The night was cold and unpleasant. Clouds veiled the sky, making the moon and the stars completely invisible. The village seemed to be in desperate need of light, as the mist hugged the houses and trees giving them an eerie appearance. All those things in addition to a deadly silence bore a striking resemblance to a scene taken straight out of those horror movies, that Muggles loved so much.
Everyone was fast asleep, so no one noticed two hooded figure that appeared out of nowhere on a cobbled street. Judging by their heights and silhouettes, both of them must have been men, although no one would be able to tell for sure, since their faces had been hidden underneath black hoods.
At once, both of the men reached inside their robes, taking out two slim pieces of wood. A moment later, hell broke loose.
Colourful streams of light started flying through the air, making walls explode, as scared people started running outside, trying to save their lives. Screams of pain and agony sounded shortly afterwards, as two strangers kept waving their sticks, yelling weird incantations towards scared inhabitants.
Bodies started to drop on the cobbled streets without any signs of life in their hollow eyes. Blood covered the ground, making the scene even more horrifying. It took only a couple of minutes for the village to fall quiet again, just as nothing had ever happened. The air was filled with reek of blood and death, a smell that couldn't be mistaken for anything else.
The hooded figures stood still for a moment, holding their wooden sticks high up in the air, as if they wanted to make sure that there was no one left to kill. Suddenly, one of them moved, spotting a little girl hiding behind the fence. He rushed towards her and caught her in a matter of seconds, as she wasn't fast enough to run away. Tears kept streaming down her face, sobs escaping her mouth uncontrollably. She was way too young to fully realise what had just happened, but one look at her parents' still, lifeless bodies was enough to make her eyes squeeze tightly, as despair washed over her face.
The man dragged her to the middle of the street and gestured his companion to join him. Their silhouettes towered over the girl, making her small body tremble violently, as sobs kept escaping her throat.
"Just kill her, we don't have time", one of the men hissed, shifting impatiently.
His partner seemed to ignore his words and kept staring at the girl. He raised his hand slightly and another stream of light shot through the air, making the child scream in pain, as her body started to bleed from multiple wounds. Soon, she was lying in a pool of her own blood, making her torturer laugh mercilessly. He raised his hand up in the air and yelled:
"Morsmordre!"
The sky lit up for a moment, and the clouds seemed to disperse, when a terrifying sign of a skull with serpent protruding from its mouth started to form. Soon, both men were gone, leaving a massacre behind.
Hermione couldn't help but stare at the Daily Prophet's front page. Her fists were clenched so hard, that her nails dug into her skin painfully. The pain didn't matter though, as nothing could have made her heart feel less hollow.
Staring at Voldemort's sign had been terrifying. She'd remembered seeing it before her fourth year in Hogwarts, just as she'd remembered the panic that it awoke. Everyone had been scared, as the sign hadn't been seen for fourteen years, since the day of Lily's and James' deaths. Right now, the reactions had been entirely different.
No one knew what it really meant. What happened in Little Crosby was terrifying and absolutely appalling, but reading about it could never unveil the true terror of what has happened there. People were angry, outraged and sad, but not many were afraid, not truly. Whispers of some lunatics who wanted to seize control over the wizarding world were not that uncommon, after all. Besides, the Ministry was supposed to catch them and prevent anything from happening. Not many people realised that the situation had been much more serious.
But she did. And it made her sick to her stomach. It also made all the memories resurface from the depths of her mind, destroying her resolve to stay strong. Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably and no one seemed to be able to stop them. Her roommates looked at her with sadness and worry, as Hermione kept rubbing her scar absentmindedly, but none of them tried to say something, to comfort her in any way. They knew it simple wasn't possible.
"I'm not really hungry. I think I'll just skip breakfast", Hermione muttered in a small voice and stood up slowly.
She was grateful that today happened to be Saturday. It meant that she didn't have to put on a bright smile that opposed her mood so strongly. She could just break down, at least this one time.
There was no better place to do that than the Room of Requirement. After all, not even the Marauders knew about its existence, making it fairly impossible for anyone to find her. Hermione paced in front of the wall three times, focusing on her memories of the Burrow. She wasn't sure if the Room would be able to provide her with an exact replica of Weasleys' house, but decided it was definitely worth the try.
When she walked through the door, she found herself in a place so familiar, that it made her insides clench painfully. It took her a minute to fight down all of those overwhelming emotions and memories, but when she finally did, a sentimental smile graced her face.
Everything looked exactly the same. It felt so real, that Hermione couldn't help but to hope that one of her friends would soon tread down the stairs smiling at her with excitement. It took her another minute to realise that no such thing could happen and it made her sigh with pain, as tears threatened to break free from her eyes.
"What the hell is this place?", a voice sounded from behind her, making her turn around rapidly.
Of course, she should have been used to this by now. After all, Sirius Black sneaked up on her every single time, turning it into a habit of sorts.
"What are you doing here?", she sighed, annoyed to no end. "And how did you manage to get inside?"
Sirius smiled at her, holding up James' Invisibility Cloak. Another sigh escaped her lips, as she turned around and sat down at the kitchen table. That man was simply impossible sometimes. How was she supposed to explain everything to him, without risking exposing her secrets? After all, the Room of Requirement looked exactly like a place that existed even in those times. If somehow Sirius was to visit the Burrow, he'd surely connect the facts and ask her questions she couldn't possibly answer. Not without lying to him, anyway.
"So, what is this place? I mean, I know Hogwarts pretty well, but I had no idea such a room existed", Sirius said, sitting down on a chair next to her.
He watched her intently, even though his whole body was relaxed, as he stretched his legs forwards and stuck hands inside the pockets. Hermione wanted to roll her eyes when she realised that he was probably the most elegant object in the entire house and yet somehow, he fit in here perfectly.
"It's called the Room of Requirement or Come and Go Room. You've probably never encountered it before, as it responds only to a person who's in a great need for it. It provides you with the things you seek for, if you're specific enough", she explained quietly and smiled a little.
Sirius shifted in his chair, keeping his gaze fixed at her. Hermione didn't have to look up to know that his face was lit up with excitement, as it was pretty obvious.
"You can ask for anything?", he asked leaning forwards, making her giggle, despite her foul mood.
He could be such a kid. And no matter how annoying it was sometimes, today it reminded her that the fight hadn't been lost yet.
"There are some exceptions. For example, you cannot ask for food, according to the first of the Principal Exceptions to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration", she explained and Sirius snorted with amusement.
"I'm just going to pretend I know what you're on about", he muttered.
Hermione sighed heavily, forcing herself to refrain from scolding him. Honestly, how could he be so intelligent and so unwilling to learn anything at the same time? That man aspired to be an Auror... What did he think was required to become one? Immaculate hair and flirting techniques?
"You really need to take studying more seriously", she said firmly making him laugh.
"Love, don't you know me?"
"Yeah, I do. And I know that you're really smart and you'd be able to learn that stuff in a heartbeat, if you tried"
"And I will learn them in a heartbeat, since there's no way you're going to make me study faster than a month before the finals"
She shot him a murderous glance, but decided to drop the subject. Her mood was not exactly rebellious right now.
"So, why are we here?"
"I'm here because I want to and you're here because you're stalking me"
"Can't blame me for worrying, love"
His quiet answer surprised her to the point, where she simply had to look at him and let herself drown in his grey eyes. Merlin, he could be so sweet sometimes... Especially when he went out of his way to make her feel better or at least make sure she was alright. How could she be immune to all of this?
"I'm grateful for it, Sirius. It's just that...", she started with hesitation, but he smiled at her softly, making her heart skip a beat.
"I know, love. There are things that have to stay a secret... Evans made it pretty clear. And I hate to admit it, but she's right. I decided that I'd rather be with you, not knowing everything, than keep pestering you and drive you away from me"
His words seemed to be honest and completely void of humour. It seemed so weird to see Sirius act mature, that she tried to pinch herself discretely to see if she wasn't dreaming. Padfoot looked at her with amusement, as a smirk appeared on his lips, but didn't comment on her behaviour.
"That's good", she stated sheepishly and averted her gaze. "I don't really like pushing you away. Even if you're driving me crazy most of the time"
"How crazy?"
Once again, she was surprised to hear his voice all serious, without even as much as a hint of flirt in it. He seemed genuinely interested in a truthful answer and she felt really inclined to give it to him.
"Very crazy. I know you're a great person, Sirius. You're loyal, brave and charming to a point where it's very hard not to like you. But at the same time, I have no idea what to expect from you"
Sirius sighed and ruffled his hair, making them far less perfect than usual. He seemed annoyed, although Hermione had a feeling that she wasn't the reason for his feelings.
"I wish I was better at this crap", he muttered. "If you were any different, you would be mine long time ago. But then I wouldn't want you"
Hermione highly doubted it, since girls with no respect for themselves didn't seem to repel him all that much. She kept her thoughts to herself though, deciding to just let him speak.
"You know, you're not really my type. Actually, you pose a strong contradiction to my usual type, to phrase it better. And I don't mean physically, because you're obviously gorgeous, without even trying to be"
Hermione blushed at his words and bit her bottom lip, trying to force her face to return to its previous colour. Sirius chuckled and shook his head, clearly amused by her embarrassment.
"You're so determined to follow the rules and yet not boring. You have this defined sense of right and wrong, of loyalty and bravery. It's so impressing that it actually makes me feel like I'm being struck with a thunder when I look at this fire in your eyes. I've never been the mature one, I've never wanted to be. But you make being an adult look like an adventure. Adventure that might be the most important one in my life. And that is simply unbelievable, Herms", he said and looked at her with amazement.
"It's not an adventure, Sirius. Life is cruel, dangerous and often void of any beauty. But being an adult means that you know it could be different and you fight for it. You try to make the best out of it, not only for yourself, but for everyone else"
She didn't feel comfortable listening to his words. He made her seem like a hero, like someone who was a rarity that needed to be treasured and admired. Hermione was sure though, that it wasn't the case. All the people that died during the Battle proved it, as they were all courageous and loyal to their cause. Hermione Granger wasn't as special, as he believed her to be.
"You're sixteen Hermione", he said and furrowed his brows. "But somehow you are also the only one who cried after reading that article. Because you're the only one capable of understanding the situation and its consequences. Most of the people aren't familiar with terror and evil. But you are and you still decided to fight"
"It's not a choice, Sirius. I was too weak to save everyone that I cared for. But there are so many people out there, people worth fighting for. It's not a choice, if I can save their lives. It's not a choice if there are so many things that can be done to stop those monsters", her voice trembled from restrained emotions, making Sirius close his eyes and lean forward to rest his head on his palms.
"You can't say those things and expect me to leave you alone", his whisper clutched her heart so hard, that it almost hurt. "I've been raised to be one of those monsters and I resent my family for it. I resent them so much that I decided to run away, even if that meant becoming a bastard... I know all of those terrors that you've seen. I've lived through them. And even though I rebelled against them, I've always known that it's not going to be enough. I've known that those people, who happen to be my family, are dangerous and vile. They need to be stopped, but I desperately tried to stay out of it, deciding to just let other people handle it"
Hermione blinked a couple of times, trying to get rid of the tears that formed in her eyes, while listening to Sirius' speech. He sounded so unlike the Sirius she'd known. That man had been irresponsible, reckless and hot-blooded, but there had been so many things boiling inside his head, so many unspoken thoughts, that Hermione had often wondered if she had really known him all that well.
It was like seeing him for the first time. Sirius Black that sat before her wasn't a little boy, who had a lot of maturing ahead of him. He was a man, that desperately tried to stay childish, because it allowed him to cope with impossible choices that he would be forced to make in the nearest future. He was a man, who resented his family just as much, as they resented him... He was a man that looked everywhere for the attention and love that he had never truly experienced. But most importantly, he was a person that needed someone, who could fully understand him. He needed her, just as much as she needed him.
"But you, Hermione. I can't imagine what life must have been like for you. Sometimes when you think that no one is looking, you allow yourself those rare moments of sorrow... Sorrow, that is almost agonizing to watch. But then you smile and determination shines through your eyes and it simply takes my breath away, every single time. You inspire me, you give me hope and you give me strength. How could you ever expect me to let you go, when you're the only one that shows me the man I could be?"