"Are you going to be mad at me forever?", a whisper sounded right next to her ear, causing her to jump up and yelp with fear.

Her wand was out immediately, pointing at a guy standing right behind her. Hermione was ready to curse him into oblivion, but stopped herself when she noticed that familiar grin that could only belong to Sirius.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to sneak up on me like that?!", she yelled and rubbed her forehead, listening to her racing heart.

"It's not my fault that the books absorb you to the point that you have no clue what's happening around you", he observed with a smile, his hands stuck into his pockets.

He looked slightly uneasy, even though he tried his best to hide it. Hermione could tell that he wasn't doing all that well, since his muscles have been tensed and eyes betrayed discomfort.

"You don't have to take advantage of it, you know", she murmured and sat down once again, getting back to her essay.

She heard his question perfectly well, but decided to ignore it for now. Avoiding Sirius was her main objective those past few days and it was working very well, since the man had no intentions of stepping inside the library. Until now, that is. She could no longer pretend that he doesn't exist and it made her stomach clench.

It wasn't like he had done something unforgivable. Hermione couldn't even say that she was still mad at him. No, the case was much more complicated. The emotions that he managed to evoke in her were dangerous. She kept telling everyone that they were just friends, but her mind, her heart and her entire body started to want something completely else from him and that scared her.

What happened in Hogsmeade proved the theory that this man was nowhere near ready for a relationship. And that meant that she had to stay away from him, until she would be sure that her feelings were under control.

"So... You didn't answer my question", Sirius said, sitting down in front of her.

Hermione looked at him briefly, but stayed silent, causing the boy to frown.

"Come on, love. Talk to me. You forced me to come to the library. Isn't that enough to prove that I'm kind of sorry?", he groaned and Hermione snarled.

"Kind of? How can you be kind of sorry?", she asked dryly. "Do you even know why I'm mad in the first place?"

"No. That's why I'm kind of sorry"

"Any theories?"

Hermione's voice was laced with sarcasm as it was really hard not to be angry. You really needed to be Sirius Black in order to apologize for something that you had no clue about.

"Actually, one. And I must say, I like this theory very much", he murmured and leaned forward, his grey eyes boring deep into hers. "You might have been jealous"

Sweet Merlin, his voice could sound like a pure velvet, so rich and enticing that she almost forgot that she was mad at him. It took all of her willpower to keep a straight face, when he purred at her like that, but she somehow managed to do so.

"Jealous... Yeah, keep trying", she answered and shook her head.

He didn't have to know that she might have been a little jealous. Hermione was sure though that nothing good would come out of sharing that information with him. That man was vain as it was, adding to that would simply be stupid.

"Are you sure? Cause I think that you started to be angry right after you've seen me with Celia"

"Not exactly, although it has a lot to do with that girl", she admitted, making Sirius laugh.

"That girl? Yeah, definitely not jealous. Come on, Hermione. You know that she doesn't mean anything", he shook his head and smiled at her brilliantly.

She slammed her book shut and looked at him with a murderous glance.

"She's a woman, Sirius. Not a sharp one, I agree, but still a woman. And the fact that you're okay with flirting with me, then going on a date with another girl and then trying to trash her so I would forgive you, scares the hell out of me", she snapped at him and squeezed her eyes shut. "I'm not naïve enough to think that you're actually interested in me. But I was naive enough to think that I'm your friend. And you let Celia refer to me as 'the girl that's trailing you all the time'. You didn't protest and I expected you to pick me over her. After all, she means nothing to you, yeah? Makes me wonder what the hell do I mean to you. So yeah, I'm mad at you and I'm going to stay mad, because apparently this is all a joke to you", she stated dryly and stood up, looking at him with disappointment.

Sirius' mouth was gaping, as he stared at her with shock. He probably didn't see that coming and Hermione was very proud of herself to be the cause of Padfoot's unintelligent appearance. She wasn't going to dwell on that though, as she grabbed her books, her bag and stormed out of the library.

It took only a minute for Sirius to follow her, though. Even her furious steps couldn't keep him away, as he basically sprinted towards her and pushed her onto the wall.

"What the hell are you doing?", she growled and tried to free herself from his grip, but he was, obviously, way too strong.

His athletic body had absolutely no trouble to keep her in the same place, but she knew that thinking about his body so close to her own wasn't exactly a good idea.

"Stop wriggling, Hermione, and just listen", he pleaded and she sighed loudly, looking at him with fury. "I wanted you to be jealous, alright?", he admitted and sent her a shy gaze. "I've heard about your date with Hughes and I kind of... Well, I thought that you were interested in me, not him. So it pissed me off and I wanted to make you jealous"

Hermione blinked a couple of times, her anger dissipating completely. Did he just... No. There was no way in hell that Sirius could have meant it.

"You... You what?"

"I wanted you to be jealous. Are you really this surprised?", he asked and smiled at her.

"Um... Yeah? You flirt with everyone, for Merlin's sake. Did you really expect me to feel special?"

"I honestly didn't even expect you to be special. But you are", he whispered and cupped her cheek with his hand.

This was not going well. Especially not with that passionate look in his eyes, that made her want to... 'Get yourself together, you idiot", she basically yelled to herself, hoping that it might actually help her shake off those feelings boiling inside her body.

"Sirius, stop. I like you. I really, really like you. But there can't be anything more than friendship between us", she said quietly and watched Sirius' expression change to somewhat amused.

"Oh yes, I know. You're complicated and I'm shallow, you're looking for a real relationship and I'm just looking for a good shag. I thought you may say something like this", he informed her with a smile, making Hermione frown.

"I don't think you're shallow, Sirius. But the second part is kind of true"

"Okay, I'll admit, I'm not a saint. But the thing is, I have never actually met a girl that would make me want to change. But you do. You have this fire inside of you. Life treated you like shit and you're still fighting and walking with your head up high. You're incredibly smart and beautiful, but you're not vain in the slightest. How could I not be interested in you?"

Hermione blushed furiously and did her best not to let his words get to her. A proof of his ability to be sweet and charming was definitely not necessary, especially given her resolution to turn him down. Instead, she snorted and shook her head with disbelief.

"Because I'm the opposite of what you usually like. I mean, look at Celia. That girl is pretty stunning. In comparison to her, I'm really bland and common. My personality may be alluring to you right now, but I'm sure it's going to pass, Sirius. It makes me complicated, just as you said. I don't have the luxury to waste time on games and fooling around"

"You really need to stop being so harsh to yourself", Sirius murmured in response, his body pressing into her own even more.

"I am being honest, Sirius. I'm simply not right for you"

Barking laughter filled the air, as his chest vibrated against her own, making shivers run down her spine. It was almost impossible to think straight with him this close to her. All she wanted to do was to wrap her arms around his neck and let herself sink into his silvery-grey eyes, that kept staring at her with passion.

"How can you know that, Herms? It's not like you can decide what's best for me and I'm pretty sure I can be best for you. I can make you forget every single one of your stupid arguments for turning me down", he whispered against her lips, brushing over them with a feathery touch.

Her breath hitched, as she forced herself to still, afraid of making a move and even more scared of staying in one place and letting him do whatever he pleased. She was absolutely unable to make a decision, so she stayed quiet and hoped that maybe he would see her uneasiness and back down.

Of course, no such thing happened. A smirk graced his lips merely seconds before he kissed her. The fact that he was skilled in that area posed no mystery. After all, he had quite an impressive history of previous experiences. But Hermione would never expect him to be this gentle and passionate at the same time. His lips brushing against her own felt so right, that she couldn't stop herself from kissing him back and making his smile widen.

His thumb kept running small circles on her cheeks, while the other hand landed on her waist, bringing her body even closer. Hermione's heart kept thumping against her chest, its sound so deafening that it was impossible to hear anything else. The whole world around them might as well become non-existent, since there was no power that could make her care about the surroundings at that moment.

It took only a brief flashback of her past to snap out of her daze. She forced herself to break the kiss and push him away, even a little. Kissing Sirius felt right, but it shouldn't have. Hermione was supposed to save that man from an awful fate, not engage in a relationship with him. There were simply too many risks coming with giving this relationship a shot and she knew that. No one could ever give her the guarantee that it was going to be this one in a million thing, when the couple so young actually managed to stay together for life. And she had to be sure that when they've finished school, she would still be part of everyone's life in order to stop all those bad things from coming. If she and Sirius hated each other, how could she possibly achieve that? There was also this fact, that she couldn't picture herself lying to him all the time. She would have to tell him the truth and after he knew, there was a chance that he might not even want her anymore.

"I can't, Sirius. You may think all you want, but my arguments for turning you down are actually way too solid for you to be able to just kiss them away. I have my reasons, and I would be grateful if you could just respect them and never mention that again", she stated dryly, making his brows furrow with disbelief.

"You kissed me back, Herms. And I know you want to do a lot more than just that, I'm not blind, yeah? Why are you so hell-bent on stopping yourself?", he asked with anger.

His words caused her to blush and bite her bottom lip so hard, that it had actually hurt. Pain was something that cleared her mind completely and gave her the strength to stick to her resolve, though.

"You're attractive, Sirius. I don't claim to be immune to that, but I find it way beneath me to just use you like that, when I have no intentions of engaging myself in a serious relationship. Not with you, not with anyone else. I'm better off on my own and everybody else is just going to benefit from that"

Padfoot looked at her with a smirk on his face and anger clouding his eyes. It wasn't a pleasant look, not on him, but nonetheless, she expected him to take it far, far worse. If he decided to throw a tantrum, it would actually make it so much easier for her to consolidate her opinion on the matter. But right now, his eyes seemed to scold her and her stupid resolution and it made her feel very unsure.

"For someone so bright you sure can be stupid sometimes", he muttered and shook his head with disappointment. "I kind of expected you to be stubborn and deaf to all my pleas. James even told me that being honest with you on that matter was an awful idea, because you would just run away like a scared mice. So let me just say this - you can't protect me from danger, Hermione. I know that you consider yourself to be a target and you're probably right, but being just friends doesn't make me any safer. It won't hurt you any less if something happens to me, because the feelings would still be there, even if you keep turning me down at all times", he said quietly and stuck his hands into his pockets, looking at her with intent.

Sometimes it was way too easy to forget that he had actually been quite brilliant. He acted so carelessly most of the time, that he reminded her rather of a child, than a man that was about to be grown up. Those rare moments of seriousness, like this one, were merely forerunners of the person who he has yet to become. Maybe that man would be able to bring down all those walls that she built around herself, making her unable to keep saying no. Until then though, she would have to hurt him over and over again.

"Maybe you're right saying that being my friend puts you in danger. But I also know that I've been forced to join a war that none of you is ready for. And until you are, I can't give you what you're looking for. That would be a relationship based on lies and deceive and that's not something that I want. It's also way beneath both of us"

"So instead you're just going to lie to me as your friend, yeah?", he asked with sarcasm, making her sigh tiredly.

"I actually try to avoid lying in general, Sirius. But the thing is, it's not possible to keep certain things away from the person you're in relationship with. It doesn't work the same way with friends and you know that"

"Had it ever occurred to you that maybe it would be best if you would just stop lying and told me the truth? How do you expect me to become ready for the upcoming war, if you keep me in the dark? Besides, we're at Hogwarts, Herms. There's no better place to actually loosen up a bit. The war is still going to be there after we finish school and right now, there's not much we can do anyways. Maybe it's not such a bad idea to actually live", he sighed and looked at her with determination. "For your information, I'm not giving up on this. Even if I want to strangle and kiss you senseless at the same time. Now that I have found someone who made me want to change, I'm not letting you go so easily"

With that, he kissed her again, closing the distance between them in a second. This time, the kiss was forceful and demanding, as he poured all of his anger into it. It ignited the fire inside of her body almost instantly, but before she decided to break her resolve once again, he pushed himself away and stormed off, leaving her hot and cold at the same time.

'He's going to be trouble', she thought and bit her lip that still had Sirius' taste lingering on it. 'So much trouble'

The night was surprisingly cold, but Hermione guessed she could blame only herself for staying up so late. After her encounter with Sirius, she decided to go back to the library and finish the essay she was writing before the boy had interrupted her. It managed to dull her racing thoughts concerning Sirius and the situation she found herself in.

The arguments he pulled out of his sleeve were more than reasonable, although she knew that it was not enough to change her mind. After all, he didn't know the entire truth and probably never would, which made this whole thing even more difficult. The fact that she simply couldn't let him win did nothing to help her extinguish that longing and want boiling inside of her heart.

Being at war with her own emotions made her so unaware of the passing time, that when she had finally snapped out of her daze, the moon was shining brightly, just as the stars surrounding it. She cursed under her breath and started to gather her things in haste. It was somewhat surprising to see Madam Pince sleeping in the chair by the desk, as she usually took care of students who were breaking the curfew by staying in the library so late. Tiptoeing past the librarian's desk, Hermione managed to sneak out to the corridor and faced the darkness of the Hogwart's halls.

She stopped being afraid of the darkness a long time ago, but the castle always managed to make her uneasy, since it had been so old and full of mysteries. At times like this, her memories of the battle became even more prominent, making her stomach clench violently. In a matter of seconds, Hermione grabbed her wand and muttered a spell, not wanting to stay in the dark any longer.

The way to the Ravenclaw Tower was long and filled with traps. Oh, how she wished she could have had Harry's cloak with her or even her beaded bag with the Marauder's Map in it. A realisation dawned at her and she started to search her school bag. She made a point of never leaving her purse in the dormitory, where the girls could always find it and start asking questions. After all, Undetectable Extension Charm she put on it wasn't exactly legal. Not mentioning the purse's other secrets, including the infamous Marauder's Map. There would be no way to avoid questions if they have found that.

Hermione stuck her arm inside the purse, trying to find the piece of paper which could ensure her safe return to the Ravenclaw Tower. The corridors were quiet, so she took her time, not wanting to make a mess of all the books and other things she stored inside of the bag. Finally, the map was out and she unfolded it carefully.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good", she whispered pointing her wand at the old parchment and watching as the letters started to show up, making Hermione amazed as usual.

It really was a piece of art. Very advanced magic and incredibly useful at that. She had always assumed that Remus has played the biggest part in making it, but now that she has met James and Sirius, she knew that they were incredibly talented as well. It must have been their joined effort and the effects were absolutely brilliant. The map, despite her first doubts, turned out to be useful and life-saving at times.

She skimmed the map over, trying to find the safest way to her dormitory. The corridors were mostly empty, although seeing James' and Sirius' names wandering near the Trophy Room made her want to roll her eyes. Of course, they were up to no good. Those boys and their endless pranks. Hermione admitted that those were usually funny and really clever, but some of them could be really childish and embarrassing. She wondered briefly which one would boys pull off tonight, but decided that she didn't have time to dwell on that. If she could see them on the map, they could do the same thing with her and the last thing she wanted to endure was endless teasing from James.

Hermione sighed quietly and started to fold the map in order to put her inside her robes' pocket, when other two names caught her eye. Marcus Avery and Theodore Mulciber were standing on a corridor not so far away from the library. Most students avoided it, as it didn't lead to any important parts of the castle and made their way to classes much longer. Why would those two be standing there in the middle of the night? Miss Granger bit her lip, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation, but her mind went blank. There was no way she could just go back to her dormitory without finding out what they were up to. It was important enough to make them leave the dungeons, so that not even their peers could listen in on their conversation.

Making a decision, she tapped her head with the tip of her wand, casting the Disillusionment Charm. An unpleasant sensation run through her body, as her figure began to disappear, taking the colour and texture of the wall behind her. She smiled with satisfaction at performing the spell correctly. She took a deep breath and started to rush through the corridors, trying to reach the Slytherins as fast as she possibly could. The map informed her that they were still there, making her slow down right before the corner leading to their location. Her arm disappeared inside her beaded bag once again, as she started to look for the Extendable Ears.

After disillusioning Weasley brother's invention, she levitated one ear towards the Slytherins and then put the other one next to her face. Hermione hoped that Snape didn't share his brilliant spells with his housemates, as it would make her effort completely pointless. Apparently, the future Potions' Master wasn't friendly enough to let them in on his secret inventions, as words flew into Hermione's ear without any interference.

"...he's getting impatient, you know that. That Mudblood has to be dealt with. Black is miserably infatuated with her, that Blood Traitor. Dark Lord still hopes to get him on our side and will not be happy to learn about his involvement with that bitch. Same goes for Potter", Mulciber's voice reached her ears and she almost gasped at the realisation that they were talking about her.

"She's skilled, Mulciber and she never leaves the library. It's hardly a place to curse her. No one can know about our involvement. The Dark Lord needs spies at this bloody school"

"I am aware Avery. Which is why we need to target somebody else. We can then threaten her and make her choose between her life and some other Mudbloods. The Dark Lord would reward us greatly for bringing her to him"

Hermione felt a wave of nausea fill her body, as she realised that those bastards planned to hurt someone just to be able to manipulate her. There was no way for her to protect everyone in that huge castle, just as it was literally impossible for her to figure out their target before it would be too late. What was she supposed to do?!

"If someone gets hurt, all eyes would be on us. Dumbledore's no fool, he'll figure it out in a matter of seconds", Avery protested with a hiss. "We're not supposed to capture her, just send her a message. She can't know that it had been us or else Dumbledore will learn about it"

"Fine. What do you propose then?"

"I don't know. Maybe we should use Snape? She had been friendly towards him, Merlin knows why. He had also already been friends with a Mudblood before, so it wouldn't raise any suspicions from anyone else"

Hermione wanted to cheer Avery for coming up with something like this. That way, she would be able to convince Snape to switch sides. Or maybe at least implant him with a seed of doubt. It would still be considered a success, at least for now.

"He's never going to agree on that. He's obsessed with Evans and is more interested in spying on her than actually doing something useful", Mulciber snorted, making Hermione frown.

Severus spying on Lily? That thought seemed very disturbing and she would definitely have to check if there was any truth to it.

"The Dark Lord gave us orders. He won't ignore them if he wants to be part of his plan. Snape's not stupid, otherwise our Lord would have no interest in him. He'll make the right choice", Avery stated and the Slytherins fell quiet.

Hermione started to wonder if they were still there, but after a moment, Mulicber spoke again.

"We should get back to the dungeons. It's getting really late and Filch is probably starting to patrol the corridors"

The Ravenclaw took his words as the cue to leave. She carefully withdrew the Ear from the corridor and packed it into her bag. Hermione was thankful that the way to the dungeons required the boys to go in a completely different direction, as she could calm her breath and gather her thoughts in peace.

The conversation between the boys was disturbing, to say the least. Voldemort has targeted her, just as she and Dumbledore had expected, but it still was somewhat frightening. What was even more important, Riddle apparently had a way to contact the students without any risks and that meant that the measures taken by the Headmaster to prevent that were not enough.

She certainly had a lot to tell the man. But right now, she needed to get back to bed. Nothing good would come out of her getting caught and having to explain herself.