, completely calm, and Lily moved to stand near her.

"Yes," Hermione said firmly.

"But, you can't be," he whispered, turning pale. Hermione frowned.

"Why? Because it puts me at risk? Because I'm not spouting off visions all day? What about me makes it impossible?" Hermione asked tartly. Remus shook his head again.

"He's afraid for your safety," James said quietly. "He considers you part of his pack."

"Do you really?" Hermione asked, shocked. He nodded and blushed. Hermione moved forward and hugged him. "I think that's the nicest thing anyone's ever said about me."

"I say nice things about you," Sirius grumbled, and Hermione immediately went to him and touched her fingertips to his cheek.

"You do," she agreed. "But a werewolf's pack is his family—more than family, really. Or at least more than what humans usually consider family. It's…it's a great honor, Remus, thank you."

"So, you Saw Peter?" Remus asked haltingly. He felt horrible for asking, but he had to know. Hermione looked deep into his eyes and it was like staring straight into an abyss. He shivered involuntarily and automatically took a step back from her.

"I did," she murmured softly. "I Saw him prove himself. Call it an initiation if you like. There were children, Remus, pups. He helped to slaughter them like they were nothing."

"Sweet Circe," he breathed, his face pale and disturbed. He swallowed down the bile that was rising in his throat and shook his head. Peter, their friend, the boy they had known and hung out with and shared a dorm room with was gone forever. It would have been better if he'd died rather than sacrifice his soul like this.

"I'm sorry, I wish I could have spared you," Hermione said contritely, and Remus knew that she spoke the truth. Her grief was palpable. He shook his head.

"It's not your fault, Hermione. You're not the one with a bloody Dark Mark on his arm," Remus ground out. Hermione flinched as if he'd struck her, and she looked at Lily with guilty eyes.

"No," she whispered. "I'm not."

HP/HG/HP

On the full moon, James, Sirius and Remus did not argue with Hermione when she told them she wanted to stay in. Even if she was in the castle with Pettigrew, he couldn't get up to the girls' dormitory so they felt safe leaving her with Lily. As soon as she saw the fleeting form of her brother bounding across the lawn, with Padfoot chasing Moony in circles, Lily and Hermione slipped out of the girls' dormitory under a disillusionment charm. They waited carefully until someone else left, and they slipped out behind them. The two young women hurried quickly through the halls until they reached the seventh floor. When they entered the room of requirement, he was already there. His back was to them, and he was looking out a window that the room had provided for him. He turned when they entered, but he couldn't look at either of them. Hermione flew across the room and the impact of her small body against him almost knocked him to the floor.

"Oh, Severus!" She wailed and began crying all over his black robes. He stood there stiffly staring from the weeping girl in his arms to Lily who was watching him with an inscrutable face. He began to pat her awkwardly, stroking her curls and murmuring to her. Lily moved closer to him, her normally expressive green eyes flat and hard.

"Lily," he whispered, his eyes agonized, heartbroken. Lily glared at him.

"She could have died, Severus," Lily said coldly. "If I hadn't known the counter curse, she would have."

"I know," he whispered, pain flickering across his face. Hermione pulled back and stared up at him.

"I didn't die," Hermione said firmly. "Death is something that both of you must accept right now. I'm a Seer, and we're trying to overthrow You-know-who. I could be found out and killed tonight or tomorrow. My life will be forfeit as soon as he knows. Do not even think about blaming one another when that happens."

"But Hermione," Lily railed. "He should never have used sectumsempra! He could just have easily killed James!"

"He knows that," Hermione said flatly. "He made a mistake, and he's learned his lesson. Ultimately, his mistake has helped us. Voldemort trusts him now."

"That is true enough," Severus muttered. Hermione held onto him tightly.

"Oh, I've missed you," she said sadly. Severus sighed and leaned into her hug.

"I've missed you, too. Congratulations," he murmured into her hair. She pulled back and raised a brow at him.

"No quips about my intended? No tart comments?" Hermione teased him. He shook his head.

"No. Black will take care of you. He is possibly one of the only people I'd trust, aside from Lucius, to keep you safe," Severus said honestly. Hermione snorted.

"I don't think I'll share that with Sirius. I doubt he'd care to be compared to Lucius, in any capacity," Hermione said dryly.

"Most likely not," Severus snorted in amusement. They both turned to Lily who still looked angry.

"I was so afraid," she confessed quietly, her green eyes filling rapidly with tears.

"I was, too," Severus muttered, his sallow face tightening. "I've never been more afraid than at that moment."

"Severus, this is all so dangerous," Lily whispered, tears slipping down her cheeks. This was too much to ask of him, he was just a boy. He hadn't even graduated from Hogwarts yet. "This is too much to ask of you."

"The alternative is not acceptable," Hermione's voice cracked across the room like a whip. "If Severus and Lucius and Regulus do not do this…thousands die, Lily."

"You mean James dies," Lily snapped unthinkingly in anger.

"I mean you die!" Hermione hissed, and then clapped her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide. Severus and Lily stared at her, stunned.

"Are you making him do this to save me?" Lily demanded. She turned to Severus. "I don't want you to do this anymore. It's not worth it. I'm not worth it. All of you could die, or worse."

"How many?" Severus asked quietly. Hermione shook her head.

"No one knows, it's impossible to count all of them," Hermione whispered. Severus brooded for a moment.

"Who?" He asked quietly. Hermione shook her head.

"I don't understand," she whispered.

"Who have you Seen die?" He asked patiently. Tears slipped down her cheeks.

"I can't tell you that," she said softly. Severus glared at her.

"Who?" He demanded.

"You," She whispered, "Sirius, Remus, James, Lily, Regulus, Dumbledore, my parents, Lily's parents. People that you don't know yet, but will. Children. Parents. Elders. Even Pettigrew dies, in the end."

"Merlin's beard, Hermione," Lily whispered, her face deathly pale. "What kind of a monster is he?"

"One that we're going to destroy before he can destroy our world," Severus said firmly, his eyes on Hermione's devastated face.

"You can't tell anyone what I've said," Hermione said firmly. "This falls under the oaths you've sworn to me. This is dangerous knowledge. People start to think that their lives don't matter because they're already dead. Or people take foolish risks because they were told that they lived. We're changing everything. The future is fluid, and we all must be very, very careful."

"I'm sorry, Hermione," Lily said quietly. She was consumed with guilt for thinking badly of her blood sister. Hermione shook her head impatiently.

"We can't doubt one another, Lily. If we begin to doubt each other, everything falls apart. Our strength is in our love for one another, and our faith in one another. We can't doubt that. Ever," Hermione said passionately. Severus and Lily nodded solemnly.

"I won't Hermione, I promise," Lily whispered.

HP/HG/HP

It was perhaps a week or two after that that Hermione was deep in the stacks of the library's restricted section looking for information on spontaneous, or natural, bonds. She'd found a fascinating volume and was reading it avidly, soaking up the information when she heard several petulant voices conversing in sly whispers. She looked up from her book and listened quietly.

"So she's gotta be pregnant or something, right?" said one of the voices. "I mean, who gets engaged in school?"

"Right, and I mean, why would Sirius Black want to get married while he's still in school? It's just crazy!" agreed another voice.

The voices continued saying more and more horrible things about Hermione. All the blood had drained from her face and she listened to them almost against her will. It was as though she couldn't stop listening to them. They eventually faded away, as the girls moved away from where she was standing, and Hermione stood there for an untold amount of time, clutching the book on natural bonds. She sank to her knees in the restricted section and cried, silently. She rocked by herself and the tears slid down her cheeks unchecked. The cap to her day was walking down the hall and finding a muggleborn Hufflepuff trying to proposition Sirius.

"You may have to marry her, but that doesn't mean you still can't have fun," the girl was saying. Sirius stared at her as though she were crazy.

"What do you mean, I have to marry her? I want to marry her, that's what all the betrothal gifts are for," he said in confusion edging away from her.

"But…why would you want to get married while you're in school?" The girl asked, confused. Sirius looked at her as though she were daft.

"I think perhaps you're confused about wizarding customs," he murmured as politely as possible, and tried to escape again.

"Sirius, wait," the girl tried one last time, but by this time Hermione had reached them, and she was livid.

"Do not touch him," she hissed at the Hufflepuff girl. "He is mine."

"I've heard about how you trapped him into marriage," the Hufflepuff girl sneered at her. "I don't think that's very nice of you, or very fair."

Hermione laughed at her, and tossed her wild curls over her shoulder. The laugh was brittle, and Sirius—who knew her very well—could tell that she was emotionally upset. She took a step toward the other girl, and her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"You don't know anything at all, you stupid girl," Hermione said coldly, "a wizarding betrothal contract usually takes four years to culminate in a marriage. It would be incredibly stupid of me to get pregnant now. That contract is so air-tight legally that it is almost impossible to break. He is mine. If I catch you near him again, you'll wish you'd never met him. Feel free to pass that along."

Hermione grabbed Sirius' hand, and dragged him along behind her. He followed her willingly, his heart pounding in his chest. He is mine. Maybe such words shouldn't make him so giddy, so happy, but they did. They were headed to the seventh floor, and he wasn't sure why, but he knew the Hermione was upset, so he let her drag him along. When she started pacing in front of the wall, he started to worry about her, but when a door appeared and she opened it and shoved him into a room he was flummoxed.

"Hermione?" He asked cautiously, looking around him in wonder. They were in a room that looked like a lounge, or a study. It had a fireplace and comfortable couches, and a bookcase or two. "Where are we?"

"Where I needed to be right now," she murmured before flinging herself at him. He held her tightly against him and buried his face in her hair. He kissed her temple, and stroked her back. She pulled back from him and began undoing his robes.

"Er, Hermione?" He said faintly, staring at her. She blinked up at him, and kept unbuttoning his shirt. His heart was racing in his chest, and he felt a jittery nervousness overtake him.

"Yes?"

"What are you doing," he whispered, watching her nimble fingers pull his outer robes and his shirt off of him until he was standing in front of her with his torso bare.

"This," she said simply, and she put her hands on his chest, with her palms spread wide. Runes appeared on his upper chest, and they seemed to be arranged in a specific pattern. In the center of his chest was an ancient symbol that he recognized as a magical sigil for Sirius the constellation. He felt a goofy grin slide onto his face and refuse to go away. She glanced up at him and frowned slightly. "What is it?"

"You marked me," he murmured, staring at his chest. She frowned a little more.

"Well they won't leave you alone," she muttered at him.

He pulled her against his bare chest and kissed her. It was different from the other kisses they'd shared so far. This one was a little wild, a little unrestrained, but Hermione kissed him back enthusiastically. She bit his lower lip, and he groaned into her mouth. She pushed him back until the couch hit the back of his knees. He fell onto it, and Hermione straddled his lap, and continued to kiss him. The feel of her body pressed against him like this made him ache. He wound his hands into her curls and gave himself up the scent of jasmine and taste of her lips on his. She was kissing down his neck, and he was enjoying her doing so when she bit him. He squirmed against her. It wasn't that he didn't like it, or that it was too painful, he actually liked biting and she was turning him on without even realizing it. If any other girl had done that, he would have perceived it as an invitation to toss her on her back and make her mindless with pleasure, but this wasn't any other girl. This was Hermione. He struggled for control and tried to tamp down the desire that threatened to take over.

"Kitten," he panted into her hair when she bit him again. "Please, you can't do that."

She pulled back with a pout on her full lips, but when she saw his face she blushed. He was staring at her with dark, lust-filled eyes—his cheeks were flushed and his lips looked swollen, especially his lower lip. The heat from his gaze made her want to melt against him. It was incredibly sexy-looking, and she had to remind herself that she couldn't just ravish Sirius in the room of requirement.

"Sorry," she whispered. Then she looked at him hopefully. "Just one more?"

"One," he said in a slightly strained voice and she nodded.

She bit him one more time, a bit harder than before and he moaned and bucked against her. The hard heat of him pressing against her knickers made her shudder against him, and his hands slid up to her waist to move her. He was panting slightly and he wouldn't look at her, as he buttoned his shirt. Hermione knew he was embarrassed but she wasn't sure why.

"Sirius? Did I do something wrong?" she asked in a small voice, worry overtaking her. He whirled to face her, surprised.

"No, of course not! I just…I want to…," he took a deep breath, ran a hand through his hair, and sighed. "I want you to know that you're different, that you're special to me, but just now all I wanted to do was...not very gentlemanly."

"I see," she said huskily, and moved toward him to straighten his tie. He watched her warily, but when she was done all she did was kiss him on the nose. "I think I like the idea that you want me, and I like the idea that you want to make sure that I feel special. It's okay for you to want me; it's what you do with those feelings that makes the difference."

"What do you mean?" He asked cautiously as he slid into his outer robes. She tilted her head slightly.

"Well, are you going to shag me against a wall, and then forget my name later?" Hermione asked pointedly. He blushed and ducked his head.

"No," he muttered. Hermione kissed his cheek.

"Good puppy," she breathed in his ear, and turned toward the door.

"Hey," he protested. She turned back to him, one brow quirked.

"I considered putting a collar on you," she said bluntly. "But I figured that no one would get it, so I did the tattoo instead. You're mine, Sirius, and the sooner they understand that, the better off they'll be."

He followed her out of the room, grinning like an idiot.

HP/HG/HP

The Gryffindor common room was fairly quiet at the moment, and Lily was grateful for that because she really needed to work on her Charms essay. Remus was sitting at a small table with her and they were working in companionable silence. Every now and then Remus would glance toward the end of the room, where their former friend Peter sat, but then he'd turn his attention back to their work with a small frown on his face. Lily knew what was going on, she'd been there when Hermione had had her vision after all, but she knew that this was incredibly painful for the Marauders. They'd lost one of their own, and it was affecting each of them differently. Hermione came into the common room and moved immediately toward them. She sat down next to Lily and pulled out a book.

"Don't you want to work on your Charms essay?" Lily asked dryly. Hermione glanced at Lily's paper, and rolled her eyes.

"I've completed mine. It's sufficient," Hermione said firmly, and turned back to her book.

"You know, if you ever applied yourself, you'd beat Lily and me hands down," Remus observed quietly. Hermione shrugged, and turned a page.

"I'm a very busy person. I have a lot of responsibilities," Hermione said airily. Remus quirked a brow at her because, as far as he could tell, she was telling the absolute truth.

"Hermione Canopia Potter!" James was standing in the opening of the Fat Lady's picture and he made his way into the common room with every Gryffindor's eye on him. He looked absolutely furious, and he was clenching and unclenching his hands in rage. Hermione looked the very picture of innocence, sitting daintily on a couch with Lily with a book in her lap. He growled in irritation.

"Yes, Jamie?" She asked sweetly, looking up at him with wide, guileless eyes. He glared at her.

"Don't you Jamie me, Hermione Potter," he snapped at her. "What on earth possessed you?"

"Some people are woefully ignorant of our customs," Hermione said self-righteously. "I was just providing a handy translation."

"What happened?" Lily asked in surprise. Hermione glared darkly at Lily.

"I overheard some horrible girls in the library—they didn't know I was there—intimating that I might have to get married because I was pregnant, and that was the nicest thing they had to say about me," she whispered furiously, but James and Remus heard her, and they both looked upset at that. "And then I was walking to the common room when I saw some…hussy…rubbing herself all over Sirius and begging him to sleep with her."

"But," James began and then stopped. He was torn. The idea that Sirius' deranged fan club was still hurting Hermione enraged him, but she couldn't just run around doing the sorts of things that she'd done. "Hermione you just can't do things like that. It's bound to draw the professors' attention."

"What did she do, exactly?" Remus asked curiously. Hermione was smirking slightly, and it frightened him just a bit.

"I'm not sure," James muttered. He turned to his sister. "What did you do?"

"Where's Sirius?" Hermione asked mildly, and flipped another page in her book. James turned around.

"He was right behind me," he muttered to himself. They all turned to the portrait opening as Sirius slipped in, and strolled over to their group. He sat down on the couch next to Hermione, and stared at James, waiting.

"Is he done yet?" Sirius asked Hermione. She shook her head.

"No, not yet," she murmured back. "Could you stand up please?"

"Sure," Sirius stood up, and Hermione followed. She flicked her wand and his outer robes and shirt disappeared, leaving his well-muscled bare chest with its new tattoos open to everyone's avid gaze. Remus stared at Sirius for a minute and then started laughing.

"What?" James demanded. Remus gasped for air and waved at Lily who was staring at Sirius' chest and giggling. She shook her head, laughing so hard that she was having trouble breathing.

"She's marked him with the runes of claiming and ownership," Remus gasped out, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Anyone who trespasses on her property will 'be punished'."

"It's quite simple," Hermione said smugly. "Lily, hug Sirius."

"Okay," she said with a shrug. The red head stepped forward and hugged Sirius. His arms went around her shoulders and he hugged her back. James frowned darkly at the two of them, and Lily stepped away from Sirius, trying to hide a smile.

"See?" Hermione pointed out, waving a hand at Lily. "She didn't trespass, so she's fine. He's all half-naked and everything, and it didn't do anything to her because she's not planning on poaching."

"And the bite marks?" James asked dryly. Hermione beamed at Sirius who was giving her a heated look, despite the number of people in the common room.

"Well, I figured few people would actually see him without his shirt on, so he needed something a little extra," Hermione said logically. James rolled his eyes and shook his head at Sirius.

"I warned you," he said flatly. Sirius shrugged.

"I know," he said mildly. Remus shook his head. Sirius was happy, he was proud that Hermione had marked him. Remus could feel it rolling off him. It was a primal thing, marking one's mate, and it appealed to Sirius' animagus side. It appealed to Remus as well, but he had yet to meet his true mate. He could be patient though because he knew she was worth it. James turned to his sister.

"Put his clothes back on him. I have to see him half-naked enough as it is," James said in exasperation. Hermione waved her wand with a slightly bored air, and Sirius was robed once again.

"As long as people keep their hands to themselves, they won't have to worry about anything," Hermione said airily. Then her expression darkened. "And if they can't, well they get what's coming to them."

"The professors are going to notice," James warned her. Hermione snorted.

"What girl is going to admit that the problem is that she tried to sexually assault Sirius?" Hermione asked dryly. Remus snorted.

"That's true," Remus said with a wry smile.

"Yes, but what did you do?" Lily asked curiously. Hermione smiled, and all the boys shuddered.

"It's a progressive spell," she explained sweetly, settling herself down on the couch. "Really, though, I tied it to actual touching. If someone verbally flirts with him, it does absolutely nothing. You can say whatever you want to him. The first time someone touches him with sex on their mind, their eyebrows grow together. If that person persists it get progressively worse. Next is facial acne, then rupturing pustules, then I think it goes to a mild electric shock. I'll have to check my notes."

"You are scary," Lily said in awe. Hermione shrugged.

"Don't mess with what's mine, and you'll never have any problems," Hermione said calmly. James snickered, and Remus rolled his eyes.

HP/HG/HP

The first Hogsmeade weekend of the year was fast approaching, and Lily just couldn't manage to get excited about it. James Potter had liked her since their first year, and she'd realized somewhere along the way that she liked him, too. Only now that she knew she loved him, he seemed to have forgotten that she existed. She'd even stayed at his house this last summer, and one might have thought that there would have been ample opportunity for him to kiss her, but it hadn't happened. Now it was their last year here at Hogwarts. If he was going to make a move, he was running out of time. She laid her head on her folded arms and sighed.

"Lily?" James said hesitantly. She raised her head off of her arms and blinked at him.

"Yes?" She asked curiously. He looked nervous, and unsure of himself, which was very unlike the confident Gryffindor.

"Has anyone asked you to go to Hogsmeade yet?" He asked quietly, his ears a brilliant red. Lily shook her head.

"No," she murmured, her green eyes wide.

"Would you…would you go with me?" He asked bashfully, speaking more to his toes than to her. Lily hid a smile.

"I would love to, James Potter," she said firmly. He looked up at her in surprise.

"You would?" He asked, stunned.

"Yes," she confirmed, a small smile playing about her mouth. He smiled at her and it was blinding.

"Well, all right then," he said with a nod, and he left her alone in the library. Lily giggled and rolled her eyes.

"What are you so happy about?" Hermione asked as she sat down next to Lily.
The red-head blushed prettily and glanced around the library.

"James just asked me to Hogsmeade," Lily confided. Hermione sighed dramatically.

"Well, good! It's about time that brother of mine got his act together. I thought I was going to have to lock you two in a broom closet or something," Hermione said in a relieved tone of voice. Lily swatted her on the arm.

"It's not like I could control how quickly he moved," Lily complained. Hermione snorted, and then she frowned.

"He really cares for you," she said quietly. Lily nodded.

"I know. I care for him, too," Lily said softly. Hermione nodded.

"Okay, then," she said firmly. "If he screws up, we'll kill him together."

"It's a deal," Lily said with a grin.

A/N: Now, because I'll be damned if we send Sirius to Azkaban, the tats on his chest aren't exactly the same as the ones that Sirius displays for us in the movies. These are different, including the symbol in the middle. Just imagine something sexy and inky on a hard, well-muscled chest. There. Now, I'm hard at work on the other story, but I thought I'd post this because it's the older story (or the one I started first, anyhow).