A/N: I know it's been longer than a month and I haven't kept my promise but life was hectic. While I'm on it: my internship is about to start so I'll be very busy, which means I'll be awol until about the end of November. I apologize in advance.

Thanks for being patient with me!

Enjoy!

Time passed, classes went on, exams came closer. Yet between Sirius and Hermione hardly anything had changed. Amongst the marauders themselves everything had gone back to normal, no awkwardness to be detected anywhere. The same could be said for Hermione's relationship with them. Except for Sirius.

They really needed to talk. Things couldn't stay like this. Every time they were in the same room the boys and girls would slowly and awkwardly split up, like the two separate groups they were before she joined them.

He didn't know that his chance to have a talk with her would come sooner than he had expected.

It was a school day and the sixth year gryffindors were making their way towards History of Magic. Hermione and the girls were talking about something Frank had said in one of his letters to Alice, discussing just how sweet he was when they stopped.

A crowd had formed in the corridor. The girls pushed through the students standing around, pushing forward, wanting to know what was the matter. To say they were surprised to see another stand-off between Snape and the marauders would be a lie. They had got used to it by now, though it didn't make the confrontations any more pleasant to witness.

The brunette didn't know who had initiated it, didn't know who had said what. At this point it didn't matter. The only thing she did know was that Sirius was fuming, that Snape had got under his skin once again. And the slytherin was absolutely enjoying the reaction he got out of him if the smirk on his face was any indicator.

His eyes were raging, his knuckles turned white with the grip he had on his wand. She didn't intervene, didn't say anything, didn't do anything. She just stood there, watching.

And then he looked at her. It was like he knew where she was before he himself realised it. Their eyes locked, brown meeting grey.

Something flashed across his eyes. He lowered his wand, slowly.

"Oh, something wrong, Black? Lost your nerve?" Snape just kept going, testing him. Yet Sirius stayed still, didn't make any move to indicate he was about to curse the other.

Snape looked to his left, seeing Hermione standing there. "So that's it. The mutt can't do anything without the permission of his mudblood owner. Such a shame," he drawled. "Better luck next time, Black." And with that he left.

The crowd dispersed, the students needing to get to their classes on time. Hermione regarded him for another second before also making her way to class, passing him and the boys without giving them another look.

Sirius stared at her back as she walked away, almost calling out her name but no sound made it passed his lips. A hand landed on his shoulder. James. "Come on, Pads. Time for class."

At dinner everyone was talking about the clash between the four gryffindors and the lone slytherin. Though, they were whispering more about the fact that the Sirius Black had stood down, had taken a step back, had lowered his wand.

"Did you see that? He didn't do anything. Who would've thought?"

"Snape would've deserved it, though. He's pure evil."

"Why didn't he curse him?"

And the whispers and comments just kept coming, everyone going on and on about the matter.

Hermione couldn't take it any longer. She pushed her plate away and stood up. With a small 'I'm not hungry' in the direction of the girls to not make them worry, she left the Great Hall.

It was getting to her more than she thought it would, the fact that her relationship with Sirius was turned into something like this. She wasn't even all that angry anymore but she just didn't know how to approach him, how to make things better, how to get things back to normal. Hermione who didn't know something, who didn't know how to handle something. Ha! If Harry and Ron would hear this they would laugh so hard, they would probably be clutching each other to try not to fall over.

She couldn't sleep that night, tossing and turning, eyes wide open. If she wasn't going to sleep she could at least do something useful. Grabbing a book – because exams were coming up – she made her way down to the common room. Maybe a bit of reading in front of the fire would make her feel tired.

She didn't even get the chance to read. Once downstairs, she saw Sirius sitting on one of the sofas. Before she could do something, anything, his eyes were on her. The curly-haired witch was rooted to the spot.

He must have seen something flash in her eyes because he said, "Please don't go." He held a certain desperation in his voice.

A little hesitantly she made her way towards one of the loveseats, taking a seat. It was silent. Not a word uttered between them as they sat there, staring.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Mione. Please, I can't take this anymore. The awkwardness, you avoiding me, not talking to me, I can't take it anymore. I really can't." He looked at her then. The emotions in his eyes so very clear. "Just tell me what I have to do to fix this and I will. I will. Just… not this."

For the longest of times she didn't say anything. And just as he thought she wouldn't say anything, just as he was about to give up –

"I also can't take this anymore." Her voice was soft. "I'm tired of this, tired of avoiding you, not talking to you. I don't even know how things turned out to be like this, why this has been dragging on for as long as it did. I don't… I just want it to stop. I want things to go back to normal."

It was like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You're not mad anymore?" It came out hesitant, hopeful.

"Haven't been mad for a while now."

"So… everything is okay? Between us?"

"Yes, everything is okay." A gentle smile made itself known on her face. This talk had been so simple, had been what they needed. Why hadn't they talked before this? Why had they allowed things to get so out of hand, to let everything drag on for so long as it did?

"I'm glad."

"Me too. We should've talked about it earlier."

"Yeah, we should've."

"You want to know something?"

"What?"

"I'm proud of you."

He looked at her in question, not knowing what she meant.

"Today with Snape. You didn't do anything to him, you held back. I know how difficult that must have been for you, especially with the things he was saying. I'm proud."

"Oh, that. Uhm… yeah. I wanted to do something though, but I just couldn't."

"Even though you wanted to, you didn't. I'm proud."

"Thanks. I guess."

"What were you doing down here anyway? Couldn't sleep?" she asked him.

"Yeah, you?"

"Same, so I thought I could do something useful instead of just lying there," she replied as she showed him the book she had brought with her.

"Really? You were about to study in the death of night?" he asked incredulously.

"I was just going to read it, mind you. And you know me, so why are you even surprised?"

"Still the same, a book-worm, even when it has been years since we last talked to each other," he said, making fun of the entire situation.

"How can it have been years when you've only known me for a couple of months?" she laughed slightly at his antics.

They sat there and talked as if wanting to make up for the time they hadn't talked to one another.

"So you knew about Remus?"

"Yes."

"And it doesn't bother you at all? Not even when you first found out?"

"No."

"When you explained how you found out you mentioned a stag and a dog, does that mean –?" he trailed off.

"Yes, it means that I know about you and the others being animagi."

"And do you know which animal belongs to who?" he asked as if he was trying to challenge her.

"Your nicknames kind of give that away." She chuckled as she saw his face.

"They're good nicknames though."

"Depends on what you describe as 'good'. But I have to admit that there are worse options."

He spluttered. "What do you mean 'worse'? Those are good names."

"Okay, they're good names."

"Do you have a better idea?" he challenged, eyebrow raised.

"Can't say that I have, Snuffles," she addressed him.

He looked genuinely shocked. What did she call him? "Did you just call me 'Snuffles'?"

"Maybe."

He just started laughing. "Really? Snuffles?"

"What? It's cute." He just kept laughing, honestly amused. "If you keep laughing I will start calling you by that name," she threatened, half joking, half serious.

"You wouldn't."

"I would." They stared at one another, grins on their faces, seeing what the other would do next. "Okay, you win. Snuffles." Laughter spilled from their lips, how they had missed this. The banter, the teasing, the talking, everything.

She was starting to feel tired. The talk with Sirius was over, making it feel like a weight was lifted from her shoulders. Though, it had drained her. Add the time they had been talking and teasing each other since then, a few hours had passed.

The brunette stood up and took her book. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight, Sirius."

He took her arm before she could take a step on the stairs leading to the girls' dormitories. "No more avoiding, right?" he asked a little anxiously.

"No more avoiding," she assured him.

He gave her a small smile. "Goodnight, Mione."

"Goodnight, Snuffles." And with that she chuckled as she ascended the stairs, leaving him standing there until he also decided to go to bed.