Hermione couldn't say that being stared at was a pleasant feeling, even if the staring was done by her boyfriend. Focusing in his presence was somewhat of a challenge usually, but right now it seemed almost impossible.
"Care to tell my why are you looking at me instead of writing your essay?", she finally asked, looking up at him and meeting his gaze.
Sirius smiled at her with amusement, that made her frown instantly.
"Did you honestly expect me to do my homework?"
Yes, she did. After all, she had been pretty clear when she dragged him into the library, under the threat of not speaking to him for weeks, if he didn't start treating school more seriously.
"Of course I did!", she informed him with a scowl that only made Sirius giggle lightly.
"Why on Merlin's pants would you do that? Don't you know me, love?"
"I'm making you study exactly because I know you. You wouldn't do it on your own till the last second. And it's not like you can just wake up earlier in the morning and finish it!", she scolded him and bit her bottom lip.
Sirius' gaze turned more serious and tender, as he realised what stood behind her determination. Today was the night of fool moon and it was quite obvious that none of the Marauders would spend it in their dormitories, sleeping.
"You don't have to worry about me", Sirius' soft voice did nothing to soothe her nerves.
"I don't worry about you, I worry about everyone. Remus the most, actually"
Sirius looked at her with fake hurt in his eyes, but she clearly wasn't in the mood for jokes. Noticing that, he decided to drop the attempts of making her smile and sighed instead.
"He's going to be fine. We're taking care of him, you know?"
Of course she knew, but it wasn't enough to prevent her from freaking out every full moon. Accidents happened and all it took was Moony's worse mood to hurt them. She knew more than well that if something were to happen, Remus would never be able to forgive himself and she never wanted to see it happen.
"I know that, Sirius", she sighed and shook her head slightly. "You can't blame me, though"
He didn't respond to that in any way, but he stood up, grabbed his chair and seated himself right next to her, slumping his arm over her shoulder.
"You should just talk to Remus. If you want him to tell you, you're in for a long waiting. Maybe I'll bring up the subject to him?", he offered sweetly, but Hermione shook her head.
"No. If he really is that sensitive about all of this and we both know that it's certainly the case, I don't want you to risk your relations over me"
"Remus would never be angry at me for wanting to tell you. He knows I respect his secret and the fact that you've managed to seduce me doesn't change my loyalty to him"
Hermione jerked her head up, looking at him with disbelief, while he grinned like a Cheshire cat.
"What did you say?"
"I've said that I love you very much, of course", Sirius immediately responded, leaning in to steal a kiss from her, but Hermione grabbed her textbook and smacked him gently before he could succeed.
"I know that's not what you said, you git"
"Then why did you even ask?", he laughed and ducked out of his chair, not wanting to get hit again.
Hermione shot him a glare and got back to writing her essay. Did she really tell Ewan that Sirius surprised her with his maturity? What came over her, for Merlin's sake?
"Don't be mad, sweetheart. Although I really prefer you being angry over worried to no end", he admitted with a smile, that made her irritation dissipate.
"The second you leave this library I am going to get back to worrying, so spare me the need to be furious with you as well", Hermione muttered and Sirius sighed tiredly.
To her surprise, he grabbed his chair and put it on its righteous place across from her own seat. He then dropped to it heavily and opened his own textbook, starting the search for the correct chapter.
"Not a word of this to James, if you want to see me with a book ever again", he muttered, shooting her a threatening glance, but she was too satisfied to care.
"My lips are sealed, Pads", she promised and smiled brightly.
It was in moments like this one that she truly lost any doubts that Sirius loved her.
Hermione felt incredibly uncomfortable. After all, not many people could say that they were able to stroll along the Great Lake with the Headmaster himself. Frankly speaking, she would very much like not to be able to say that as well, but the old man waking beside her clearly had a different idea.
The fact that the sun has set a long time ago and the moon was shining high in the sky didn't make things better, even if it prevented other students to see Hermione and professor Dumbledore together. The moon reminded her that at this exact moment, Remus was probably going through his transformation and the rest of the boys watched over him.
"Miss Granger, you shouldn't worry so much", Dumbledore's quiet voice reached her ears, forcing her to take her eyes off the moon. "I have irrefutable faith in your friends. They've been dealing with Mr Lupin's situation much longer than anyone would think"
Was it possible that Dumbledore possessed the same skill that Nicholas Flamel had? After all, there was no way that the portraits let him know about her worries, or even about her conversation with Sirius.
"How did you know?", she asked, not being able to stop herself and the older man chuckled lightly.
"You can be very transparent, if you're not trying to hide your feelings. Apart from that, Miss Granger, I've been told quite some times now, that my intellect is above average", he explained with a smile and looked up towards the moon. "I had no doubts that you'd figure out Mr. Lupin's secret"
Hermione saw no point in answering, so instead, she opted for staying quiet, until Dumbledore broke the silence once again. The man must have realised that she had no intentions of continuing the subject and he allowed his smile to slowly dissipate.
"I'm afraid I don't have great news for you"
She couldn't help but to flinch at his words. She had heard them before and was fully aware of the fact, that Dumbledore strayed away from worrying anyone if he didn't have a good reason to do so.
"There's been another attack. This time, Tom decided that leaving his Mark behind wouldn't be necessary, which is why there was no article about that horrifying event in the papers. One of the Order Members was injured. Fortunately, we were able to save him, but he came very close to dying"
Hermione didn't have to look into the mirror to know that her complexion paled awfully after hearing Dumbledore's words. Someone from the Order was severely hurt... Was it someone she knew?
"Who?", she asked quietly, trying to keep her voice steady and as firm as possible, though her eyes filled up with tears.
"Gideon Prewett. Do you know him?"
Her eyes widened, as she stopped rapidly. She remembered the story about two brothers that joined the Order and got killed by Anotnin Dolohov. Before they died, they managed to defeat dozens of Death Eaters, confirming what great warriors they both were. Those two men were Molly Weasley's brothers – Fabian and Gideon.
"Yes and no", she stated impassively, as she realised that they were still alive, even if she must have missed their presence at Hogwarts.
Oh, Merlin... That meant that Mrs Weasley still had her family! If she remembered correctly, they weren't meant to die until 1981, same year Potters were killed. Would she be able to save them as well and prevent Prewett's male line from extinction?
"I see", Dumbledore stated and really seemed to understand her cryptic answer, which almost made her sigh in disbelief. "Like I said, Gideon came very close to dying and that left his brother Fabian and sister Molly very dissatisfied. Furious, to be more precise"
If Mrs Weasley was anything like her older version, Hermione had no doubts that her wrath was indeed very bad news. She probably wasn't even an Order Member as of now, since she had to raise her kids, but there was no doubts she was aware of Fabian's and Gideon's allegiance and something happening to either of her brothers had to make her absolutely outraged.
"I can imagine", Hermione muttered with a sad smile gracing her face, that undoubtedly didn't escape Dumbledore's attention. He decided not to comment on it though, as he only nodded his head in agreement.
"Fabian and Gideon tried to calm her down, but when it comes to Molly, reasonable arguments often fail, especially where her family is concerned. She begged me not to risk her brothers' lives anymore and to recruit more members. No one's aware of your engagement, of course, so I have to come up with another solution to satisfy her needs. Her brothers would never forgive me for allowing their sister to worry so much, since she has a lot of worries of her own"
Hermione knew exactly what professor Dumbledore meant – Charles and William Weasley may not have been as terrifying as the Twins, but she had no doubts that taking care of children was a huge challenge either way, especially when financial problems came into view.
"I've become aware of the fact that one of your friends, Mr Hughes expressed his wish to join the Order, after he's finished school", the Headmaster said after few moments of silence and Hermione looked at him with wide eyes, once again.
"Well, yes, as far as I know, he's interested", she admitted cautiously and Dumbledore nodded.
"I'd very much like to offer him membership, Miss Granger. He's of age and he proves himself to be a very reasonable, responsible young man"
Hermione almost couldn't believe a word he said. The Order always strayed away from recruiting students, no matter how smart they seemed. She was the biggest proof of that, after all – brightest witch of her age, who also happened to be the best friend of a boy destined to save the world. And yet, Dumbledore didn't come knocking at her door to offer her a spot amongst other Members. Why was he thinking about recruiting Ewan, then? Surely, Molly's wrath couldn't have forced him to make such a reckless decision. Unless...
"Headmaster...", she gasped at the sudden realisation and looked at him with disbelief. "You can't simply risk his life like that, in order to get to his parents!"
Dumbledore looked at her with guilt painted all over his wrinkled face, proving her theory inaudibly.
"Miss Granger, Ewan's parents are very influential people. People, that care for their son very much and would probably do anything to keep him safe, even if that meant endangering themselves"
"But this is the exact opposite of what Molly wanted you to do! She wanted to make her family safe, but someone so caring and sweet would never agree to that plan of yours!", Hermione exclaimed, completely outraged, making Dumbledore sigh with pain.
"I am very aware of that. Trust me when I say this, doing something so unjust and cruel makes me incredibly sad. I don't have much of a choice, though. Something made Tom act, undisputedly more often than before and none of us knows what may have caused it"
Hermione had a very unpleasant feeling that it had something to do with her arrival and the knowledge she provided. After all, it was rather peculiar that those attacks started right after she gave Dumbledore the names he's been asking for. She decided not to voice her concerns, though, allowing the man to continue his speech.
"We need more Members. People brave and well-connected, such as Ewan's parents could make a huge difference to the outcome of this war. I agree that endangering your friend is not something that comes easily to me, but I'm not going to assign him any difficult tasks until he's finished school. He will be relatively safe, but his engagement may not be without meaning"
Hermione frowned slightly, thinking about Dumbledore's words. His plan was balancing on that area between light and dark, between white and black, as it wasn't exactly vile, even though it would make everyone cringe. The war happened to be unforgivable, though. She had no doubts that none of them was going to be innocent and pure by the end of it. Maybe they truly needed to do something so ruthless once in a while, in order to prevent even worse things from happening?
She didn't like that train of thoughts, at all. She didn't like thinking along those grey lines that seemed to be so close to the darkness, that it scared her. But what other choice did she have?
"You can't just allow him into the Order and leave him be", she whispered weakly and Dumbledore gave her a small smile.
"No, I can't, Miss Granger. Which is why I believe you should take care of Mr Hughes. You probably know enough about the Order and its Members to welcome our newest recruit accordingly even right now. However, I am willing to make that job even easier for you"
"What do you mean, Professor?"
"I don't think I've ever thanked you for sharing your knowledge with me, against your better judgement and against the undeniable risks it held. You trusted that I would to put that information into good use. I feel inclined to return this trust, Hermione. I decided to let you in on current Order's plans and Members, so you could always know what's going on. Maybe you'll find some of the information useful in your own pursues, that we all could benefit from"
Hermione stared the man with a blank expression, as her heart seemed to do everything in its power to break away from her chest. It wasn't that she was excited. What Dumbledore offered felt like another weight she would have to carry on her shoulders – and she had only just disposed of the previous one. His offer felt also disturbingly similar to a bribe. After all, he only proposed it when he needed her to get on board with his own plan. She appreciated the gesture, as it still meant he must have trusted her greatly, but her uneasiness wasn't going to disappear, despite that knowledge.
"You don't have to bribe me, Professor", she stated quite harshly, making Dumbledore laugh.
"Miss Granger, does anything ever escape your mind?"
Unfortunately, the answer to that question was negative. No matter how much she wished for the things to simply evaporate from her memories, no such thing would ever happen just like that.
"No. And I meant my words, Professor"
"So did I, Hermione, even if it seems like an attempt to buy your loyalty. I offered you a great responsibility, one that's not going to be pleasant and easy to maintain. Nonetheless, I truly believe you're entitled to know certain things. Especially if it helps Mr Hughes settle into the Order, during his last semester", Dumbledore said with a serious expression and Hermione knew that she never stood a chance in winning this argument.
"I'd be honoured", she stated, her voice completely hollow.
Merlin, how she hated lying...
It took only a whisper to wake her up from her shallow sleep, full of meaningless, disturbing dreams. She almost screamed when she realised that someone was standing over her bed, smiling widely, albeit tiredly.
"Sirius...", she hissed furiously and sat up on her bed, looking around feverishly.
Her roommates seemed fast asleep, but she knew that it could change any minute. Their sleeping habits were completely unpredictable and Hermione didn't want them to see Sirius standing in front of her bed, with his hair completely dishevelled and his shirt dirty and torn in a couple of places.
"What the hell are you doing here?", she whispered, glaring at him with fury, that didn't seem to bother him at all.
"Be quiet, you're going to wake your roommates", he muttered and started to unbutton his shirt.
She really couldn't help but to stare at his movements, even though her anger didn't disappear from her body at all. She just merely decided to forego it for one moment, so she could watch him slowly undressing from his rugged clothes.
"What are you doing?", she mumbled more to herself, than to him, but Sirius decided to answer anyway.
"I can't sleep with my clothes on, can I?"
Wait. Sleep? Was he really going to...
"Sirius!", she whispered so loudly, that Padfoot looked around with amusement, checking if her roommates remained unconscious. "You can't just sleep here!"
Oblivious to her protests, he slid the shirt down his shoulders, making Hermione grateful that it was still dark outside. Well, to be honest, she was only partially grateful because he wasn't able to see the crimson blush on her cheeks, but on the other hand... She wasn't able to see as well and that bothered her very greatly, although she would never admit to having such dirty thoughts.
"Do you prefer doing something else then?", he whispered seductively and leaned down, so that she could see playfulness glinting in his silvery eyes.
"No", she answered immediately, earning herself a chaste kiss on the lips.
Sirius stood up once again and unbuttoned his trousers, clearly enjoying the fact that she couldn't tear her eyes away from his silhouette. Few seconds later, he was standing in front of her, half-naked, leaving her without any strength for further protests. Hermione knew more than well that her intelligence ended where nudity began, especially when said nudity concerned her boyfriend.
"Scoot over, love"
Hermione hesitated for a second and then did what he asked, making room for him in her bed. A shaky sigh escaped her lips, when Sirius slid underneath the covers and pulled her closer to his slightly cold body, sucking out all of her warmth.
"What if my roommates see you in the morning?"
"They won't... Just leave your curtains drawn", he mumbled, already half asleep, but Hermione wasn't going to drop the subject so easily.
"They're going to tease me forever if they find you here", she moaned and felt Sirius shaking from his quiet laughter.
"It serves you right, love. I came here to show you that I'm okay and all you did was to try and throw me out"
Hermione opened her mouth when she realised that somehow she had managed to forget about the full moon. Being awakened in the middle of the night did nothing good for her overly tired brain.
"Oh, Merlin, I'm so sorry! Is everyone okay?", she asked, trying to prop herself on the elbow, but Sirius made it impossible, as he kept her close to his body.
"Yes. Can we go to sleep now, please?"
"Not yet", she protested and furrowed her brows. "What did you mean by 'just leave the curtains drawn'?"
"I'm skipping breakfast. I need sleep if I'm supposed to function and since you force me to pay attention in classes, I really am supposed to"
Hermione had no doubts that this argument was carefully prepared, so that she would have to shut her mouth and just accept his great sacrifice. She had to admit, it was really sweet that he tried to take studying more seriously, but still, it didn't change the amount of troubles she would be in if someone found him here.
"I don't know about any of this..."
"Just shut up, Herms. It's just your roommates anyways. The worst they can do is to force you to read smut for them"
How the hell did he know that?
"Grace told me after I asked her nicely. And since you read those books, you should know that we're not doing anything outrageous right now. I think I'm too tired for it anyway", he muttered and sighed deeply. "Just sleep, love. I think we both need it"
She knew what he meant – he liked having her close and she liked sleeping through the night without nightmares, that still plagued her from time to time. Today was one of those days, as her conversation with Dumbledore awoke many negative feelings inside her body. Maybe Sirius was right? Maybe they both could use each other's warmth and closeness, just this once.
With a quiet sigh, she closed her eyes and relaxed completely against his bare chest, wrapping her arms around his body.
"Just this once...", she muttered sleepily and smiled, when he kissed her forehead.
It only took her a minute to fall asleep, but this time, her dreams were yet again peaceful.