Author's Note: Wow! Thanks to the following people for their great reviews: Charlirox, Annapendragon, Reborn-Dragon I'll do my best :) , and HPHGplusNALEYlover. You guys really made my day. I still haven't decided on pairings yet; I'm open to any suggestions, though I think I'm leaning towards HHr. At this point even I'm going to have to wait and see :)

Also thanks to my beta AKA 'Mum'.

Disclaimer: Refer to Prologue, 'cause it's long and I'm lazy :)

War Stories

Chapter 1 Lost and Found

Hermione looked around, finding herself exactly where she had planned and expected to be. She was in a small stone cell, identical to those found in the Azkaban Fortress.

"Sirius?"

A black clad figure with shaggy black hair, standing in the middle the cell, spun suddenly to face her.

"Hermione?" Sirius squinted.

Hermione knew that the mist surrounding her obscured her features slightly. Sirius had had to guess who she was based on a fuzzy image, and her voice.

"Yes, Sirius. It's me."

"Hermione, what the hell is going on? One minute I'm duelling Bella, and the next, I'm here. It looks like Azkaban, but I don't think it is. What happened? Did you follow me? Where's Harry? Is he alright? Did the Death Eaters get what they were after?" Sirius had said all of this very fast, but fell silent as Hermione raised her hand to stop the frantic interrogation.

"Listen, Sirius. I'm afraid we don't have much time. Harry is fine, but I'm sure he's missing us, so we need to get out of here. Take my hand Sirius; I'll lead you back." Hermione wished she could answer all of his questions, but she was already feeling the drain of using such powerful magic.

Sirius really wanted an explanation, but something in Hermione's voice told him that it was important that he co-operate. Everything that he had been through in his life had not exactly left Sirius with a trusting nature, but as he looked around at the cell he had suddenly found himself in not too long ago, and took in again how similar it was to his cell in Azkaban, he decided that anything was better than staying here. He reached forward and took Hermione's hand.

Nothing happened for a moment. Then the strange mist that surrounded Hermione began to expand, to envelope Sirius as well. He felt an odd, tingling warmth as the shimmering substance spread over his skin. When the mist was completely surrounding them both, Hermione turned and led him in the direction from which she had come. Instead of the stone wall that had been there only a minute before, there was now a stone arch with a veil, like the one in the Department of Mysteries, where Sirius had been duelling his cousin. As they moved towards it, something teased at the back of Sirius' mind, telling him that he should stay away from that veil.

"Ignore it," Hermione said briskly, as though she had read his mind. "We're going home."

Sirius hesitated slightly, then nodded and allowed Hermione to lead him through the veil.

A moment later they emerged, still hand in hand, on the other side of the Veil in the 'Death Chamber', in the Department of Mysteries. Sirius tensed, bracing himself to re-enter the battle that had been raging the last time he had been in this room, but a quick glance around told him that this was unnecessary. The room was deserted accept for a lone man – perhaps in his early twenties – sitting at what appeared to be a make-shift desk facing the Veil.

The man seemed not to have noticed their arrival. Sirius felt something like a cool breeze. It turned out to be the shimmering mist receding. He looked at Hermione beside him, and saw that the mist was gone from around her as well. Sirius frowned a little, thinking that she looked different from what he remembered; older somehow. But maybe it was just a trick of the dim light. She gave him a tired, but reassuring smile, then turned to the man at the desk.

"Wake up, Colin," she said.

The man's head snapped up and his eyes widened when he saw them. He quickly slammed his hand down on the desk, causing a series of high-pitched beeps and wails to sound, then he got up and all but ran towards them, a panicked look on his face.

Sirius thought fleetingly that if anyone here should look panicked, it should be himself. He was the one who was most likely about to be arrested, after all. But then he felt Hermione's hand slip from his and he turned just in time to catch her as she collapsed.

A/N: Reviewing is fun; it's what all the cool kids are doing :)