"Miss Granger. I'm glad you could come here", Albus Dumbledore greeted her with a warm smile, making Hermione furrow her brows.

"Why wouldn't I, professor? You summoned me and it must be important, otherwise you wouldn't have done it", she stated firmly and Dumbledore chuckled.

"Yes, my dear, it is very serious. It's just that I wasn't sure if your friends will let you leave them", he jokes and Hermione sighed.

Sure enough, recently her time was split between the Marauders, her roommates, Ewan and library. Unfortunately, the library seemed to be losing terribly. Hermione almost couldn't believe that so many people wanted to spend their time with her. At her own time, it was always Harry and Ron. Merlin knows how much her roommates hated her. Hermione actually couldn't blame them, as the feeling was definitely mutual. But still... having so many friends seemed very unlike her, but it was a change that she was willing to accept.

"Oh... I actually told them that I'm going to study. It's always the best excuse, at least when it comes to me", she answered and smiled.

"Yes, yes. I've heard about your incredible knowledge. Minerva can't stand the fact that you're not in her House. She claims that you would be a perfect Gryffindor", Dumbledore chuckled and Hermione sighed.

"She's right. I was a perfect Gryffindor, but I guess Ravenclaw fits me just as good. I don't blame the Hat for putting me there"

"Spoken like a true Ravenclaw, I must say. I'm very satisfied with how you cope. I believe it must have been hard, especially with Mr Mulciber's behaviour", Dumbledore looked at her from above his half-glasses and Hermione flinched visibly.

"So you've heard", she muttered and turned her gaze away.

"Of course I have. Let me tell you a secret, Miss Granger. The portraits in this castle are sworn to inform me about everything that's going on. And you've put on quite a show"

"I'm sorry about that, professor. I should have been wiser"

"Undoubtedly. Nonetheless, nothing bad has come out of it as of now, so I think we should simply let that matter slide", he stated cheerfully and Hermione nodded. "I've summoned you here, because I'm in a great need of your help"

"You? Or the Order?"

"Both, Miss Granger. You see... Voldemort has been very active recently. Of course, you won't hear about it, as the Ministry is trying to keep things as quiet as possible, in order not to raise panic, but things are happening... Bad things, I'm afraid", Dumbledore explained and a pained sigh escaped his mouth, as his brows furrowed.

"How can I help?, Hermione asked instantly, not wanting to hear any details about Voldemort's activity.

She's already been there and heard everything she possibly could. She didn't exactly need to live through that once again, if it wasn't truly necessary.

"The Ministry has troubles with identifying people who stand behind those attacks. As of now, Death Eaters are hard to spot, because they maintain a façade of being perfect citizens who support the Ministry in fight against Voldemort. However, it is absolutely crucial for the Order to figure out their identities. We can't spy on them and prevent the attacks, if we don't know who they are"

Hermione bit her lip, looking at the Headmaster carefully. Her mind had already figured out what was this all about, but she wanted to hear the words from the man sitting across from her, behind his desk.

"Miss Granger, I hate to ask this of you, but it would be a great advantage if you could look at the files of our suspects and tell us who we should tail. We don't need to know any details concerning their actions in the future. All we want are names", the man asked and looked at her apologetically.

Hermione looked down at her entwined hands. Giving those identities away would surely give the Order advantage, but it was also destined to raise questions. She doubted that the members of the Order were just going to agree on those names, without trying to confirm reliability of those information's source. What answer was Dumbledore going to provide them with? Also, Voldemort hadn't been an idiot. It wouldn't take long for him to figure out, that Dumbledore must have someone amongst his people who knows more than anyone else. However, there was also an option that he's going to blame his henchmen and that would definitely work to the Order's benefit.

"Professor, I can give you those names. But I believe that you must come up with an impeccable explanation on how you got them. I'd prefer my own identity to be kept a secret, as no one should know about my past. Or rather, the future", she smiled weakly and Dumbledore nodded his head.

Normally, she would feel very proud of herself, considering the respect and admiration shining in professor Dumbledore's eyes, but this time her brilliant deduction wasn't satisfying at all.

There were too many questions and doubts concerning that case. It was risky and there was absolutely no guarantee that the men she would pick were actually the ones worth spying on. They had been skilled wizards and had played a very important role in Voldemort's plans, there was no doubt about it. The only thing that was worrying her was the fact that it had all taken place 20 years from now, back in 1990s.

What if they weren't all that important right now? It probably wouldn't hurt to monitor their actions, but there was a great chance that they weren't the people Dumbledore was looking for.

She voiced her thoughts, making the Headmaster sigh. He looked tired and desperate and Hermione couldn't exactly blame him for it. The Order was stuck and innocent people were dying. They had to do something.

"I am very aware of that, Hermione. Trust me, I wouldn't risk exposing you like that without a reason. I don't think that any harm will come out of trailing bad men, even if it is going to be years before they reach their full power", Dumbledore explained quietly.

Hermione nodded and shifted slightly on her chair. Recently, she'd made a lot of important decisions that affected her life irreversibly. It was probably time to make another one.

"Where are those files, professor?"

Headmaster smiled tightly and opened the drawer of his desk, taking out a pile of folders which looked as inconspicuous as possible. He handed them over to her and she slowly opened the first one, trying to calm herself.

The man looking at her from the picture was very familiar. She remembered that night of Fleur's and Bill's wedding, when the Death Eaters had struck, making everyone flee in panic. Hermione managed to apparate Harry and Ron out of the Burrow, but it hadn't been the end of their problems. None of them was aware of the Taboo spell that Voldemort cast in order to trace everyone who has dared to say his name.

Antonin Dolohov and Thorfinn Rowle attacked them that night and forced them to run once again. Hermione spent quite some time staring at their faces as she was Obliviating them. And now, the latter was looking at her from the picture, even if his face looked much younger.

"That one", she whispered and picked up another file, as shivers run through her body.

Next one was even easier. Her scar tingled, as Bellatrix smiled at her madly from the paper. She looked so young and beautiful, her skin radiant and unblemished. The Azkaban had undoubtedly destroyed her, just as in Sirius' case.

Even though her appearance made her look innocent, she was definitely mad. Hermione saw exactly the same sparks in her eyes when she was torturing her in Malfoy Manor. Sparks, that haunted her dreams even today.

"This one", she muttered, trying not to give away how much fear had the woman evoked in her body.

"Bellatrix? I was sure that Tom would never trust a woman"

Hermione laughed bitterly and shook her head.

"I have no doubts that she will be trusted. I don't know if it is going to happen soon, but her involvement is undeniable.", she managed to choke out and then squeezed her eyelids. "I've killed her, you know. Back in my times"

Dumbledore didn't answer, looking at her intently. She couldn't tell if he was shocked, disappointed or rather impressed. One thing was clear - he had no intention of speaking, so she forced herself to open another file.

She didn't know how much time has passed since she arrived at Dumbledore's office. Reading all of the files over was tiring and extremely disturbing, as many of the suspects faces had been etched into her mind as those appearing in her worst nightmares.

Hermione managed to identify some of them as especially dangerous, but others seemed to be common soldiers that didn't struck her as incredibly dangerous. Nonetheless, she informed Dumbledore that she had no doubts of their affiliations and that the Order members should be careful around them.

After what seemed an eternity, she has left Dumbledore's office and decided she was way too tired to study, so she took a turn right and began walking towards the Ravenclaw Tower. She wasn't all that surprised when one of the Marauders bumped into her on the corridor.

"Herms! What the hell are you doing here? I thought you were studying", James exclaimed and looked at her with his brows furrowed.

"Yeah, I've studied for a while and then Dumbledore asked me to come to his office", she admitted and smiled a little.

"Dumble? What did he want from you?"

"I'm a transfer student. He wanted to check if everything was alright. He forced me to drink his tea and eat a couple of cookies", she sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, that sounds like him", James chuckled and the looked at her once more. "You look like shit"

"Wow, thank you, James. You always know how to make me feel special"

"No, but seriously. Had you been sleeping lately?", he asked and ruffled his hair, which he tended to do quite often, especially if he was worried or nervous.

"Can't say that I haven't. Although it could be better, I suppose", she admitted and smiled weakly.

She was getting enough sleep to go on, but definitely not enough to function properly. Even if her mood improved immensely, the nightmares refused to go away, as they plagued her every night. Hermione didn't know what has been worse - the fact that she had nightmares or the fact that they kept changing each night, opening new wounds.

"Bad dreams?", James asked her with sadness in his hazel eyes.

Seeing his worry warmed her heart and she smiled at him genuinely.

"They're terrible. But I think that sooner or later they will disappear", she shrugged, feeling guilty as hell for lying to him.

Not that he bought it. He looked entirely unconvinced and she couldn't blame him. Looking at the shadows beneath her eyes and at her pale skin, she probably wouldn't have believed herself as well.

"If there's anything that I can do", he started, but Hermione shook her head and smiled once again.

"I'm alright, James. Even with the nightmares, my body will finally be too exhausted and I'll sleep eventually. Don't worry about it. What are you doing here, anyway?, she changed the subject, looking at him with curiosity.

"Oh. I was actually on my way to the library. Sirius told me that your roommates chatted him up and said something about trying to find you. Well, at least that's what he thought they've said. Those girls seem completely bonkers, no offence"

Hermione giggled and nodded her head. She was very surprised that they've managed to talk to Sirius and actually say anything coherent. Considering the crush they all had on him, it was very impressive.

"That they are. But I love them anyway. They're so much better than my previous roommates", she stated and then furrowed her brows, when a realisation dawned on her. "Why were you trying to find me then and not Sirius?"

James blushed slightly and looked away, clearly abashed. Hermione raised her eyebrows and sent him a questioning glance, making the boy sigh.

"He was busy, actually. Like 'going on a date' busy", Potter explained, making Hermione very grateful for her training with Moody, as it would be very hard to keep a straight face otherwise.

"Sirius? Dating? Don't you mean 'shagging someone in the broom closet'?, she asked casually and James sighed with annoyance.

"Yeah, that's usually how he rolls. He's been... off lately. I don't know what's the matter, but he actually started to pay attention to girls in a completely un-Sirius-like way"

"Maybe that's a good thing? Maybe he wants to... settle down?"

James looked at her with amusement and chuckled. It was pretty obvious that he didn't agree with her in the slightest and it made her somewhat satisfied.

"You're talking about a guy that refuses to get married, like ever. He thinks it's pointless and completely unfair, considering the amount of beautiful women walking the Earth. Unfair to him, obviously"

Hermione laughed despite her grumpy mood. Yeah, that sounded like Sirius, a giant tease and flirt that had no intentions of letting himself fall for a single girl. More like a dozen would be accurate.

"Well, it didn't seem like him, but you never know, yeah? Maybe he had a change of heart", she shrugged and James sighed again.

"Still, it would be nice to know about it. I'm his best mate..."

"Maybe he doesn't know how to explain it. From what I know, you guys have trouble expressing your feelings"

James looked at her offended and pouted.

"Oh excuse me, I'm terrific at expressing feelings! I have been sharing my feelings with Lily for almost five years now"

"James... Honestly, do you think that saying she's as beautiful as sausages counts as telling her how you feel?", she asked with disbelief and chuckled when James blushed a crimson red.

"Okay, so I'll admit. That wasn't all that great. Fuck, you have no idea how loud she yelled at me back in the common room. I thought about going to the Hospital Wing because my head wouldn't stop aching", he said with a dreamy smile that didn't fit the situation at all, but made Hermione's heart clench.

James loved Lily so much that it was almost impossible to imagine. She didn't blame the girl for turning him down all the time, as he also acted like a wild baboon, but still... Hermione was sure that once the boy has grown up, they would be a perfect couple, making everyone jealous of their happiness.

"Have you thought about acting a little bit more maturely towards her? I mean, instead of yelling how you feel and constantly rivalling for her attention, why don't you just talk to her like you're talking to me right now? I'm sure she doesn't need fireworks. She just needs someone who's not a moron", she informed him with a smile and James looked at her with puppy eyes.

"Thank you, Hermione. Being called a moron has never hurt so much before"

"Hey, you were the one to tell me that I looked like shit"

"I was just worried!"

"And I want you to win Lily over! You'd be great together, honestly. You just have to grow up"

"That's sounds terribly boring", James furrowed his brows and ruffled his hair.

Hermione giggled and shook her head.

"At one point you'll have to decide if you'd rather be boring or alone. And now, I think I should go and find my roommates", she stated and smiled widely.

She was just about to walk away, when James pulled her into a bear hug, that almost crushed her bones.

"Thank you, Herms. I really appreciate you helping me, even with all the problems you have on your own. You're a good friend"

A sloppy kiss has landed on her cheek, making her smile brilliantly. She raised her hand and ruffled his hair as a sign of affection.

"You would do the same for me. Actually, you already have, so we're even", she chuckled and James grinned at her.

Soon, she was on her way to the Ravenclaw Tower with a huge smile on her face and warmth spreading throughout her body.

"... and then he said 'What?' and I swear I almost lost it", Grace sighed with a dreamy smile, while Hermione was wiping the tears from her cheeks.

Merlin, those girls were hilarious. After she had left James, her mood has already been awesome, but when she got back to the dormitory, it improved even more.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!", Leslie chortled and shook her head. "You were supposed to ask him if he knew where Hermione was! And then you started to mumble some incoherent words and almost shat yourself when he asked you what were you going on and on about"

"It's not my fault that he's so gorgeous! I mean, I have absolutely no idea how do you manage to talk to him without blushing and fainting all the time, Hermione!"

"Gracie, you read smut every Friday. Talking to Sirius is actually much less embarrassing", Miss Granger said and Leslie chortled again.

"Oh, I bet that Grace's behaviour was caused by reading smut! She probably looked at him and the pictures popped into her mind", she laughed and then stood up, striking a sexy pose. "Sirius... When I look into your glistening eyes, I can feel my special place start to glisten as well..."

Hermione burst out with laughter and bent in half, not able to catch her breath.

"That's not what happened, you bitch!", Grace yelled and then blinked a couple of times. "Although it might have, if I had been brave enough to look into his eyes"

Merlin, how she loved them. It seemed completely surreal that she, Hermione Granger, laughed at jokes this smutty and enjoyed it, but Leslie seemed to be right when she had said that it was only a matter of time before she started to participate in Bookish Fridays with them. Those seemed to be more about laughing their asses off rather than actually reading and it made this idea much more tempting.

Suddenly, the door opened and Amy walked through them with excitement written all over her face.

"You guys! Look who I've found!", she squealed happily and then moved aside, letting a big, black dog into their dormitory.

Hermione recognized him immediately and it took all of her strength not to betray herself. What the fuck was Sirius doing in their dormitory?!

"Oh my God, where did you find him?! He's so cute", Gracie chirped and started to scratch Padfoot behind his ear, causing him to wiggle his tail like crazy.

"I don't know, he was standing at the bottom of the stairs leading to our tower. He looked at me with those gorgeous eyes and I couldn't just leave him there. Isn't he adorable?"

Hermione came closer and kneeled in front of the dog, which immediately started to lick her face, forcing the chuckle out of her mouth.

"Stop it, you", she said and then looked up at Amy. "You realise that dogs are forbidden at Hogwarts?"

"Duh? Of course I know, which is why I think he must be a stray dog. Strangely, he looks very taken care of. Maybe he belongs to Hagrid?"

"I've never seen him out there", Leslie disclaimed instantly and shrugged. "For all I care, he can be ours"

Sirius let out a short bark at that statement, making all the girls giggle. Hermione wanted to stand up, but he whined and nudged her hand with his nose. 'Bloody hell', she thought with resignation and started to scratch him once again.

"He seems to like you very much, Herms. Apparently, all the boys do that!", Amy laughed and Hermione couldn't help but notice that Sirius looked at her with curiosity with his grey eyes, that could only belong to one person.

"Stop it, Amy. You're delusional"

"AM NOT! This is so true. You're friends with the Marauders, Ewan likes you and that Frank person from Hufflepuff looks at you all the time", Amy pointed her finger at Hermione with triumph, making her sigh.

She really didn't want to have that conversation in front of Sirius. Even if he was currently a dog.

"Marauders are, as you pointed out yourself, my friends, Ewan likes me and I like him, but there's nothing more to that and that Frank person is scared of me", she shrugged and the dog started to bark, reminding her of Sirius' laughter.

"What are you laughing at?", she murmured and sent him an angry glance.

"Because he knows you're full of shit", Leslie answered, smiling sweetly. "Come on, Herms, you're actually the only one of us that doesn't swoon over Black and you're also the only one that he notices. It's kind of obvious that he likes you"

Padfoot barked again, this time wiggling his tail and looking at her sweetly. She blushed a little and then rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I think he does. It would be kind of weird to be friends with him if we hated each other, huh?"

"So are you trying to say that his glistening eyes don't make your special places...", Leslie started, but Hermione interrupted before she could finish.

"No! What the fuck is wrong with you, I've just said we're friends!", Miss Granger yelled, making girls chuckle.

That situation was getting out of control, very fast.

"You can be so dumb sometimes, I swear it's almost unbelievable", Amy shook her head and threw herself on the bed, yawning loudly.

Hermione decided that it would probably be for the best to end this conversation. Other girls have followed Amy's footsteps and settled in their bed as well, making Hermione relax slightly. She stood up and gathered her toiletries.

"I'm going to shower. I'm really tired", she stated and marched off to the bathroom.

Girls giggled and she turned around only to see that Sirius was walking by her side, with his tongue out. She tried not to blush, knowing that it would look very weird, since no one else realised that the dog in their dormitory has really been an Animagus.

"No! Stay here", she ordered and Padfoot whined miserably, but she wasn't going to change her mind.

Hermione went inside the bathroom and undressed quickly. Hot water was everything she wanted right now, even though she couldn't enjoy it as much as usual. The thought that Sirius Black was probably entertaining her roommates, while she was naked in the bathroom didn't sit well with her. What seemed to be even more fucked up was the fact, that she would have to leave the bathroom wearing only her shorts and a t-shirt.

When she returned to the dormitory, she found Sirius lying contently on her bed. He immediately jerked up his head when he'd noticed her and Hermione felt really weird with being looked over by a dog. It was so disturbing, that she almost let the fact that he was lying in her bed slip.

"Oh no! Get out of here!", she ordered, putting her hands on her hips.

"Come one, Hermione!", Gracie instantly protested. "He's just a dog, a very smart and adorable one at that. And he seems to like you very much. Let him stay!"

'Bloody hell, what did I do to be punished like that?', she thought to herself and bit her bottom lip. Finally, she sighed and slowly entered the bed, pulling the covers over her body. Padfoot was wiggling his tail like crazy, while he snuggled closer to her. His grey, familiar eyes bore into hers and she couldn't stop herself from caressing his smooth fur.

"Play nice, alright? I really need to sleep", she whispered and smiled gently, when Padfoot licked her fingers affectionately.

And then she closed her eyes and sighed contently. She would be lying if she'd said that she hadn't thought about what sleeping with Sirius would be like. Not even in her weirdest dreams would she consider something like this.