Chapter Two

"Does Missy Hermione need Kreacher for anything more?" the little elf sleepily asked Hermione as he set a large mug of hot chocolate down on the table before her.

Hermione shook her head as she clasped the mug in both of her hands, warming them instantly. "No, Kreacher. I apologise for waking you so late in the night." She gave the strange elf a cautious smile. "You can go back to sleep if you'd like."

"Kreacher will do that." The elf hobbled over to his cupboard tucked away in the back of the kitchen, pulled open the little door and slipped into the tiny room before closing the door with a snap.

Sitting in silence in the dimly lit kitchen of Grimmauld Place, Hermione pondered her new experience with the Black family house elf. Since dinner, when Walburga had ordered Kreacher to treat Hermione as if she were a pure-blood witch, the old elf had been almost pleasant.

It was a stark contrast to the house elf she had come to know the summer before her fifth year.

She blew on her steaming mug before taking a tentative sip of her drink. Savouring the rich chocolatey taste, Hermione unzipped her bum-bag that was on the table and pulled out her self-inking quill, notebook, and the locket that she and Dumbledore had found just prior to his death.

It was an almost nightly ritual for her to write out whatever it was that was keeping her awake. Sometimes she'd focus on her monumental task and all that it entailed, other times she'd merely write herself a list of supplies that she and the remaining Order members would need to purchase the next day.

It was a trick that she had learned from Remus shortly after Harry had publicly sided with Voldemort. The two of them would often sit in the kitchen of Shell Cottage or some other safe house in the middle of the night and chat with one another over steaming mugs of hot chocolate.

Hermione sniffed and wiped a stray tear from her cheek as she thought of her mentor. She clutched her quill and began to start another list, this time about Horcruxes.

1. Diary

2. Ring

3. Locket(?)

4. Unknown

5. Unknown

6. Unknown

7. Unknown

She frowned at the vague list before jotting down information that Dumbledore had imparted with her before his death.

- According to A.D., seven most likely. Why? Most powerful magical number. H.S. memory. Seven Hs or six plus T.R.? A.D. refused to answer...

- What? A.D. says that T.R. is obsessed with Hogwarts founders. Orphan - Hogwarts was home. Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor. Diary & Ring - personal to T.R.

- Where are they?

- How to destroy? Diary - Basilisk venom, Ring - unknown (A.D. didn't say…)

- How many are already created?

Peering at her list, Hermione tossed her down her quill in frustration and wrapped her arms around herself, thankful for her cozy jumper.

There were far too many unknowns for her liking. Too many questions without answers. Too many Albus Dumbledore secrets.

She knew he had theories about the various Horcruxes, yet he had treated it as if it were an academic test, and had refused to answer most of her questions during her sixth year. He had used Hermione's thirst for knowledge and love for her friends to get her to begin the hunt for the pieces of Voldemort's soul.

Hermione huffed to herself quietly as she grabbed her mug of hot chocolate. "Manipulative bastard," she muttered under her breath before taking a sip.

"Who's the manipulative bastard?"

Jerking slightly at the interruption to her thoughts, Hermione peered up at Sirius standing in the doorway wearing loose pajama bottoms and a Hobgoblins band t-shirt. "Just the headmaster," she said to him as she quickly tucked her notebook and quill back into her bum-bag.

Sirius padded over to her, sat down in the chair next to her and hummed noncommittally. "Couldn't sleep?" he asked, changing the topic as he eyed her bum-bag.

Hermione shook her head. "I've not slept very well for quite some time." In the months prior to her arriving in the past, there were far too many Death Eater raids in the dark of the night for her liking, resulting in her or Remus keeping watch through most of the night. It was a lesson they had all quickly learned after the devastating raid on the Burrow. "I had a mentor recommend that I write down what's keeping me awake." She paused. "He said that it was a way to organise my thoughts and keep me from feeling overwhelmed. He recommended hot chocolate as well," she murmured as an afterthought, grinning at Sirius. "Said it was the cure for many ailments."

Sirius had an amused expression on his face. "He sounds like someone I know. Someone clever."

"He was, yes." Hermione's fingers brushed along the rim of her mug. "One of the cleverest, kindest people I've ever known."

The sound of footsteps making their way down the stairs directly above them, caused the two of them to put a stop to their conversation. A moment later, Orion stepped into the basement kitchen wearing a full set of wizarding robes.

"Will this be a nightly occurrence, Miss Granger?" Lord Black asked her as he sat down at the head of the table after waving a hand to light the room further.

"M-my apologies sir." Hermione swallowed. "I've not been able to sleep through the night in quite some time."

She watched him as he nodded slowly at her explanation. His eyes dropped down to the locket still on the table, the one that Regulus had left behind in the cave.

"So you've decided to steal things that don't belong to you?" Orion raised a brow at her and gave her a subtle grin. "I do know my family heirlooms, Miss Granger. That locket is one of them."

"I haven't stolen it." Hermione clasped the locket in her hand, hesitating for a moment before she handed it to Orion. "I brought it with me."

"Granger…" Sirius' warning was low but firm. She needed to be careful with what she said to his father.

"May I explain before you open it?" Hermione asked Lord Black as he peered at the locket in his hands.

He gave her another nod of his head. "Please do."

Exhaling slowly, Hermione thought about her overarching mission. "Dumbledore… no." She shook her head at herself before starting again. "In my time, when I started Hogwarts, the belief that was held by a lot of Wizarding families was that You-Know-Who had been killed about a decade earlier. Of course, not all families believed that. A lot hoped that that was the case, but many knew that You-Know-Who was most likely biding his time." She searched both Orion and Sirius' faces, making certain they understood what she was telling them. "In my first year, my friend fought someone who'd been one of You-Know-Who's followers, who was after something called a Philosopher's Stone." She paused. "Do either of you know what that is?"

Sirius shook his head as he looked to his father.

Orion was frowning. "I've heard rumours of such a thing existing. It's a stone that is supposed to prolong one's life, I believe." He looked to Hermione to see if he was correct.

Hermione gave him a grin. "Exactly. When in possession of the stone, the owner is considered to be immortal." She sighed before taking a sip of her hot chocolate. "My friend was there to save the day. The stone was destroyed. The owner eventually died of very old age." She cleared her throat. "Second year, the Chamber of Secrets was opened–"

"Bullshit… that's a myth," Sirius cut her off.

Hermione grinned at him. "It's not actually, the entrance is in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Of course, no one will be able to open unless they're a Parselmouth."

Orion hummed knowingly. "That's rumoured to be Heir of Slytherin business."

"It is," Hermione quietly agreed. "The most important part about that year is that a diary was destroyed using the fang of a Basilisk. The venom, specifically." Clearing her throat, she continued. "Not much happened in my third year. At least, nothing relating to this particular locket. A prisoner escaped Azkaban, friends were reunited, but the bad guy got away." She frowned as she thought of Pettigrew. He was someone she'd have to watch during her time at Hogwarts. "My fourth year was when You-Know-Who came back officially."

"Pardon the interruption, but why do you refer to Voldemort as You-Know-Who all the time?" Sirius was watching her with concern as he asked her the question. "Fear of the name only increases fear of the thing itself, does it not?"

Hermione hummed quietly before nodding. "It does, yes. But, I'm mostly doing it out of habit. You see, in my time he found a way to create a taboo on his name. Anyone who dared to speak it was soon met with a squad of Death Eaters and, if they were even more unlucky, my friend. Or, rather, ex-friend. He had quickly become V-Voldemort's right hand soldier after defeating the individual who killed you, Sirius." She swallowed, her throat was tight with emotion. "They both had taboos on their names – their monikers – as a matter of fact. We found out about that the hard way."

"How does all this relate to the locket, Miss Granger?"

Sighing, Hermione peered sadly at Orion. "Because You-Know-Who has figured out a way to become immortal, and your son learned about that small, but very important fact before he was killed." She gestured to the locket still clutched in Orion's hand. "Regulus left a note behind. It will help explain some things to you, if you wish to read it."

Orion stared down at the locket before meeting her gaze once again. "Regulus left this?"

"He did, apparently. Both Narcissa and Andromeda confirmed the locket belonged to the House of Black and that the writing is Regulus'." She paused, watching Orion closely. "I was actually hoping to ask you some questions about a few things he mentions in his note. Something that Dumbledore refused to answer." Hermione gave Orion a small frown as she pointed once again to the locket.

Orion took the bait just as she knew he would and popped open the locket.

She watched as he carefully unfolded the piece of parchment. Watched as he hid his mouth behind his hand and he began to read Regulus' eloquent fuck you to Voldemort.

Clearing his throat after a moment or two of silence, Lord Black brought his gaze back to Hermione. "Do you know how Regulus died?"

"There were Inferi in the lake surrounding the small island where the locket was being kept. I assume he was pulled under when he went to get a drink of water." Hermione exhaled slowly. "Consumption of the potion that the locket was in led to a sort of delirium for the drinker from what I could tell, and extreme thirst."

"Shit." Sirius' shock was obvious. His love for his brother was etched on his face.

"I don't know for sure that's what happened, but given my time with Dumbledore in that particular cave, it would be my best bet." Hermione frowned as she remembered that time only a few months earlier. Her ankle still pained her from time to time where the Inferi had grabbed onto her and tried to pull her underneath the water. A psychosomatic symptom, she was certain.

Orion frowned to himself. He appeared to be warring with his thoughts, his beliefs. "I will help you, Miss Granger. I was never as loyal to the Dark Lord as Walburga is. My family comes first, it always has. After some thought and consideration, as well as word from yourself, Narcissa in her letter and now Regulus with his own, I understand that the House of Black's loyalty to the Dark Lord will lead to its demise." He sighed before peering at Hermione with concern. "I highly doubt Walburga will help you beyond what is needed to keep up appearances."

Hermione took a peek at Sirius who gave her a subtle nod of his head. She could trust Orion. At least a little bit. "I understand."

"Now… I have a question for you, before we get started. Do you know where this cave is?" Orion asked her calmly.

Hermione nodded. "I do. But, I don't know if the locket is there yet." She paused. "And I've got no way of getting inside." At Orion and Sirius' looks of confusion she elaborated. "There are blood wards of some sort at the entrance. One needs to be at least a half-blood."

"A rudimentary security measure at best." Orion shook his head. "How arrogant." He sighed tiredly as he folded up the note once again and tucked it back into the locket. He handed the locket back to Hermione and clasped his hands together as she tucked the jewelry back into her bum-bag. "What did you need help with, Miss Granger?"

"While I know that there are more than one of the types of items mentioned in Regulus' note, I don't know how to destroy them." It was the overwhelming weakness of their plan to go back in time to prevent everything from happening the way it did: Hermione had no way to destroy any of the Horcruxes she was hoping to find. "I know how one was destroyed in my time… but it's impossible for me to replicate that method of destruction."

"What are these items you're talking about?" Sirius asked her. He was looking between Hermione and Orion.

"Items of Dark Magic," Orion murmured to his son. "The darkest, most abhorrent magic one can practise. Unnatural and wrong. Very, very wrong." He paused for a moment. "Regulus knew of them though, or he will in the future," he frowned, presumably thinking of his youngest son. "Which would mean he must read about them somewhere."

Focusing his attention on Hermione once again, Orion gave her a small smile. "I will search our library for information for you. Does that sound acceptable?"

Hermione nodded earnestly. "It does, sir. Thank you." She currently had no other way to safely read the many dark tombs in the Black family library. Narcissa and Andromeda had warned her of the curses their family liked to place on many of their books. It was something she had also been warned about by Sirius the summer prior to her fifth year.

Help from Orion with research was a compromise that she knew she needed to make.

"These items… how many are there?"

Hermione turned in her seat to peer at Sirius as she pondered his question. "I-I'm not sure. At least, I'm not sure how many there are at this point in time." She cleared her throat as she thought of a way to explain herself. "Dumbledore believed there were seven. But… from what I do know of them, I don't believe they are all created just yet." She thought of the snake that had attacked Mr. Weasley over Christmas Break in her fifth year. She thought of Harry and his ability to speak Parseltongue and Voldemort's ease at manipulating him with his own emotions all throughout their O.W.L. year. "I also don't know if seven includes the original piece or not."

Orion frowned at the information. "Seven separate items would make him highly unstable, I would think."

"That's true. But, it's also the most powerful magical number." Hermione thought back to her hastily written notes that she had tucked away. "And that was the number Tom brought up with a professor when he asked about them. I saw the memory myself."

There was silence for a few moments as they all digested her words.

"You mentioned earlier that many Wizarding families believed the Dark Lord to be dead. When does that particular belief come to fruition?"

Hermione frowned. "The autumn of 1981."

Orion hummed quietly, narrowing his eyes at the two teenagers. "So we have roughly five years to identify and destroy these items." A beat. "We have time, Miss Granger."

"I was actually hoping to prevent certain events from happening," Hermione insisted quietly.

"Are these events tied in with the House of Black?" Orion asked her. "I only ask because you assured us yesterday that you would do everything you could to prevent my family from succumbing to the tribulations of this war."

Hermione nodded jerkily. "They are, yes."

"What happens then? The events you speak of?" Sirius asked her with concern.

Hermione sighed as she chose her words carefully. "For a lot of people who were fighting on the frontlines, it all went sort of pear-shaped." She scratched her arm through her cozy jumper. "I don't know how to explain it without telling you everything." She paused for a moment, thinking quickly. "A lot of people were killed, or in You-Know-Who's case were thought to have been killed. Some other people were tortured to insanity, while others were thrown into Azkaban."

Orion swore quietly as he held his head in his hands. "Azkaban… that's the second time you mentioned that place." He stared at Hermione, his eyes were dancing with a thousand questions. "It's important."

Hermione took a tentative sip of her hot chocolate, if only to calm her nerves. She nodded. "It is. The prisoner spent twelve years in prison not only for a crime he didn't commit, but never got to have a trial for. He broke out the summer before my third year."

"But… Dumbledore is the Chief Warlock. He oversees all trials," Sirius muttered worriedly. "Why would he allow that to happen?"

"Well…" Hermione chuckled humourlessly. "It depends on who you ask, really. Bill Weasley said that he knew that there were a load of things happening at that time. Numerous trials were occurring from the break of dawn until well after sunset. He said it all may have gotten lost in the mass of arrests. Dumbledore may have forgotten, or thought the individual had gotten a trial." She swallowed before clearing her throat. "Andromeda, on the other hand, argued that Dumbledore forgot on purpose. She said he was a chess master that needed certain chess pieces in specific places for his plan to work properly. The individual in question was a foil in his grand plan. Andy believed that the Headmaster used the person's surname against him. He threw him to the dogs, so to speak." Her eyes sadly met Sirius' own and saw that he understood, at least in part, what she wasn't saying.

"And Narcissa?" Orion asked her curiously. "What did she think?"

Hermione frowned as she stared down at her hands. "She likened Dumbledore to You-Know-Who and said that they are far more similar than they are different." She sniffed quietly. "Narcissa said Dumbledore is getting children to become soldiers in order to fight the war, much like You-Know-Who is. They're just on different sides of the chess board."

Hermione paused as she took a sip of her hot chocolate. "I also need to say… I don't have five years, Lord Black. I've got three," she softly continued. "The autumn of 1979 is when Regulus was killed."

"And how are you going to prevent that from happening?" Orion questioned her. "I assume you've got a plan of some sort."

Hermione nodded. "I do, a rough plan. But, I have some questions for you first before I share. I think it's only fair." She waited until Orion gestured for her to continue. "How are you going to convince the Headmaster that I should be allowed into Hogwarts? Specifically, I mean. I need to know what I'm dealing with here."

Orion hummed as he looked between Hermione and Sirius. "Your mother and I discussed this amongst ourselves last night after sending our letter to the Headmaster requesting a meeting, Sirius."

Sirius sat up straighter in his seat and clasped his hands together. "What did you agree on?"

"Many traditional pure-blood families, like the House of Black, believe in betrothals, or arranged marriages," Orion began explaining to Hermione. "They are used for political purposes, as well as a way to keep the family pure."

Hermione nodded in understanding. Andromeda had explained this to her already, or warned her it seemed. Her marriage to Ted Tonks was what resulted in her being blasted from the tapestry. She had fallen in love and married a Muggle-born rather than gone through with her expected betrothal arrangement.

"We both agreed that having Miss Granger as your betrothed, Sirius, is an easy way for her to be allowed into Hogwarts and accepted by her peers." Orion held up a hand before either Sirius or Hermione could interrupt him. He focused on Hermione. "As of right now, Miss Granger, as far as anyone is aware, your parents hired tutors for you rather than sent you to Hogwarts as they were living somewhere outside of the United Kingdom. It is not exactly common in this day and age, but families can tutor privately instead of sending their child to Hogwarts or some other Wizarding school to obtain a magical education."

"What about my O.W.L.s?" Hermione asked him worriedly.

"We will deal with it at the appropriate time," Orion assured her. "We can notify the Ministry over the next few days with what O.W.L.s, or their equivalents, you've received and have them send that information to Hogwarts."

"Money," Hermione muttered under her breath.

"Indeed. It is a wonderful motivator." Orion gave her a knowing grin before continuing. "We will say that we've had a long-standing betrothal agreement with the Granger family. Many will assume that you are from the Dagworth-Granger family. It is best if you allow them to have their assumptions. Neither confirm or deny their beliefs. Vagueness will be the key to your success." He sighed tiredly and cleared his throat. "Officially, this betrothal is the House of Black's last attempt to control our troubled heir. Our prevention of Sirius' expulsion at the end of his fifth year allowed us to hold this over his head." He paused, thinking carefully. "While appearances during your final years at Hogwarts will be exceptionally important to maintain especially now, this betrothal is not real. Is that understood?" He was staring pointedly at Sirius, leaning forward slightly in his chair as he looked at his eldest son.

"You don't want me to dirty the family name." Sirius shook his head as he chuckled quietly. "Do you have any idea how many Muggle-born and half-blood witches I've had sex with?"

Hermione's eyes grew large as she felt the heat rising to her cheeks. She hadn't realised this was where the conversation had been headed.

Orion frowned. "Regulus said four. I trust you used protection. Nothing has appeared on our tapestry suggesting otherwise." He appeared already bored of Sirius' challenge.

Sirius opened his mouth as if to argue, then closed it without a word. He crossed his arms across his chest and slouched in his chair. "Git."

"This betrothal will also allow you a modem of protection, Miss Granger," Orion continued, ignoring Sirius' comment.

"Because I'm really Muggle-born, you mean." Hermione frowned at the proposition. "The House of Black wouldn't dare have a real betrothal arrangement with a family that wasn't pure."

"Precisely." Orion rubbed his chin in thought. "Walburga will be taking you to Diagon Alley to purchase some more appropriate clothing later today."

"I don't have any gold. I left my coin purse behind for the Order." She didn't even have an account at Gringotts Bank at this time.

Orion waved off her concern. "It's no matter. Consider it a gift from us to you." He gave Hermione a small smile. "Are you now comfortable with sharing how you plan to save Regulus from a horrific death?"

Hermione nodded. "Narcissa, Bill, Andromeda and myself all agree that in order to help Regulus, in order to protect him, I'll need to be sorted into Slytherin. He's my priority right now. I need to prevent him from getting the Dark Mark."

Sirius hissed quietly as he once again sat up straighter in his chair. "Granger… you must be joking." He was peering at her with concern.

Hermione shook her head at his comment. "I can assure you, I'm not."

"A Muggle-born has never before been sorted into Slytherin," Orion informed her. He was peering at her with disbelief.

"Is that what you know to be true sir, or is it what you assume?" Hermione challenged Lord Black using his own words against him.

A tapping on the kitchen window interrupted Orion's rebuttal. He sighed as he stood up from the table and made his way to the waiting owl.

"It's from the Headmaster," he said after giving the owl a treat and sending it on its way. He frowned as he made his way back to the table, opening the letter as he did so.

"He's open to meeting with Walburga and I today." Orion's eyes darted up to the ancient clock on the wall which indicated it was almost six o'clock in the morning. "He will meet with us at seven o'clock at Hogwarts." He had a wry grin on his face as he shook his head.

"Why so early?" Hermione didn't understand what Dumbledore was doing. She hid a yawn behind her hand.

"He doesn't wish to be seen with us, Miss Granger. But, if he is he needs to have an explanation in place. He has a reputation that he needs to maintain." Orion was grinning in amusement. "Kreacher!" he called out to the Black family house elf.

The elf in question quickly exited his cupboard. "Yes, Master Orion."

"Make us some breakfast, if you would. Walburga and I have a meeting in an hour." He pushed back his chair and left the room, likely to wake Walburga up from her slumber.

Hermione watched as Kreacher quickly got to work making what looked to be a full English breakfast.

"Have you seen a house elf before?" Sirius asked her after a moment or two.

Hermione gave him a cautious grin. "I have actually. A fair number of them, Kreacher included." At Sirius' look of confusion, she explained a bit further. "Before I arrived here yesterday, I'd been in this house before. I lived here during the summer before my fifth year. A group of us did, including you."

"Why?" It was such a simple, yet complex question.

Hermione clutched her mug of hot chocolate and shrugged. "For your godson." She took a sip of her drink. A vague answer, but it was the truth.

Sirius narrowed his eyes at her but didn't comment further. "You're a strange one, little lion." A beat. "I hope you know what you're doing."

Hermione stood nervously on the fitting platform of Twilfitt and Tattings as the seamstress began to take her measurements.

Walburga was watching her thoughtfully from some distance away, allowing the seamstress room to do her job, while Sirius sat in an ornate chair with it's back towards the front window.

He had his elbows on his knees and his head held in his hands, the ramifications of what they'd discussed with his father early that morning appeared to be finally sinking in.

As far as anyone was aware, Hermione and him were now betrothed. It was now up to Sirius to convincingly sell the lie in order to protect her from scrutiny or something far more sinister.

"You'll need to remove your dress," the seamstress broke the tense silence.

Hermione blinked. "I beg your pardon."

"Your dress, child. Not only do we need to see with our own eyes that you're not a half-breed hiding in plain sight, Lady Tattings needs to know what will fit you best. Measurements over one's clothing are only so accurate and the chosen spouse for my heir must always look her best." Walburga subtly raised a brow at Hermione. The order was there for all to see.

"I don't know if I feel comfortable with this," Hermione murmured before she could stop herself.

"It is tradition!" Walburga barked at her. "The witch or wizard who is marrying into the higher status family must stand bare before their betrothed for final approval. Far too many arrangements have had to be nullified by half-breed witches or wizards attempting to tarnish the families within the Sacred Twenty-Eight!" She jabbed a finger at Hermione and glared at her with wild eyes.

Hermione swallowed and took a quick peek at Sirius who, still staring at the floor, was now clenching his fists.

A hand reached out to gently grasp Hermione's own and gave it a squeeze. "No one from the street can see inside, dear. I promise. It's just the four of us, no one else. This will be over before you know it." Lady Tattings gave her an understanding and warm smile as she gestured for her to remove her clothing.

Hermione exhaled slowly as she began to unbutton the plain, dark blue dress that Walburga had given her for the trip to Diagon Alley. Her fingers fumbled on the buttons as she tried to get a hold of her nerves. This wasn't something she had expected to happen during a fitting. Her experience at Madam Malkin's was nothing like this.

Sirius' eyes remained firmly planted on the floor as he tried to give her as much respect as possible.

Hermione cleared her throat and focused on a spot on the hardwood floor as Lady Tattings helped remove the last of her dress, leaving her in nothing but her bra and knickers.

"What happened to your chest?" Walburga bluntly asked her. Her hands were firmly planted on her hips as she scrutinized the young witch before her.

"I found myself at the wrong end of a wand," Hermione quietly informed her about the distinct purple mark left over from Dolohov's curse that she'd been hit with at the Department of Mysteries.

"The culprit… were they punished?" Sirius questioned as he took a hesitant peek up at her.

Hermione hesitated and frowned. "I believe so." Dolohov had gone to Azkaban after all. "But… I'm not entirely certain." He was also a part of the mass breakout a few months into her sixth year.

Walburga began her inspection of Hermione, looking from her feet to her hair as she slowly made her way around the fitting platform.

Hermione pressed her lips tightly together, knowing already what the next comment would be about.

Walburga came to a halt behind her, her shoes scuffling slightly on the floor. "The mark on your shoulder blade?"

Hermione clenched her fists to keep her hands from shaking and forced herself to speak. "It's just a small scratch… nothing more."

"Lady Tattings… leave us for a moment." Walburga's order was quiet. Calm. She waited until the door to the back of the shop clicked shut before speaking. "Explain, Miss Granger."

"Greyback scratched me."

Walburga hissed and took a step back from her. Sirius swore. Hermione shook her head at the both of them.

"It wasn't during the full moon, I swear." Hermione paused. "I promise, I'm fine. It just can't heal anymore than it has."

"When did this happen?" Sirius' concern brought him to his feet and he began inspecting the small wound on her shoulder.

"Um…" Hermione's voice wavered slightly. "A little over a week before I showed up here." She sniffed and wiped her cheeks as she remembered Remus' final words to her, telling her to run. "I didn't realise I would be undergoing an inspection. This never happened at Madam Malkin's."

"That's because Madam Malkin's deals with all sorts, including Mudbloods and half-breeds." Walburga came around the platform to face Hermione. "This is a fitting for a traditional betrothal, inspections are required. Appearances are important to maintain."

"Mum," Sirius tried to chastise her. "This was really unnecessary. I've already agreed without the inspection." He reached over to a silk dressing gown that was hanging nearby, grabbed it and handed it to Hermione for her to cover up.

Hermione shivered as the cool material brushed against her skin. Her fingers were numb and shaking as she tied the belt of the short dressing gown. While Dementors were not wandering the streets during this time, their effects were still very much felt by her.

She gasped quietly as Sirius stepped up onto the platform with her and wrapped her in his arms, holding her tightly.

"It's going to be alright, little lion. I promise," he muttered in her ear before pulling back slightly. "Let's have Lady Tattings finish her measurements, then we can go and sit out in the sun and have some ice cream at Florean Fortescue's. How does that sound?"

"But–"

Sirius shook his head. "Mother will leave us after this. I'm sure she has plenty that she needs to do today." He raised a brow at his mother before giving Hermione a grin. "Let me take you out for some ice cream, please. You barely touched your breakfast this morning."

"Can we go to Flourish and Blotts afterwards? It's been ages since I've been there." Hermione felt a little self-conscious, but she could really do with a good book to read.

Sirius barked in laughter as he stepped off of the platform. "Of course. We can pick a book up for Regulus as well. He loves that place."