A/N: Y'all went ballistic last chapter! Yes, well, I'm going to make you more ballistic HAHAHA

Also holy schnaps! 30+ reviews in the last chapter *insert incoherent noises here*. I love you all so much, you have no idea how much you've made me happy huhu

Thank you so much to my lovely Beta, lozipozivanillabean!

Enjoy :)

xvii.

sweetheart, you look a little tired

(Two by Sleeping at Last)

February 14, 1977

"I give up."

Regulus angrily pushed the bundles of parchment on the library table and glared at them liked they'd committed a great offense. Hermione blearily looked up from the notes she was taking and knitted her eyebrows.

"Already?" she asked, briefly glancing at her wristwatch. "You haven't been here for an hour yet."

He irately crammed his things inside his designer satchel and scowled. "I feel like my brain is going to burst," he complained, pausing his attack just to glare at his colour-coded schedule. "If I study for another minute, I swear I'm going to burn something down."

He looked so incensed it was comical and Hermione had to fight back a grin. It wasn't every day a person could see Regulus Black so flustered and out-of-sorts. Judging from the gapes from the three Ravenclaws sitting on the table behind them, Hermione was sure they were bewildered by the Black heir's breakdown too.

"I'm going," he gruffly said, already standing up from his seat and shouldering his satchel.

"But the schedule—"

"Fuck the schedule," he cursed. He turned on his heel and marched out of the library, none-too-gently closing the doors behind him.

"Well, would you look at that," Alex drawled, craning her neck to look at Hermione with a wide grin. "Who knew Regulus Black's feathers could actually get ruffled, eh?"

Michelle slumped down on her table and groaned. "He's bloody right, though," she complained. "If I study for another minute, I might start a fire or something."

"Maybe, we should call it a day," Dorothy offered as she glanced at her wristwatch.

Hermione's eyes widened. "What? Already?" she asked, a tad panicky. "But the schedule—"

"Fuck the schedule," Alex echoed with a small smirk. "Besides, it's Valentine's Day! Don't you have a date with a handsome boy today, Hermione?"

The bushy-haired witch knitted her eyebrows. "It's Valentine's Day?" she asked, grabbing onto her colour-coded schedule. She had been so distracted by the neon green highlighting of her Herbology study lessons that she hadn't even realised what the date was.

"Do you have a date?" Michelle asked the blonde witch, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"I wish," Alex said with a scoff, tossing her silky blonde hair over her shoulders. "Boys in our year are such buffoons. Regulus Black is the dreamiest of them all, and he doesn't even know my name, even though we've been studying with him for weeks."

"Except Hermione's," Dorothy pointed out with a smirk.

"Except Hermione's," Michelle echoed with a sigh.

Hermione scrunched her nose at their glinting eyes. "We're just study partners," she corrected. "Why are you so adamant that something's going on between us?"

"Are you sure there's nothing going on between you?" Dorothy asked with a wicked grin. "Regulus Black is notorious in the Slytherin House as someone who never associates himself with people who aren't Pureblood. Granted, you're Half-Blood, Hermione, but your best friend is a Muggle-born and you hang out with the Marauders! You're everything Regulus Black shouldn't associate with and yet, he always seeks you out."

The brunette could already feel a headache forming. "Think whatever you want, blimey," she said with an exasperated glance at her Ravenclaw friends.

"Speaking of the Marauders," Alex said with a hopeful glint in her eyes. "Is Sirius Black dating someone?"

"Marlene McKinnon, I suppose," Hermione said, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. "Why?"

Alex made a face. "Shame," she said with a sigh. "How about Remus Lupin?"

"None as of the moment," the brunette said, her eyes already straying back to her parchment.

"Mmhmm, okay, noted," the blonde said with a faraway look on her face. "So, James Potter is off-limits, of course, since he only has his eyes on Lily… so that leaves your brother?"

"You're interested in my brother too?" Hermione asked with wide eyes.

The blonde girl merely shrugged. "He grew a little taller over the summer and he's shed that cute baby fat," she explained. "He's nice to look at too, you know."

Hermione grimaced. "I'd rather not know, thank you very much," she said. "But I think he fancies Mary MacDonald and— why are we talking about boys instead of studying again?" Hermione flustered a bit, realising she was gossiping about her Gryffindor friends, and glowered at the other girls.

"It's Valentine's Day," Michelle simply stated, as if that answer explained her question perfectly.

"Right," Hermione said with a sigh.

"Come on, Hermione, let's have a break today. Dumbledore cancelled all the classes after all," Dorothy said, grasping onto Hermione's arm to stop her furious scribbling. "My mother sent me a box of chocolates and Alex smuggled some wine from the kitchens, so you know, we can hang out in our dormitory and talk about boys and how ridiculous they are."

"I don't like talking about boys," Hermione snorted.

"Talk about Arithmancy then, Merlin's balls!" Alex exclaimed with an amused smile. "Just as long as we don't spend the rest of our time here in the library. It's bloody depressing. Come on, Hermione!"

The brunette hesitated, her headache already pounding. She knew she needed to rest, but she also knew she'd get terribly uncomfortable if she didn't finish her studying for today. "Maybe later," she answered as compensation. She smiled when the girls looked disappointed. "Look, you can go on without me. I'll catch up later."

"Sure?" Dorothy asked with a sigh. "The chocolates Mum sent are insanely delicious, honest."

"It's fine," Hermione said with a laugh. "Besides, I love toffees more than any kind of chocolates."

Alex made a face. "Who likes toffees more than chocolate?" she said.

"I do," the brunette retorted, slightly offended.

"Are you really sure, Hermione?" Michelle tentatively asked. "We can… well, we can wait for you before we hang out in our dormitory?"

She thought it was sweet how they wanted to wait for her. But, she'd seen the disappointment on their faces and she didn't want them to have any negative feelings today. It was Valentine's Day after all and if anyone in this school deserved a break today, it would be Hermione Pettigrew's study partners.

"I'll be fine," Hermione reassured. "You go on without me. I promise I'll head back soon."

The three girls exchanged glances before Dorothy sighed. "All right," she said. They started gathering their things and stood up from their seats. "But please, Hermione, don't study yourself crazy today, yeah? It's Valentine's Day. Love yourself a little."

Hermione laughed and nodded her head, waving goodbye as her Housemates left.

Once they were gone, Hermione's hand climbed up to her head once more and gave it a massage. The pounding headache persisted, prompting Hermione to sigh. Her forehead connected with the wooden table as she tightly closed her eyes.

'Only a few more pages, Hermione,' she thought to herself.

James was mentally listing everything that was going to happen later at dinner. His elaborate plan to yet again woo Lily Evans seemed solid enough. Remus reckoned there was less obnoxiousness now and Sirius firmly agreed that James sounded earnest, whatever the hell that meant anyway. Peter, as usual, just agreed with whatever the majority agreed with, and with a tired sigh, James knew he shouldn't trust his best friends' opinions. Besides Sirius, they were pants with wooing a girl. Peter still had trouble confessing to Mary MacDonald and Remus seemed much more interested with reading than catching a girl's eyes. Sirius wasn't exactly a stellar mentor either, because he was notorious for his flings and a not-so-serious relationship with Marlene McKinnon.

So, he knew there was only one solution to his current predicament: ask Hermione.

It was her who had told him he had to change tactics in wooing Lily after all. Maybe she'd give more insightful suggestions on how he could pull off his Valentine's plan for tonight.

Thus, knowing Hermione, he knew she'd be tucked away somewhere in the library, madly studying about her upcoming OWLs. He just hoped she would be alone, or without Regulus Black really. The ugly feelings that climbed from his stomach and wrapped tightly around his heart were still fresh in his mind. James was still unsure as to why seeing Regulus with Hermione that day had evoked such ferocious feelings in him. Sure, he had been a bastard to his brother, and anyone who picked on his best friends was already on his bad list. But still, the ugly feelings unnerved him and he had vowed to steer clear from the library ever since, in fear of becoming irrationally angry once again.

He shook his head and got rid of such thoughts when he finally arrived in front of the library doors. Before he could enter, the doors burst open. Three fifth year girls came out and he instantly recognised them as Hermione's Ravenclaw classmates.

"Hey!" he called out.

They halted and glanced at him, surprise evident on their faces.

"Is Hermione inside?" he asked, suddenly feeling uncomfortable under their curious gazes.

"She's inside," the girl with ebony hair replied, a small smile on her face. "Still studying."

"I think she's trying to kill herself," a pretty blonde replied with a flourished eye roll, prompting James to grin.

"Alex," the brown-haired girl said reproachfully. She apologetically glanced at him and smiled. "Tell Hermione she needs to take a break. She didn't listen to us so maybe she'll listen to you, James."

It still perturbed him how people knew his name when he didn't even know theirs. He gave them a hesitant smile for thanks and bid them goodbye. James then quickly went inside and scanned the whole library for Hermione.

He easily spied her near one of the humongous windows. He quirked an eyebrow when he saw her bent down on the table, her crazy curls a messy halo around her head. James cautiously approached the brunette, wondering if she was resting.

He furtively looked around, trying to see if anyone was watching him. Satisfied that he was left alone, James inserted his hand inside his robe pocket and fished out a toffee candy. She did say she was a toffee kind of girl, so she wouldn't appreciate a Chocolate Frog. He had bought a lot of Chocolate Frogs last Hogsmeade weekend for his Valentine's plan for Lily, but then added a few toffees as an afterthought – for Hermione.

James gingerly placed it on the table and slid it closer to the resting brunette. He almost yelped in surprise when Hermione suddenly lifted her head and stared at him suspiciously. His eyes instantly latched on the bright, red spot on her forehead, before travelling towards her dishevelled hair. He bit back a laugh, remembering how his father had wondered how much Sleekeazy's Hermione would need to tame her hair after the brunette had left their Manor. Euphemia and James thought one tub was enough but Fleamont, with a boisterous laugh, bet she would need two. Seems he had won the better, if what Hermione had told him back at the Shrieking Shack was true.

"James?" she asked, cutting him off from his musings.

"Hi," he greeted. His right hand twitched and ran through his hair before he could even stop it. "I brought you something."

She blearily glanced at the single toffee on the table and blinked. "Oh," she said dumbly. Her blue eyes landed back on him. "Thanks."

His eyes narrowed suspiciously at how unnaturally glassy her eyes were. The dark, half-moons under her eyes were more prominent too. The younger witch didn't look well at all.

"When was the last time you ate?" he asked with a frown.

"Hmm?" she absentmindedly asked, grabbing onto the toffee and removing it from its wrapper. "Yesterday dinner, I think."

"What?!" he exclaimed. "Lunchtime is almost over, Whiskers. You have to eat."

She dismissively waved the toffee in the air. "I'm eating," she interjected, popping the toffee inside her mouth. The brunette instantly closed her eyes and expelled a soft, little sigh that made his head spin. Her face was a picture of pure bliss and James found his throat drying up at the sight. His lower abdomen twitched uncomfortably and horrified, he immediately looked away lest he started conjuring sinful thoughts.

"What are you doing here?" she asked after some chewing and sucking.

James took a deep, shuddering breath and glanced upward, thinking that life was being purposively cruel to him.

"Never mind why I'm here," he said, running a frustrated hand through his hair. After composing himself, he glanced back at Hermione and frowned. "You haven't been taking care of yourself."

She mirrored his frown. "I might have skipped some meals today but I'm still taking care of myself," she cried defensively.

James sighed and pulled out the chair across from Hermione. She stared at him dubiously but he ignored her and instead grabbed onto her colour-coded schedule. As his eyes scanned the parchment, they steadily grew in incredulity. "Do you want to die early?" he ground out.

Affronted, she immediately snatched her schedule away and hugged it against her chest. "What's wrong with my schedule?" she petulantly asked.

"What is wrong— are you kidding me?" James scanned the library, trying to catch any sign of the fiery redhead he'd come to like for the past couple of years. "Where's Lily? Or, Merlin, even Snape? Why aren't they supervising your studying?"

Hermione snorted. "I don't need any supervision," she hotly shot back. "And, as for my best friends… well…" She frowned as realisation dawned. "Come to think of it, I don't know where they are either. Huh."

James could already feel a headache forming. His hand climbed up to his temples and rubbed to ease the pain. "There's no helping it then," he said with a humongous sigh. He leant back against his chair and pierced her with a glare. "Wrap everything up because you're going to the Great Hall to eat lunch, Pettigrew."

"Later," she replied with an eye roll. "I'm almost done, promise. Besides, I'm not even that hungry. I ate some biscuits before coming to the library."

"Blimey, you're exasperating," he exclaimed. "How was Peter able to survive living with such a stubborn witch?"

The corner of her lips twitched upward. "I think about that too sometimes," she replied.

A laugh escaped from James's lips. "At this rate, you're going to die early, Hermione. No kidding," he said.

"Nobody would die just because they're studying hard," she pointed out.

James unabashedly snorted. "I wouldn't be surprised if you were the first one to achieve that."

Hermione's studying had stretched out way beyond lunchtime. James was thankful he had eaten something before seeking out the brunette. He tried to persuade her once more that she should at least take a break, but Hermione had snapped at him that she wanted to finish her study schedule for today before she left the library. He had tried to be persistent, but Hermione had started waving her wand vigorously in his direction, threatening to hurtle another Bat-Bogey Hex his way.

Knowing it was futile, James sighed and left her alone. It seemed like Hermione wasn't done yet, and he decided he should at least get himself preoccupied whilst waiting for her, by finishing his homework.

"I'm going to get my things," he told her. "Might as well finish my Potions essay."

"Hmm?" she distractedly said, her eyes not leaving the parchment on the table as she furiously scribbled away. Her eyebrows were knitted together in deep concentration, creases on her forehead already. She was relentlessly nibbling her bottom lip and he swore her hair had grown more voluminous since he came in a few hours ago.

"Merlin, you're mental," he sighed, standing up from his seat with a bemused smile on his face. "Don't die while I'm gone, Hermione."

"All right," she deadpanned and he knew full well that his words hadn't even registered in her overactive brain.

James snickered and slipped out of the library.

As he continued his short trek towards the Gryffindor Tower, James remembered he still hadn't consulted Hermione about the Valentine's Day plan he was going to pull that night. He already had this inkling she'd relentlessly berate him, because honestly, it was a bit ridiculous now that he properly thought about it. The corners of his mouth twitched into a smile, already imagining how her curls would increase in volume by her sheer, crackling magic. Merlin, she was definitely terrifying when she wanted to be. And mesmerising too, thinking how he was sometimes unable to look away from her.

Catching his thoughts, James's eyebrows slowly knitted together in bothersome confusion. He would be lying if he said he hadn't thought about Hermione often since the start of the school year. Although their study sessions had lessened since she was busy with her OWLs, James usually found himself unintentionally seeking her out on the Ravenclaw table, wondering if she had finally taken a break and eaten her meals on time. He had even sometimes found himself sauntering into the library, his hazel eyes scanning for her bushy curls, wondering if she remembered that curfew was approaching.

It was disconcerting, to say the least, because he couldn't seem to get her out of his head. He still found Lily Evans unbelievably pretty, of course. Since she came back from summer, she'd grown more beautiful, her form already moulded into a certain feminine softness that even the other wizards couldn't help but look at. But Hermione… Hermione's hair looked rich and golden brown, her eyes still clear and bright like the blue skies he loved so much, and he often found himself trying to connect the freckled dots on her nose, wondering what image he could conjure.

He was grateful the redhead kept on sitting beside Hermione, because he now had a decent excuse as to why he kept on looking at the Ravenclaw table during meal times. He was grateful Lily sometimes kept Hermione company while studying in the library, because he then had a decent excuse as to why he kept on visiting the library.

At night, whilst he laid awake on his bed and stared unseeingly up at the canopy, there was a ridiculous voice - tiny and easily trampled down - that would mercilessly tease him that perhaps, perhaps, pursuing Lily Evans was already a waste of time.

That perhaps, perhaps he didn't like Lily Evans anymore.

But it was so preposterous! And before the voice grew boisterous and persistent, James would firmly tell himself that his Lily flower was the only person in his heart. There wasn't room for anyone else, no matter how ridiculously bushy her hair was, or how soft and warm her pink, pink lips…

'No, no, not that again,' he moaned internally. One thing he still secretly repeated in his mind, over and over and over again, was the feeling of her lips pressed against his. He knew it was brief since he was the one who had immediately pulled away, but those brief seconds had shaken him to his very core and it was insane. That, added with the traitorous memory of her happily eating the toffee, emitting little breathy sighs and sounds of wondrous delight that should be bloody fucking illegal, meant trouble.

His thoughts were interrupted when fiery red hair and emerald eyes caught his attention. His mind registered it was Lily and he distractedly greeted her with a small smile and a "Hey, Evans."

It was only when he reached the end of the corridor when he realised it was Lily Evans who had passed by him. James skidded to a halt and turned around, her name on the tip of his tongue, but he clamped his lips tight when Lily was also looking at him with wide, disbelieving eyes.

The redhead slowly narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Are you brewing a huge prank or something?" she asked with a frown.

"What? No!" he exclaimed almost immediately.

The suspicion on her face was completely replaced by confusion. "No?" she echoed, her eyebrows now knitting together. "Are you sick, Potter?"

He could feel his cheeks heating up. "No," he hotly replied, trying to come up with some obnoxious love declaration for the pretty redhead across from him. But strangely, his head was still too muddled with thoughts of Hermione that he couldn't come up with a decent, cheesy pick-up line.

Lily now looked downright flabbergasted as her jaw dropped. James felt uncomfortable under her gaze and was about to say goodbye, when Lily said, "Will this strange behaviour of yours continue?"

He felt mightily confused, so all he could do was nervously smile. "I don't know," he said, his hand climbing up to rub the nape of his neck. "I hope it won't."

"I hope it will," the redhead interjected with a laugh. "This is honestly infinitely better than your previous behaviour, you bloody toerag."

Lily then cocked her head to the side and observed him once more. James realised this was perhaps the longest conversation they had ever had, without him declaring his undying love for her and her telling him to piss off. "Later, Potter."

She then turned on her heel and walked away, her bright, red hair swaying prettily on her back.

James stared and waited for the fireworks. He stared a little longer, a little harder, and waited for the fuzziness in his brain to appear, or the wild fluttering in his heart.

But they were gone, all gone, and James found himself gaping at her back in disbelief.

The journey back to the Gryffindor Tower was a blur for James. His mind was still filled with the startling revelation that he didn't like Lily Evans anymore. He was just thankful he didn't see any familiar faces along the way, because he sure as hell knew he wouldn't be able to answer any questions coherently.

James stopped right at the doors of the library and sighed. He removed his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose, willing himself to stop thinking for now. There would be plenty of days to ponder these things. For now, he just wanted to finish his essay in peace.

He blindly meandered through the tables and walked towards the direction of Hermione's table. He only wore his glasses once more when her blurry, bushy hair was nearer.

He came to a sudden halt when he realised Hermione was fast asleep. Her head was buried on her arms, her face directed away from the window. Her bushy curls were splayed messily on top of the table and there was this errant curl that kept on brushing against her nose. Hermione's face scrunched up, obviously uncomfortable.

James sighed in relief since she finally had her much-needed break. He quietly placed his things on top of the table and was about to sit down on the chair, when he noticed that Hermione was really annoyed by the strand brushing against her face.

The Gryffindor scanned the room to see if anyone would see what he was about to do. After realising he and Hermione were practically alone in the library, James crept closer to the brunette and crouched down so his eyes were level with her sleeping face.

He gingerly grasped the curl and brushed it behind her ear. Her face instantly cleared, the discomfort gone, and James found himself unable to stop a ridiculous grin from growing.

Up close, he was able to see her freckles and realised that if he had observed long enough, the dots could create the constellation, Cassiopeia. Her thick lashes brushed gently against the top of her cheek and her lips were slightly parted, blowing puffs of air that warmed his cheek.

His grin faltered as his finger unconsciously fell on her cheeks and traced Cassiopeia. Hermione released a breathy sigh that made him thickly swallow. His eyes were then magnetised to her pink lips, and the feeling of pressing his own lips against them resurfaced in his mind once more. They looked as soft and warm as they had felt and what if… what if he leant just close enough and found out if they still felt the same…

He withdrew as if electrocuted.

The fireworks. The staring. The fuzziness. The fluttering.

All of them drew up like a tidal wave as he shakily stood up and sat on the chair across from the slumbering brunette.

All the feelings he had been expecting to appear when looking at Lily Evans a while ago were present right now, all evoked by merely staring at Hermione's face. These feelings were quite different too, because the feelings he had felt for Lily always appeared gradually, stacking up one after the other, until he couldn't stop looking at her.

But with Hermione, they all drew up in a single force, drowning him deeper and deeper until he couldn't breathe and he had no choice but to stay still and let them wash over him and bring him back to shore.

He knew something in him had changed ever since he'd seen her taking care of Remus back at the Potter Manor. A change that grew monumental when he had given her that unintended kiss in front of the bonfire. And James had tried to dismiss the feelings away because they didn't make sense at all. Lily made sense, so he had latched onto his feelings for her and obsessively come up with new plans to woo the redhead.

But now, with his feelings for Lily simmered down into polite admiration… with his feelings for Hermione wreaking havoc in every recess of his body, James finally silenced everything inside him and listened intently to that tiny voice whispering words that finally made sense.

'You like Hermione,' it mercilessly teased. The voice grew louder and louder, until it was thunderous and its words were the only thing he could hear.

James shakily leaned his chin on top of his upturned palm and stared disbelieving at the oblivious, slumbering, breath-taking witch.

He liked Hermione Pettigrew.

Bloody fucking hell, Peter was going to kill him.

Hermione bolted upright, realising she wasn't reading. Panicked, she glanced at the textbook in front of her and only marginally calmed down when she noted she had finished her study coverage for the day.

A soft yawn tore away from her lips as she glanced outside, surprised that it was already night time.

"Had a good nap?"

She flinched in surprise as her blue eyes landed on the wizard sitting opposite her. James was idly scratching words on parchment, his eyes trained intently on his essay. Hermione was a bit surprised he had stayed and had actually diligently done his homework. She honestly expected him to be gone and to have left her alone, especially when she was tetchy a while ago.

"How long was I asleep?" she asked, rubbing the sleep out of her right eye.

"Long enough to cure your headache," was his mere answer.

She suspiciously glanced at him, noting how the corner of his mouth twitched into a small smile. James, however, still hadn't looked up from the parchment.

Hermione reluctantly tore her gaze away from him and looked at her watch. She noted it was already seven in the evening.

"Have you eaten dinner?" she asked.

James quietly shook his head.

The brunette thoughtfully nibbled her lower lip and glanced at her colour-coded schedule. She still had one essay to finish today and she could really finish it fast if she put her mind into it. But she was admittedly hungry, and she doubted that James would leave the library if she chose to stay. Despite her skipping meals, she didn't want her friends doing that too.

"I'm hungry," she announced, already coming to a decision. James's quill stilled. "We should get dinner."

"All right," he answered as he pulled out his wand and waved their things away. He stood up from his seat and grasped both of their bags. "Come on."

Hermione looked at his back in confusion, wondering why he was suddenly acting all distant. She dispelled such thoughts when her stomach started protesting.

He was silent as they journeyed towards the Great Hall. Hermione debated whether she should initiate some small talk, but thought otherwise in the end. Although her mind was clearer this time after her well-deserved nap, she didn't trust herself from spouting words to James that might fluster her.

The Great Hall was already abuzz with hungry students when they arrived. Hermione blinked in amazement, noting the silly red and pink hearts strewn across the walls. There were zooming cupids in the air, crooning love songs she didn't recognise.

"Right, Valentine's Day," she unconsciously murmured, rolling her eyes when she spied house-elves running around and giving away one-stemmed red roses.

Hermione was about to bid him goodbye and walk towards the Ravenclaw table, but James steered her towards the Gryffindor table instead.

"Hermione!" Sirius exclaimed. "You're still alive!"

"Of course I am," she sighed with a petulant frown. Her eyes landed on the table, prompting her nose to scrunch up in disgust. There were overflowing chocolate fondues with various biscuits and fruits surrounding them. There were heart-shaped meat pies, pink pumpkin juices, and other Valentine's Day-themed food served on the table. "The house-elves sure didn't hold back."

"I love Valentine's Day the most," Sirius declared with a dramatic sigh.

From beside him, Remus snorted. "Of course you would, you wanker," the werewolf said, shoving Sirius away when his arm obscured his vision of his plate.

"Hey, James," Peter started, "what about your plan for Lil—"

"Your sister hasn't eaten since breakfast," James then said, cutting Peter off from whatever he was saying.

A chorus of horrified 'what!' erupted in their group, and three pairs of arms were suddenly pulling her down on the Gryffindor bench.

"Hermione," Peter reprimanded, worry in his eyes. "You should really take care of yourself!"

"You can't skip meals, Whiskers," Sirius tutted, already grabbing a plate and piling various kinds of food onto it for her to devour. "Your brain also needs food, blimey."

"Breaks are important," Remus sighed, filling her glass with the ridiculous pink pumpkin juice. "You can't afford to pass out during your OWLs, you know."

Hermione softly laughed at their mothering, her heart warming in fondness for their obvious worry for her. "I'm fine, guys, honest," she said, grabbing onto her utensils to start digging into her meat pie. Peter kept on cajoling her to take another bite. Remus kept on refiling her glass. Sirius kept piling food onto her plate. James was strangely silent the whole time, but his lips were stretched into a warm smile.

To her dismay, however, he still hadn't looked at her.

By the time she was full, most of the students were already retiring back to their dormitories. The house-elves were starting to vanish the flying cupids and the heart streamers.

"Don't you dare go back to the library," her brother warned, hauling her gently onto her feet. James still had her bag hanging on his shoulders. The Marauders had formed a ridiculous circle around her, barring her from escaping.

"I still have an essay to finish," she grumbled.

"I'm sure the deadline isn't tomorrow," Remus guessed with a slightly exasperated smile. "You'll live if you skip it tonight, Hermione."

"But—" Four glares glanced her way, prompting Hermione to sigh in defeat. "Fine," she said. "I'm going to retire to my dormitories then."

"Good kitten," Sirius said, reaching forward to pat the crown of her head. She batted his arm away with a small scowl.

"Shite!" Peter suddenly exclaimed, drawing to a halt. He directed his huge, blue eyes to James. "We forgot about your Valentine's plan for Lily!"

Sirius and Remus also paused in their walking and glanced at James, looks of panic on their faces.

James nervously ruffled his hair and smiled tentatively at his friends. "It was stupid anyway," he deliberately said. "There's always next time."

"Aww, but we put so much effort into it," Sirius complained.

Remus snorted. "Which would still go to waste if Evans chose to storm away," he pointed out, as Peter nodded his head to concur.

Hermione wondered what this elaborate plan had been, that required so much effort from the Marauders, and why in Merlin's rotting teeth James had chosen not to execute it. He had never really paused to think whether his plans were stupid or not before.

She sneaked another glance at James, but as usual, he wasn't looking at her.

The boys were gracious enough to escort her back to the Ravenclaw Tower. Sirius and Remus were already busy cracking the riddle spoken by the eagle-shaped door knocker as Peter drew her into a tight hug and warned her to take everything easy.

"Here," James said, sliding the strap of her bag off his shoulder to extend it towards her.

"Thanks," she murmured, pulling her bag away. She tentatively glanced at him once more and was surprised to see that James was finally looking at her. His eyes almost looked brown under the dim lights of the corridor. James was wearing a small, warm smile on his face when he bid her good night and turned on his heel.

"Goodnight, Whiskers," Sirius murmured, playfully ruffling her hair, before swinging both of his arms over Remus and Peter's shoulders.

She shouted her good night and watched as they walked away.

Just before they disappeared around a corner, James looked over his shoulder and gave her a secret smile that made her breath hitch.

A/N: Very gentle reminder that this story is still slow burn-y so prepare to be a bit frustrated hehe. But yay, look at that, James finally stopped being in denial!

Next chapter wraps up Hermione's fifth year! Now, we can finally move on to her sixth year and oh boy, what a wild year it will be.

That's it for now! I love you all so much. You've been really kind with your words and it warms my heart. And I especially love love love hearing about how you find time to read my updates during your breaks. It's insane how diverse your backgrounds and careers are! I hope you're all happy, healthy and safe. Y'all are the best! :)

With love,
WickedlyAwesomeMe

P.S. Follow me on tumblr (kimmy-writes)! We can totally fangirl over there ahahahaha.