"Are you sure that you're okay with staying here during the break?"

James's worried voice made her smile with appreciation, as she shook her head vigorously.

"I can't say I'm completely okay with it, as I am going to miss you all, but I have work to do", she answered and earned herself a bear hug.

When James had finally let her go, Hermione ruffled his hair in an affectionate gesture, making him grin widely. Remus approached her a mere second later and hugged her just as fiercely.

"We'll write to you, I promise", he assured her firmly and then stepped away, making way for Peter.

"It's just two weeks, you know! You probably won't even notice we're gone"

Wormtail could be so sweet sometimes, that it was really hard not to smile at him with tenderness. It was even harder now, after their talk. The boy surprised her not only with his maturity, but also with the fact that he kept everything to himself – he hadn't even told James and Sirius, that she knew their little secret. Hermione appreciated it greatly, just as she appreciated his attempt to make her mood a bit better.

When Peter joined James and Remus, her gaze flicked towards Sirius, who was leaning onto one of the columns at the platform, with his hands stuck in the pockets and his gaze fixed at her. A blush crept up her face, when their eyes met and once again, she found herself trapped in the depth of his silvery eyes.

James cleared his throat suggestively and nudged Peter and Remus to walk away. The boys complied instantly, noticing the sudden spike of tension in the air. Hermione fidgeted nervously, as her thoughts drifted to that one memory that haunted her since Mulciber pulled it out of the depths of her mind. It was so easy to get lost in it, especially when she watched Sirius walk slowly towards her with need painted all over his face.

She looked down, not wanting to lose control over herself. Why was this so hard? It wasn't like she wouldn't see him ever again. He would be gone for merely two weeks! Still, the thought of not spending time with him, not being close to him made her so incredibly sad and disappointed, that showing up at the station proved to be much more difficult than she initially thought she would.

"So...", he started, his voice strained and huskier than usual.

She couldn't help the shiver that ran up her spine at the mere sound of his tone. Why did it have to be so bloody hard?!

"Two weeks seem incredibly long, don't they?", he murmured after a short while. "Never thought I'd say this to any female, but I am going to miss you"

Hermione forced herself to look up and immediately regretted her decision, as Sirius' eyes consumed her and made her unable to make a single move. Why would she even want to move, if everything she needed was right there in front of her?

"I am going to miss you too", she answered in a breathy whisper, not trusting her full voice at all.

It didn't seem possible, but the tension grew even thicker as Sirius' gaze lowered to her lips. Her heart sped up, thumping against her chest like crazy, as she tried to compose herself and start thinking clearly. 'Just hug him, say goodbye and walk away!', her mind screamed at her, but her feet were completely unresponsive, as she continued to stand there and await his next move.

"Bloody hell... Remind me, why aren't we together?", he asked in a tormented voice and Hermione took a deep breath, trying to find an answer to his question.

"I... There are reasons", she finally managed to say and closed her eyes, when Sirius' forehead touched her own and his hands pulled her close to his body.

"You have to be more specific", he breathed against her lips, making them part ever so slightly.

"I... I c-can't right now", her desperate whine made him smile like a predator.

"Good",

Mere second later, he kissed her and made her completely forget about the fact that they were standing on a platform full of nosy students and that what they were doing was going to complicate things even more.

She even forgot her own name, as his lips slowly caressed her own in the most sensual way anyone could imagine. Every single touch felt like fire. His hair seemed like silk beneath her fingers, his scent intoxicated her and made her want to sigh in pure ecstasy. Nothing else mattered. Nothing, but his hands clutching her hips possessively and his body pressed against her own.

After what seemed like a second and an eternity at the same time, he broke their heated kiss and rested his forehead against her own once again. Hermione's eyes flew open and she met his clouded, darkened gaze. The want in his eyes almost made her kiss him again, but before she could do just that, he sighed shakily.

"I shouldn't have done that", he said and Hermione nodded eagerly.

"This will only complicate things", she admitted quietly and frowned, seeing him smile mischievously.

"I wasn't talking about kissing you, love. I was talking about breaking the kiss"

Her eyes widened and Sirius chuckled, tugging a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Two weeks ago you've said...", she started, but he placed a finger on her lips.

"I know. But today is different. We're not going to see each other during the break and... I simply couldn't go without having something to remember"

"What about me?", she asked with annoyance, that made his eyes glint amusedly.

"Don't tell me you didn't want it, love. Don't tell me that if I kissed you again, you wouldn't kiss me back"

Hermione bit her lip and said nothing. She didn't want to lie to him, not even in such a trivial matter. Even with all her stubbornness and resolve to wait, denying him the knowledge of how much she wanted him seemed cruel and pointless.

"See?", he chuckled, but somehow it didn't seem all that cheerful. "To be honest, Hermione, since we've had that talk, I really tried to make things better between us. But the more I try, the more I realise that there's no way in hell I'm going to make it"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I can't stay away. I can't force myself to acknowledge your reasons and seriousness of the entire situation. It's utterly pointless. Don't you see? I didn't fall for you because of your past. For fucks sake, I fell for the person you are right now and without your past you'd be completely different. Even if what you're going to tell me eventually will shock me, I'm not some kind of a bastard to just leave you. I couldn't, even if I wanted to. Because I love you, alright?"

Hermione would never believe the words that came out of his mouth, if it wasn't for the fact that Sirius Black was blushing, for the first time in his life. He loved her. Oh, Merlin, he loved her.

"Are you... Are you sure?", she asked and felt like an idiot as soon as the words left her mouth.

Sirius looked at her with disbelief and closed his eyes, rubbing his temple.

"Yeah. I'm positive. It's not like I walk around telling people that all the time, is it?"

Of course, it wasn't... She could be such a moron sometimes.

"I'm sorry, I just didn't expect that"

"Well, me neither", he sighed and opened his eyes once again.

His hands found themselves on her shoulders, as he forced her to look at him.

"You don't have to say anything. I know that it's a lot to digest, especially if you have spent past weeks trying to convince yourself that whatever it is you're feeling for me, it will have to wait. I also know that I agreed to your terms and now I'm backing out of them once again, but I realised that the thing that you didn't want to happen has already happened. I'm already a lost cause and for me, there's no other way than to just be with you. Think about it, Hermione, please. Otherwise we're going to have the same conversation over and over, and neither of us will be happy"

Having said all that, he leaned forward and kissed her again, pouring all of his emotions into that kiss, making her heart melt. When he straightened himself, he smiled widely and then turned around and walked towards the train, leaving her with chaos in her mind.

Sirius Black loved her and she could do nothing to change it. She had already tried to keep him away, to oppose him, but her tactics had clearly failed. What was the point in fighting, when she didn't have any strength left? Hermione would have to be completely blind not to see, that Sirius proved himself to be trustworthy and loyal. He'd never tell her those things if he didn't believe in them. Maybe it was time to start believing in him? Maybe it was time to trust, that she wasn't the only one capable of making dangerous, but responsible choices? Maybe it was time to start living once again?

"Sirius!", she called after him and watched as the boy climbing the stairs turned around, just as soon as the train started to take off. "I love you too!"

Smile graced her lips, as Padfoot looked at her completely dumbfounded for a few seconds, before someone pulled him inside the train and closed the door. Hermione turned around and smiled even wider, when this great weight disappeared from her shoulders and all of her previous doubts started to seem quite stupid. She knew that once the adrenaline subsides, the weight will be back, but for now, Hermione wanted to be happy. Just this once.

Dear Kitten,

Did my brain just went coocoo, or did you really say you loved me back?! Please, answer that freaking letter, I need to know if things are about to go really, really awesome or really, really awkward.

Yours,

Sirius

Dear Hermione,

Can you please just write him back?! I swear on Merlin's beard, he's acting like a freaking lunatic. He keeps talking about you all the time and when he's not doing that, he keeps staring at the window, looking for an owl with a letter from you. Please, answer him. I'd really like to have a peaceful Christmas!

Prongs

HERMIONE,

I just had a breakthrough! SIRIUS IS ACTING LIKE ME. How the hell did he manage to be my friend for the past five years, if that's how I acted?! He's pathetic, I swear. Poor, love-struck fool. You absolutely HAVE TO write him back, eventually, you know that, right? It's just cruel to let him wonder like that. Besides he's pissing me off, so just send him a letter already, would you?

Enlightened,

James

Dearest Kitten,

Look, I really get that I might have imagined you saying you loved me. No harm feelings, okay? Surely, I have never said that to anyone and I definitely hadn't been turned down before, but I'll manage somehow. Just please, write me back... I'm getting crazy, like, SIRIUSLY crazy. And crazy Padfoot, is not a good Padfoot.

With love,

Sirius

Hermione wiped the sweat out of her eyes and moaned loudly. Every muscle in her body screamed from exertion, as she tried to stand up once again and take a fighting stance.

"Pathetic! Have you completely forgotten everything I've taught you over the summer?!", Moody yelled at her with fury and he flicked his wand, sending her towards the ground once again.

"I'm not an Auror with dozens of years of experience", she snapped back and refused to get up.

Moody muttered few uncensored words under his breath, but didn't make a move to attack her once more. Hermione decided to take advantage out of his temporary mercy and closed her eyes, relaxing her body completely. Oh, how she wished she could be in her dormitory, reading a book. Or even better, replying to those letters that kept piling up on her nightstand. She'd read them of course, but it took her a couple of days to do so, as her exhausted body refused to stay awake even a second longer than it was necessary.

Hermione felt so guilty that it was eating away her concentration. It really was cruel to let Sirius suffer like this. Despite his words about being turned down, she knew that he was down. How could he be not? After all, he'd heard her correctly and now she refused to confirm his assumptions. She had to write that damn letter. Moody or no Moody, Sirius was much more important right now.

"I need to go", she stated and got up from the ground, facing the Auror that was looking at her with narrowed, suspicious eyes.

"We're not done yet"

"Yes, we are!"

Moody raised his brows and then smiled, surprising her completely.

"Why are you smiling?", her voice was laced with suspicion, as it seemed almost impossible for the man to be expressing joy.

"Because you've finally managed to oppose me. I thought that you were a lost cause, letting me drug you through the mud over and over without even as much as a quiet protest", he explained, making her mouth open widely.

"Are you freaking serious?!"

"Granger, like you've said, you're not an Auror and your fighting skills happen to be very decent for someone so young. However, you're not going to make much use of it, if you're going to keep letting me abuse you like that"

Hermione felt so angry that she wanted to cry. All of this... All of this hard work had been because he wanted her to stand up and fight for herself and her own wellbeing, instead of just following his lead without whining and protesting? Before she could stop herself, she raised her wand and sent a stunner towards the Auror. Moody had been so surprised that her spell had actually reached him, sending him flying towards the ground.

"Unbelievable! If you want a rebel, you're going to get one", she spat and stormed out of the room.

Anger made her forget about her exhaustion and ache of the muscles, as she walked down the corridors with fury painted all over her face. She absolutely resented the feeling of being played, especially considering the fact that she did everything in her power to make this meetings with Moody possible, without raising any suspicions. Fooling Snape was bloody difficult and she deserved a freaking medal for doing so, not getting treated like a toy.

The Ravenclaw Tower was awfully quiet, as most of the students have gone home for the break. Hermione couldn't say that she minded it, since there was no one to monitor her actions and start another set of gossip. She wanted to enjoy peace as long as possible. The second the break will be over, everyone will start talking about her and Sirius and make her go crazy with all the stares and whispers.

Her anger diminished slightly when she thought about Sirius. She truly expected that as soon as the adrenaline disappeared, regret would fill her body, making her miserable, but to her surprise, no such thing happened. Something about confessing her feelings to him felt right, bringing her much wanted peace. Her doubts were still there, obviously, but they simply weren't scary anymore. Sirius had been right all along, there was absolutely no point in fighting things that were unavoidable, even if they might complicate her life. After all, her problems were still there, regardless of her relationship with Padfoot. Sweeping her feelings under the carpet wouldn't change a thing – it just made her look stupid and immature.

Hermione really wished she could have realised that earlier, but when it came to relationships and emotions, it was never that simple. Not in her case at least, since she had spent most of her time trying to save Harry and the whole wizarding world, pushing her needs and wants aside. Her love towards Ron seemed completely unreal even now, as her memories of the past consisted mainly of gruesome scenes and gut wrenching sights. She, Harry and Ron managed to remain friends, but there was no doubt that their relations would be completely different if there was no war raging outside. Those rare moments of happiness they shared were also the only thing that kept them going and Hermione knew that if she was about to step into yet another battle, she had to gather as much of that kind of strength as possible.

It was like she had finally opened her eyes. Dumbledore had spent such a great amount of time trying to make them acknowledge the fact, that Voldemort's biggest weakness had been his inability to feel. No one could defeat him by simply being a good, obedient soldier like she tried to be. The one thing that could bring him down were the bonds between all those who opposed him. So why had she been so hell-bent on pushing Sirius away? Secrets or no secrets, she needed strength and support and he could give her that.

With a small smile, she sat down at the table in Common Room and started replying to her letters.