"Hermione, what's going on? You've been acting strange these past couple of days"

Hermione started, looking up from the newspaper. She had slept at Harry and Ginny's the night before and had waited until the kids and Ginny had left the house for work and school before sneaking out of the bedroom for a quiet cup of tea in the kitchen nook.

"Harry, I thought you had left for work already."

Harry shrugged sheepishly, "slow morning at the office, I might have ducked out for some" he held up his broom.

"Harry!"

Harry laughed and Hermione chuckled with him. He slid beside her and grabbed a bite of her toast. "You got in late last night, date went well?" he asked wiggling his eyebrows.

Hermione snorted, "it was dreadful. Honestly, I don't know where these guys come from." she let out a deep sigh and scourgified her dish, a small smile graced her features.

Harry watched her with a frown and she shook her head "I don't know what to do anymore Harry. I can't find anything I want to commit to here. I was happy last night, but I don't know if that was... I- I think I'm going crazy." She had relived last night about a million times in her head already and she couldn't help the swell of happiness and adrenaline that flooded though her even now. It was torture knowing that it wasn't real. Her fingers tapped on the table as she tried to wrap her head around the problem. She knew she shouldn't allow herself to give in to the illusion but at the same time all she could think about was going back to that dark musty attic again tonight.

His frown turned worried but she shook her head, not willing to share the intimate details of her decent into madness. "Stay with us for a while 'Mione"

"I can't impose, you know that. You and Ginny have your own life here."

"Don't be stupid, stay for a week or so, get your bearings and maybe we can help you find what you want to do."

"You want to keep an eye on me." she accused.

"Yes..." he hedged shrugging a shoulder, "but it might do you some good to have a distraction from your lonely apartment."

Hermione sighed, "maybe. Two of us thinking I'm crazy is too much..."

"I don't think you're crazy. I think you're fed up, and honestly I don't blame you." Harry smiled tightly at her and she scrunched up her nose.

"Ok..." she admitted finally, "I'll stay for a few days, but Ginny has to be alright with it."

Harry laughed veraciously, "she loves having you here, the kids actually behave!" he stated. Hermione smirked. Harry shifted and examined his broom in his lap.

"Go!" she said pushing him out the door, "leave me to simmer in my insanity alone, go play your silly game."

Harry's chest puffed up"Quiddich-"

"-is anything but silly" Hermione finished for him smoothly sipping her tea.

Harry deflated slightly and headed towards the door, shaking his head at his pensive friend. She watched as his hand reached for the door, and stopped with his hand resting on the handle.

"Mione, if whatever it is you ended up doing last night made you happy and it's not dangerous… You should keep doing it." He stated turning and smiling at her.

"what's the harm?" he added throwing the door open and flying from the house.

Hermione shook her head, a smile spreading across her face. Sometimes she forgot they were still only young. Maybe he was right. She hoped that he was right.

She took the stairs 2 at a time. Her thoughts hadn't slipped much past the look in his eyes last night. She shook her head, this was getting our of hand. It was one think to work through one's issues with an imaginary man but…

She shook her head, leaning against the stairwell for a second and chastising herself for worrying what he might think at her showing up so soon since the last visit. "How old are you Hermione?" she muttered to herself. Taking a deep breath she pushed the door to the attic open.

The first thing she noticed was that the record player in the corner was already playing. He was wearing jeans and a white tattered Led Zeppelin T-shirt. He turned around when he heard her enter, his bright grin contagious.

"You must have been thinking about me. I got the bloody record player going" he stated smoothly. His eyes met hers and the nerves she had felt at seeing him again melted away in his gray twinkling orbs. Before she could stop herself she found her eyes roving him, the dark gave her a false sense of security to do so. She took in his thin muscular frame. Long hair hung loose in dark waves, his tattoos in full view. There was a sense of ease in him that the war had never allowed. Her eyes were drawn to his lion's head ring and she thought it fitting for him to continue to wear a symbol of the house that had been such a big part in saving and condemning him.

She felt the blush cover her face before she could suppress it. Turning, she waved her wand and lit the candles around them.

"Couldn't get those though, or pour myself a drink" he smiled at her, motioning to the fire whiskey sitting on the table.

When he saw her face he sent her a wink, "lighten up love, if you're going to convince yourself that you're mad, you might as well be the good kind"

He turned and cranked up the record player. The old walls shook and she could feel the bass through her chest.

"Sirius what are you doing?"she yelled over the music.

"Making good memories!" he shouted back. She blinked. He was dancing? When he saw her looking he shimmied over to her.

"Don't resist it Hermione, when was the last time that you had a spot of fun?"

She opened her mouth to protest but he cut her off. "-Embarrassed about dancing in front of your illusions?" he wheedled. He widened his eyes, cocked his head to the side and damned if he didn't look like a little puppy dog. She suspected he had been practicing that one in the mirror for some time. It was horrifyingly effective.

Grinning as he saw her walls crumble, he motioned her further into the room. She shook her head at him before allowing herself to succumb to Led Zeppelin's ear-melting melodies. She closed her eyes and danced with as much abandon as she had as a child, it felt like she was shaking off the shackles of the war for the first time since she couldn't remember.

She danced until she was out of breath. Until she saw stars when she closed her eyes. Pushing open the window she stopped only to let the night air fall against her misted skin. With a sigh she swung her gaze over to Sirius and he was grinning at her. He laughed as she slumped to the floor, the song over. He slumped to the floor beside her. She was smiling. Her face hurt she had been smiling so hard. Her heart thudded inside her chest and it felt good. The night air ghosted across her again and she closed her eyes, smile still playing on her face, her shoulder slumped as she relaxed.

The needle skipped on the record and she glanced at him askance, "You did that on purpose" she accused. He rustled his hair out from where it had fallen in his eyes and breathed a deep sigh.

He smiled sweetly at her "Did what?" he asked innocently. He looked so handsome there, his face half in the shadow of the moon. She couldn't be bothered to hide her grin.

"I think you know what." she quipped. Her heart thudded and she snapped her gaze away quickly, making like she was going to recline against the wall.

There was something about his presence that put her heart at ease, and it was starting to scare her a bit, like her body wasn't used to feeling calm anymore. This was starting to feel more and more like this was more than her just trying to cheer herself up.

She glanced at him, and he was examining her, his eyes soft. "I guess I do," he reclined further against the wall, his arm flopping languidly over his knee, "but damned if I don't wish it would last longer" he finished softly, his voice just a whisper.

"Sirius I-" She started,

he held his hand up, "I know love, it's ok." he stood and crossed the room and she watched his shoulders rise and fall in a deep sigh.

"I didn't think I would ever remember what this feels like." his voice hardly audible from across the room.

"Hermione just… Try and be happy alright? You don't have to tell me how hard it is, but this is your time love."

She was up and walking before it even registered in her brain. "This sounds like goodbye." she stated bluntly. She reached for his shoulder and he turned. She pulled away, but not before he spotted the scar shining off of the moonlight. The same scar his mad cousin had carved into her skin, 10 years ago.

"What" he started, swallowing and meeting her eyes, "is that?" he asked pointing at her forearm.

"Nothing you need to worry about." she stated pulling her sleeves down. He opened his mouth, his eyes blazing, but she cut him off. Something about him jumping to arms for her, pissing her off.

"You have your own battle wounds, and I don't question you about all yours." she snapped. She motioned towards the dark tattoo of the grim on his own forearm.

His eyes widened in surprise, "how did you know?"

She shrugged, "I had put it together a while ago."

He breathed a sigh and looked out towards the garden, not meeting her eyes, "I escaped my father's clutches in the last seconds. They only managed to touch the wand to my skin before I portkeyed out." His eyes were far away.

"James thought it would be funny to cover it with my with the image of my true self." he blinked again, his eyes sharpening as he turned to her.

"Your turn." he managed.

Hermione took a deep breath, "we had been caught by grabbers. Belatrix was trying to get me to confess where Harry was hiding..."

"Crazy fucking bitch." he hissed.

"She got hers"

"Out of experience that doesn't make it much better."

She said nothing, there wasn't really anything to say. He was right.

She looked across the darkened landscape and took a deep breath. Then, she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. Starting, she turned to see him pulling his hand away. Her stomach tugged, the look of despair in his eyes was overwhelming.

"Did you just?"

She reached for his face, but felt only air. Her heart sunk and tears pricked in her eyes.

"I can't do this. I can't" she turned and left the house swiftly. It took everything in her not to turn around, but she pushed forward and yanked open the front door. The night air hit her like a slap in the face, and she was both relieved and disheartened that she didn't hear his voice call after her.