A/N: Sorry for the long wait. The muse is back, so I promise, updates will be happening more regularly. (I'm thinking bi-weekly). Enjoy. xoxo

Disclaimer: The characters and canon situations in the following story belong solely to JK Rowling, Scholastic and WB. I am not making any money from the publishing or writing of this story.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Hermione rushed through the hallways, shouting Sirius's name. He has to be here! I heard his screams… I know he's here somewhere. Oh, please let him be all right. The words tumbled through her mind repeatedly.

She skidded to a stop in front of a cell and pushed inside. She cursed when she realised she didn't have a wand so she couldn't see very well. "Sirius?" she asked tentatively. "Are you in here?"

A groan answered her.

"Sirius!" she cried as she rushed forward. Her hands groped in the dark, and she came in contact with a body. She moved her hands around and recognised that the body she was touching was her husband's. "Sirius, can you hear me? I'm going to get you out of here." She began to pull on his chains, trying to free him. A frustrated cry tore from her lips, and a burst of magic exploded outwards from her body. Sirius fell to the floor with a thud, causing Hermione to realise that she had performed accidental magic.

"What happened?" Ron asked, panting in the doorway. "How did you free him without a wand?"

Tonks appeared moments later and cast a Lumos charm.

"I don't know," Hermione answered, trying to sit Sirius up. "Sirius? Sirius, can you hear me?"

He groaned. His clothing was stained with blood and a feeling a dread sunk into the pit of her stomach.

"Oh, Sirius," she moaned, tears in her eyes. "Please, please wake up. Please be all right."

Sirius reached up and cupped her face. "Hermione?"

"Yes," she said quickly. "Sirius, it's me. It's all right. I'm going to get you out of here."

"I…" he trailed off, a painful moan escaping his lips.

"Sirius? Sirius, what is it?" Hermione asked, panic in her voice. "Sirius?"

"I— I can't see."

Hermione's heart stopped. She felt as if she couldn't breathe at that very moment. "Sirius? What do you mean?"

"I mean I can't see anything."

"We… We need to get you out of here," Hermione said, trying to get him to stand. She pushed down the panic that was spreading throughout her body. She quickly grew numb, feeling as if she was going to be sick at any moment. "Come on… you need to go to St. Mungo's."

"Not St. Mungo's," Remus said. "Apparate to Hogwarts. Bring him to Madame Pomfrey. She'll be able to look at him. I don't think St. Mungo's is safe. We can't risk it."

"Okay," Hermione said, nodding. She stood, only to fall to her feet when the entire manor shook. She looked up, eyes full of worry as she met Ron's gaze.

"Go," Ron said quickly. He handed her a spare wand he had gotten from Tonks.

"But what about you?" Hermione asked, helping Sirius fully to his feet. She staggered under his weight. "Come with us, Ron. You need to get looked at, too."

Ron shook his head, a determined look on his face. "I'm going upstairs to fight. Harry is going to need me."

"Then he'll need me too!" Hermione cried, tears now fully streaming down her face. "I have to help him. He needs me… He needs me." She felt as if her world was crashing down around her. Glancing at her husband, Hermione had never felt more torn in her entire life.

"Shhh," Sirius croaked. "Don't cry, love."

"Hermione, you're not thinking clearly," Remus said, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder. He looked at her, pity in his eyes. "Sirius needs you right now. The two of you should get out of here while you can. We'll be fine, all right? You needn't worry."

The building shook once more, and rubble began to fall. Smoke filled the hallway and voices could be heard.

"But I…" she began to protest.

"Now!" Remus shouted at her, as three Death Eaters entered their hallway. He began to duel, Tonks and Ron following him. Wands flashed as the battle began.

"Okay," she whispered to herself. She tightened her grip on Sirius. "Hold on tight."

"Focus, love," Sirius whispered, putting all of his weight onto her. "I don't want you to splinch us."

Hermione closed her eyes, nodding. Holding him tightly, she focused as she turned on the spot.

They landed in a tumbled heap on the floor. Hermione let out a cry, intense pain radiating from her left leg. Looking down, she realised she had splinched herself.

"Merlin, Hermione!" Sirius shouted, reaching around blindly for her.

"Mrs Black!" Madam Pomfrey shouted, running towards them. A horrified expression appeared on her face. "What happened? How in Merlin's name did you Apparate past the Hogwarts's wards?"

"Malfoy Manor," Hermione gritted. "Please, Madam Pomfrey, see to Sirius. His wounds are more severe than mine." She attempted to sit upright on the floor and separated herself from him.

"No, Hermione," Sirius shouted. "No, no, leave me!" he protested, reaching for her.

Hermione watched as Sirius struggled to push Madam Pomfrey away. "Stun him," Hermione whispered. "He'll stop fighting if we knock him out."

"Mrs Black, I am not in the habit of stunning my patients," Madame Pomfrey said, looking affronted.

"Please," she whispered, still crying. "It's the only way he'll stop fighting."

Madam Pomfrey seemed to understand what Hermione was getting at. Pulling out her wand, she subdued the fighting, thrashing Sirius so she could get him into a bed.

Hermione watched before closing her eyes. She had started feeling very weak and could no long sit upright. She promptly fainted.

hr

Hermione groggily opened her eyes. Looking around, she noticed that she was tucked into one of the beds in the hospital wing, wearing a white gown. She cringed as she sat up a bit.

"Hermione?"

Turning, she saw Sirius lying in the bed next to her. "Sirius," she whispered, her heart racing. "Are you okay?" When he didn't respond, Hermione felt tears well up in her eyes. "Sirius? Please, talk to me."

"I still can't see."

She swallowed, the lump in her throat not going away. "You… You can't see?" She watched as Sirius shook his head. "I…"

"It may or may not be permanent," Sirius said quietly. He sounded tired. "Poppy doesn't know yet. We just have to wait and see."

Hermione nodded, taking it in. Her lower lip wobbled as she tried to fight her tears once more. "I… you'll be fine, Sirius."

He scoffed angrily. "Do you think so? I'm fucking blind, Hermione. That doesn't sound fine to me." His words were bitter.

She cringed at the harsh tone in his voice but nodded. She understood his frustration and anger. "It will be fine," she pressed. "Regardless of whether your sight comes back or not, we made it out of there alive. We made it out together." She paused to wipe away some tears. "I don't know about you, but I'm thankful that I'm alive. I'm thankful that you're alive."

"But—"

"Stop complaining," she said harshly, closing her eyes as the tears fell more quickly. "You could have died. I thought you were dead." She sobbed, wishing she could curl up into a ball. Her bandaged leg, however, prevented that. "I saw you chained up to the wall and after hearing your screams, I thought the worse. My heart stopped, Sirius. A million thoughts went through my mind, and the only thing I could do was try and get you out of there. I know that you can't see, but at least you're alive." She paused, taking a moment to try and steady her breathing. "I don't… I don't even know about Ron or Harry. Or Remus, Tonks… Even Professor Dumbledore. They're all there fighting, and I have no idea if I'll ever see any of them again." She closed her eyes, her heart thumping loudly in her chest. "So, Sirius, you're alive. You'll be fine. We'll be fine, okay? And don't you dare say we won't be."

There was a silence before Sirius cursed. "Merlin, Hermione, I didn't mean to upset you. I just… I'm angry, all right? I fucking fell for the trap that Malfoy had set up. I put myself in danger, and I failed. And now… Now you're stuck with a husband who might be handicapped for the rest of his life."

"It's not the end of the world," Hermione said gently, biting her lower lip. "There are lots of devices in the Muggle world that can help with blindness. I know it'll be difficult to adjust to, but we'll get through it. I'll be there every step of the way, Sirius. You having a handicap won't change how I feel about you. I love you."

"I love you," Sirius returned, his voice cracking. "Shite, I'm sorry, Hermione. I let my temper get the best of me. None of this is your fault."

"It isn't your fault either," Hermione replied. "We'll just wait and see, okay? We'll deal with whatever happens together."

"Together," Sirius repeated. He sighed. "Are you all right? Madame Pomfrey said you passed out from loss of blood. You splinched yourself as you Apparated us both out of there."

"I don't remember," Hermione responded. "I watched her get you onto a bed and then I got dizzy. Next thing I knew, I was waking up in bed."

"Does your leg hurt?" Sirius asked. "Are you comfortable?"

"As comfortable as I can be." Hermione gave him a small smile, her smile slipping from her face as she realised he couldn't see it. Her heart ached. "My leg still hurts, though. Are you okay?"

"A few broken ribs," he said, "But she's mended me up for the most part."

"And that was no easy feat," Madam Pomfrey said, coming over to check them both. She looked at Sirius's vitals before moving to Hermione. When she finished, she smiled at them both. "You'll both live."

"That's a relief," Sirius said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "I'm so glad we won't die."

Hermione shot him a glare before realising yet again; he wouldn't see it. "It is a relief, Sirius. There's no need to be rude to her. Madam Pomfrey saved both of our lives. You should thank her."

Sirius sighed, knowing that Hermione was right. "Thank you, Poppy, for patching us both up."

Madam Pomfrey gave him a warm smile. "You always were my favourite out of the bunch. But don't tell Remus."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Sirius retorted.

"Have you heard anything from anyone else?" Hermione asked. It had been a few hours since the two of them had Apparated away from the manor. She wondered what in Merlin's name could be taking everyone so long. She could only hope that nothing bad had happened.

Madam Pomfrey shook her head. "Unfortunately not. However, I did notice something as I was doing a scan for you, Mrs Black. It seems that you're pregnant."

"Pregnant?" Sirius asked, his tone going up what seemed to be an octave.

Hermione fainted for the second time that day.