A/N: I'm sorry I'm a day late but life happened. And though I would've liked to post this chapter on a Sunday like I usually do I couldn't just let you wait for another week if I could post it now. I hope you like this chapter!

Enjoy ^^

When Hermione opened her eyes it was dark. She looked around. She was in the hospital wing. Why?

Next to her Sirius was sitting in a chair, having fallen asleep. Right. Sirius. The DADA class with the boggart. Hers had turned into Bellatrix and she jumped in front of her curse. What had she been thinking, doing something like that?

She hadn't been thinking that was the problem. She had been too tired, too emotionally loaded. She was still feeling like that. Still, she should have known better. Hermione had been through a lot over the years with Harry and Ron. She should know how to handle the fatigue and heaviness by now.

She looked at Sirius. He looked tired. She reached out for his hand and when she took it, he opened his eyes. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," the brunette told him softly.

"It's okay." His voice was low, deep, laced with sleep. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," she admitted. He nodded, giving her a look, making sure she was okay. "Can you lie with me?" she asked softly.

He didn't answer, just getting up and taking his place next to her on the bed. She snuggled in close, needing the reassurance that he was fine after what had happened in class. His arms automatically came up around her, holding her against him.

They stayed like that, silent. They didn't speak, just holding each other until they fell back asleep. They both knew the matter would be addressed the next day. And if not for the next day then somewhere that week. Both knew they needed to talk about it. But not now. Now they just wanted to stay like this.

When she woke up again the sun was starting to rise. A soft orange light seeping into the hospital wing. Sirius was already awake, looking at her, rubbing circles on her arm with his thumb.

"Have you been awake for long?" she asked slowly, sleep not entirely gone yet.

"A while," he told her. "Mione?"

"Hmm?"

"What is going on?" His voice was soft as if he was afraid she would run when he would talk any louder.

"What do you mean?"

A sigh left him as he tried to refrain from getting angry. He didn't want to snap, didn't want to sound angry. He needed to be calm. "Don't do that. Don't act like you don't know. We both know you'd be lying."

She didn't answer. She didn't know how to answer that. "You're tired. I know you are. I just don't know why. And then yesterday with that boggart… What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't," the brunette told him silently as if she was ashamed to admit it.

"Obviously, but why? What's going on?" She opened her mouth but he cut her off before she could even say a word. "And don't tell me you've been studying in the library because we both know that's bullshit."

He knew. Of course he knew. She should've known. That damned marauders map. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"I know."

"Then why can't you tell me what's going on? Why can't you tell me where you've been going? Don't you trust me?" The last question was filled with hurt. No anger, just plain hurt.

"Of course I trust you. I have no reason not to."

"Then tell me. Please."

She let out a sigh, clutching to him. Her voice wavered a little as she said, "I've been going to the room of requirement."

There was silence for a moment. "Come on, Mione." He almost sounded a little exasperated. "There is no such thing as a room of requirement. It's only a myth. Else me and the guys would have found it by now."

"I'm not lying. It exists. We found it back in fifth – I mean last year. I found it last year." He gave her a look, not certain if he could believe her. "I'll show you. I promise I'm not lying."

He looked into her eyes, searching for something. He didn't find any trace of dishonesty. "Fine. Take me there tonight. Okay?"

"Okay."

She was free to leave, Madam Pomfrey having checked everything once again just to be safe. The witch also gave her a message from Dumbledore, saying he wanted to see her in his office. So instead of following Sirius to the common room, she went the other way and made her way towards the headmaster's office.

Once there, she took a seat. Hermione had spent so much time in this office that they skipped most formalities anyways, always getting straight to the point. "You wanted to see me, Sir?"

"Yes. I heard what happened from professor Gray. Is everything alright?"

"I'm fine. Tired but fine."

He looked at her, appraising her. "Good. Now, I know I am partly to blame for this. If it wasn't for all the memories you've been giving me, you wouldn't have felt this tired and this wouldn't have happened."

"I'm giving you my memories because I want to help. The faster you know everything, the better. This wasn't your fault, professor."

"Still, I should have known better. Extracting memories – especially emotionally loaded ones – can be very taxing. So for now I want you to rest. I want you to recover. I will not ask for any more memories until you are back from Easter break."

"But professor –"

"That is final. I trust you will also see that this is for the best." She stayed silent for a minute, which was enough for him. "That was all. you can go now." She stood up and was just about to leave when he said, "And I expect you to rest, miss Granger. If the memories you will give me are still plenty and also emotionally heavy then I expect you to know how hard it will be. We don't want a repeat of yesterday. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

"Good." And with that she left his office.

When she entered the common room she was attacked with questions of various degrees of 'Are you okay?' or 'How are you feeling?'.

She took a seat between Sirius and Lily, assuring them she was fine. "I'm okay. Just tired." When she said that last sentence she looked at Sirius, letting him know that she hadn't forgotten.

"Why did you do that, though? What were you thinking?"

"I don't know. I just panicked. When I figured out what she was about to do I just… My instincts took over."

"That's not like you, though," Remus reminded her.

"I know." She knew questions were coming but she didn't want to answer them. Not right now anyway. She couldn't even answer them. Not all of them. Not without more lying. And she didn't have the energy for that right now. "Do you mind if I go lay down for a while? I'm still feeling tired."

"Of course, go ahead."

"Sure."

Worried eyes followed her until she was out of sight. Everyone turned to Sirius. "Did she say anything?" James asked.

"Not really. She just told me that she was tired, that she wasn't thinking when she jumped in front of that boggart's curse." He could hardly tell that he had been watching her for weeks through the marauders' map. Especially since Lily didn't know of its existence. And if he didn't explain that he could hardly tell them about the room of requirement. That would all have to wait until it was only the four of them, until Hermione had shown him the room actually existed.

And that same evening she proved to him that it did exist. She took him to the seventh floor and stopped before an empty wall. "Mione, there is nothing here."

"Give me a second." She thought of her room back home. A door appeared and Sirius' eyes widened. It was real. "You have to think of what you need, what you want while you pace three times in front of this wall. Then a door will appear." She opened the door and stepped in, Sirius following behind her. "I told you I wasn't lying."

He didn't reply. Instead he was looking around. "What is this room? Your bedroom?" he asked as he saw the books and photos.

"My room back home."

"Why did you think of it?"

"It's the only thing I've been thinking of every time I come here."

He turned, looking at her. She was sitting on her bed. Slowly, he walked up to her, taking a seat beside her. Something akin to realization crossed his face. "Because you can't go home." It wasn't an question. It was a statement, a fact.

"Because I can't go home," she echoed. "The last few months I just realized how true that fact is, that I can't go back. And I just miss everyone so much so I came here. I was only planning to come sometimes but well… You already know how often I've been coming here." It wasn't the entire story, wasn't the full truth but it had to suffice for now.

"Oh, love," he said as he pulled her into a hug. Something clicked, this made sense. He could understand. He wasn't happy that she had been lying to him instead of just telling him, but he could understand.