Hermione pretended not to notice the boys leave later that night. Remus had left after dinner, looking ready to crawl out of his skin rather than exhausted like her professor. Lily had interrogated James for fifteen or so minutes but he just gave her some excuse about having detention and being back late and not to wait up. She rolled her eyes and Hermione knew that she saw right through it.

"Hey," Hermione said softly, sitting down in the seat across from her. Lily had her books across the desk. Marlene and Alice had given up on their homework ages ago. The light from the moon was spilling into the Common Room

"Hi," Lily answered quietly. She was still a little rattled from the Slytherins though she was loathe to admit it.

"Want to talk about it?" Hermione took her own homework out. She had to put a conclusion on her Defense essay. Lily rubbed at her temples and put her quill down.

"No." They both turned their heads when they heard a howl outside. Lily sighed. "I hope they're alright."

"Who?" Lily looked at her surprised as if she didn't mean to say that out loud.

"Nothing. Have you finished your transfiguration essay?" Hermione nodded. "Can you help me when you're done? I just can't seem to figure out part of the theory."

"Sure. I could use a distraction." Another howl outside made both girls flinch. Hermione knew that if she went upstairs she wouldn't get a wink of sleep. Those howls would keep her up all night.

They hadn't been working long when Lily threw her quill down on the table again.

"I can't with this shit right now." Hermione raised her eyebrow at her but she completely understood. She had rewritten her conclusion four times.

"What's wrong?" Hermione wanted to know what she knew. Lily put her head down on the table.

"Everything honestly. Jonas hasn't come back. He is such a nice kid and I can't imagine what he's going through. Things are getting so bad out there and people aren't doing anything about it!" Hermione tried not to cringe. She was trying. "We need to be out there, stopping them! We need to stop them before they get that stupid mark on their arm."

Hermione knew who she was talking about.

"Snape?" Hermione wanted to tell her that it was the love that he had for her that saved her sons life.

"No." With a big sigh she changed her mind. "Yes. He is making all the wrong choices, so many of them are. I just want to make a difference for my family and whatever kind of family that I have in the future." Hermione's heart clenched in her chest. Harry.

"I'll help you," Hermione told her. "Whatever we have to do to create a better future, we'll do it together." She didn't mean for it to be such a profound statement but she was hurting and felt useless. If she could give Lily just some kind of comfort then at least she was helping in some way. There was no way the Fidelus Charm was going to break. There was no way they were going to need it.

Lily smiled at her and grabbed her hand. Hermione didn't realize how fierce she had become or how far away. "Thanks Hermione." She nodded and looked out the window. She didn't know if it was her imagination or not but she thought she could see three big and one little shape wrestling through the trees.

oOoOo

The boys looked a hot mess in the morning. Sirius had a bruise under his left eye. Peter was sleeping, as usual, on the table. James was wincing as he sat down like he had some broken ribs.

"Whoa," Frank said, slapping Sirius on the back who sucked in a breath. "What happened to the other guy?"

"Let's just say he won't bother us again for awhile," James told him in a terrible attempt at a joke. Peter tried to laugh and then groaned.

"Where is the better part of you?" Marlene asked as she sat, dumping her bag down beside Lily. Hermione was sort of surprised that anyone was asking. How had she not figured it out yet?

"Grandma's sick," Sirius grumbled, "and I resent that." Marlene reached over and patted his cheek gently.

"You know I don't like better," she whispered to him. He grinned painfully up at her. "Are you guys all going to be okay for practice today?" she asked, shoving food into her mouth. Hermione raised her eyebrows. There was no way their interim keeper was going to be in any shape to play.

"No," James said grimacing again. Even Lily was looking at him in concern. "We'll make up for it tomorrow." Marlene narrowed her eyes at him but didn't press it. He must have looked too pathetic.

"Ooookay, Cap."

Lessons went by in slow motion. The boys were quiet which seemed to unsettle the professors more than when they were their rambunctious selves. Professor McGonagall particularly was concerned. She threatened to give them detention if they didn't start acting more suspicious.

Hermione considered going up to the hospital wing but had no idea how to go about it. She was supposed to believe the story that Remus was at home taking care of his grandmother. Showing up and finding him broken in bed wouldn't do her any good. She really needed to try and remember how to brew the Wolfsbane potion.

"Hermione?" Marlene was very close to her face. They had just had a surprisingly tame Defense lesson which was probably for the best. They were the only ones left and the boys. Pete had come to collect the other two. "Are you ready?"

"I'll meet you in the Common Room," Hermione said, rubbing her hand over her face. She needed to get it together. Marlene gave her a look but left her alone. She gathered up her stuff and walked by the boys, watching to see if they were going to say anything to her. They didn't seem to be in the mood for socializing and were waiting to talk until she left. As soon as she walked out the door, she heard it.

"Ugh, he kicked me so hard," James said, groaning as he moved. Hermione winced and peeked in through the hole in the door, feeling so guilty for listening. Sirius was sitting on a desk with his head in his hands. Peter moved to lay on the floor.

"What the hell was all that about? I honestly thought he was going to bite me." Sirius didn't look up when he said it and Hermione's stomach clenched.

"That was the worst full moon in a long time," Peter grumbled.

"Ever." The other two agreed. Hermione tried to hear the rest of what they were saying but it got too quiet. Judging by the conversation and how bad the boys looked, something had gone wrong. She wondered if it had anything to do with the meeting with the Slytherins earlier in the day.

Speaking of –

"Well look who is out and about by herself." The deep voice wasn't hard to pinpoint. It also wasn't surprising that he was still hanging around seeing as they had just had class together.

"Can I help you Nott?" Hermione asked him. She didn't look at him but if she did, she would have seen his eyebrows in his dark hair.

"Well, now that you mention it," he said. Hermione threw him a dark look that turned into one of surprise. He wasn't alone. There was a smaller boy with him, green tie loose around his neck but not ounce inelegant. He had gray eyes that so resembled his brothers but his hair was only just long enough to cover his forehead. At only fifteen it was amazing he was so tall.

Regulus Arcturus Black.

"Don't be crude," Hermione demanded. His mouth quirked up in a real smile.

"Who knew two Gryffindor women would have spines. Tell McKinnon when she's ready for a real man to come find me, will you?" Hermione didn't have anything to say to that. Regulus had barely looked up but followed after Nott without question.

Her breath left her in a whoosh.

She wasn't sure why the sight of him surprised her so much. When she laid out all the Horcruxes she knew that Regulus had been a big part of hiding and then retrieving the locket. It just didn't occur to her that it would happen so soon and that he was so young. Maybe there was more than person that she could save.