A/N: So my exams are over and as promised here is the next update. Also, thank you to everyone who reads this, is patient with me and leaves comments, I really appreciate it a lot!

I hope you like this chapter ^^

It was awkward. That was the only way she could describe it. Awkward.

Since their argument Lily had been ignoring James. She wouldn't tell him off when he tried talking to her, when he tried to apologize. She wouldn't reprimand him if he pulled a prank on someone. She wouldn't get angry at anything he did. She didn't even spare him a glance. She just straight up ignored him, pretended he was air.

Then there was Sirius. He had been acting strange around her. Sometimes when he went to say something, he hesitated and decided against it. He would ask less for her attention. He hardly took a seat next to her, making sure there was some space between them.

This resulted is a weird and strained kind of group atmosphere. Someone trying to make amends while the other ignored him completely. Someone else avoiding another. One who didn't know what was going on exactly. And the others who pretended that everything was fine and tried to get everything back to normal.

It was exhausting.

Hermione found herself in Lily's bedroom in the quarters she lived in now. "Lily?"

"Hmm?"

"When are you going to stop ignoring James?"

The redhead let out a sigh, turning to look at Hermione. She lied down, looking at the ceiling. The brunette mimicked her. "I don't know."

"Are you still mad at him?"

"Not really. But what he said… it hurt. I don't even know why it hurt so much but it just did. It still does."

A moment of silence, both still staring at the ceiling. "Do you think it hurts so much because you might like him?"

"I don't know." And she didn't know. She wasn't sure of her feelings. She knew she didn't dislike him anymore. On the contrary, she actually liked to spend time with him and the other marauders. She liked him enough to not just dismiss the question anymore.

"He tried to apologize, many times."

"I know."

"Will you listen to him next time?"

"I don't know. I don't know why I keep ignoring him, I'm not even angry anymore. I guess I just don't know what to do."

"You can listen to him. Let him apologize and see where it goes from there."

The redhead hummed. "I guess I should do that, huh?"

"It would at least be a good start." Maybe if she listened to him and started to speak with him again things could go back to normal. Their group could go back to normal.

The quietness returned until Lily decided to break it. "What about you and Sirius?"

"What about me and Sirius?"

Lily turned onto her side, looking at Hermione. Again, Hermione mimicked her, looking each other in the eyes.

"He's acting strange around you."

"Yes, I noticed."

"Did you have another argument?"

"No."

"Did you do something?"

"Not that I know of."

"Then why is he acting like this?"

"I don't know. I wish I did but I don't and it's so frustrating. It makes me think about that time we had that one fight and we didn't talk for weeks. I don't like it."

"Hermione?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you like him?"

That was a question she didn't know the answer to. The girls had implied on multiple occasions that Sirius liked her and at times had even joked that she liked him back. But was that the case? She liked it when he would tease her, would make her smile, would smile at her. She liked it when they sat next to each other, sometimes in silence, sometimes talking. She liked it.

She didn't like the way he was acting right now. She didn't like that he would hold back when he was with her. She didn't like it that he refused to take a seat next to her. She didn't like it. Not at all.

Did that mean she liked him? That little feeling in her chest, was it there to point out that she indeed liked him? The fact that she noticed even the tiniest changes in his behaviour towards her, was that an indicator as well? Or was it just confusion and did she feel like that because one of her best friends was hurting her by acting like that? She honestly didn't know.

"I don't know."

"Hmm, that puts us in the same boat. At least we have each other when dealing with this entire mess."

"At least we have each other." Hermione echoed, the two witches giving a small smile to each other.

While Hermione was at Lily's dorm, James found himself back at his old dorm with his three best friends.

"I honestly don't know what to do anymore. She just won't listen to me."

"You just have to try harder."

"Harder? I've done everything I could think of. I tried talking to her directly, I tried pranking people so she would get angry and she would have talk to me then, I… I don't know what to do anymore."

"Maybe you shouldn't do anything. Listen to what Hermione said: give her some time and everything will work out."

"I think I have no other choice, seeing as nothing else seems to work."

"Good, then things can finally go back to normal."

"Like you can say anything about that."

Sirius looked at his best friend, raising an eyebrow. "And what do you mean by that?"

"Oh, come on, Pads. You've been avoiding Hermione for a while now."

"Yeah, what's with that?" Remus asked. "Did something happen between you two?"

"No, nothing."

"Then why are you avoiding her?" Peter asked.

Should he tell them? Would they make fun of him for realizing so late? What would they say? Why was he even worrying about that? These were his best friends, if he couldn't tell them who could he tell? "I like her."

"What?"

"I like Hermione."

"We already knew that. What about it?"

"No, you don't understand. I like her, as in more than a friend."

A look of realization settled on their faces. He had finally realized. He had noticed his feelings for the witch.

"That is a good thing, right? So why are you avoiding her?"

"Because I don't know how to handle this. I've never felt like this before. I was a flirt, I never did feelings. I just don't know how to handle this."

"I don't know how to help with that but I do know one thing. You won't get anywhere by avoiding her."

"Hmm, I know."

"Just act like you usually would and you can see where to go from there. Just stop avoiding her."

"Yeah, you're right."

"We usually are," Remus answered.

It took another couple of days until both pairs talked to each other, talking things out. Hermione didn't know just when Lily and James had worked things out, nor did she know just what had been said between them. She only knew that one day at breakfast the redhead greeted the marauder just like she did anyone else in the group. Things were going back to normal.

Her own conversation took place in the common room during the middle of the night, a few days after her conversation with Lily.

She wasn't able to sleep so she just did what she always did. She grabbed a book and made her way downstairs, taking a seat on one of the sofa's. She was only able to read one chapter, concentration broken by someone else stepping into the room.

He saw her sitting there, reading. This scene was so familiar, yet he was a little hesitant compared to the previous times. What if he said something wrong? What if he did something wrong? No, this had to stop. He had to stop avoiding her. He was Sirius Black, he didn't act like this. Time to act like his usual self again.

He took a seat next to her, making the brunette look up from her book. "Couldn't sleep?" she asked.

"No, you?"

"I couldn't either." For a moment there was quiet between them, until she closed her book and put it on the table. "Sirius, did I do something wrong? Are you mad at me?"

"No, what gave you that idea?"

She gave him a look. "Because you've been avoiding me."

He looked away for a second, rubbing the back of his neck. "I – I just had a few things to think about."

"Had it something to do with me? Was it something I did? Was that why you're avoiding me?"

"No, you didn't do anything. I just… It's complicated. But don't worry, everything is fine."

"So does that mean you'll stop avoiding me?"

"Yeah, no more avoiding."

"Good." Then she gave him a hug, stating, "I missed this."

He hugged her back, his arms coming up almost on instinct, holding her tight. "Me too." And he had missed her. She was always so close but not hugging her, not sitting next to her, hardly talking to her, it was too hard. It made her seem so far away. So yes, he had missed this, had missed her. Immensely so.