Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

AN: Hey everyone!! I'm still here so don't worry. Sorry about the late update, my muse has been hiding from me. I'll try to be quicker with all my stories. Don't forget to give me feedback, even if you really don't like it. I'm not too fond of this chapter so I might change it, not sure yet. :)

Chapter 13: Relationship

After Hermione finished the ritual she walked back to Hogwarts and started to hear the faint sounds of people yelling. Her eyes widened and she broke into a full out run. Her first thought was that someone must have gotten attacked. She flung the front doors open and met the hysterical faces of many students. She could only hear bits and pieces of their conversation, but she heard enough. The words pain, Sirius, and screaming rang through her mind.

It pained her to think that she was the cause of his pain, the reason he had been writhing in pain in the hospital wing only moments ago. Hermione wasn't sure if she could face him, but she knew that she had to for her own piece of mind. She needed to make sure he was okay and no longer in pain. For all she knew Dumbledore could have placed a silencing charm around the room so the students wouldn't be frightened.

The hospital wing was only a few paces away, but with the way she was feeling it was miles from where she stood. After what seemed like hours she knocked hesitantly on the door and it swung open to reveal a frazzled looking Remus Lupin.

He ushered her in and closed the door sharply behind them. She was relieved that there were no screams coming from within the enclosed area. It lightened some of the guilt she had been feeling.

"Is he okay?" Hermione whispered urgently. Eager for any information to appease her guilt.

Remus nodded. "Right now he's sleeping. Dumbledore said he past out the moment he stopped screaming."

Hermione tried to push down the lump forming in her throat. "Was he in a lot of pain?" She couldn't stop herself from asking. From the sounds of it, he had been.

"We can't be sure until he wakes up, but if the look on his face was any consolation.," Remus left his answer open to interpretation, but it was obvious to Hermione what he was trying to say.

Unshed tears were swimming in her brown orbs and she tried valiantly not to let them fall. She turned around to get a better look at Sirius, but only ran into a warm body. James wrapped his arms around her slim waist and Hermione couldn't hold it in any longer. Everything had just built since she'd been here; all the responsibility of fixing this time, her unexpected feelings for James, Sirius' condition, and now she had to worry about causing him pain. It was just too much for her to handle and she lowered her weak defenses and fell apart.

Before everyone in the hospital wing Hermione Granger lost control. For the first time they had met the real Hermione, she was not the invulnerable woman. In this moment she was human, letting her emotional run freely.

James rubbed her back soothingly as she cried her heart out, whispering sweet reassurances in her ear. Saying whatever he could to make her feel better.

When her tears subsided Hermione still lay curled in James' arms, not ready to face reality. The responsibility of the world lay on her shoulders and she didn't want it, she wanted to be normal.

She wanted to be free, but she knew that was not an option for her. At least not until she fulfilled her duty to the wizarding world and Harry.

Hermione froze at his name.

She had to start working on those horcruxes or Harry would be in danger. His name always seemed to put her back in the right set of mind, to put her priorities in perspective. Hermione slowly slipped out of James' arms and walked up to Sirius' bed.

"I'm so sorry." She brushed the back of her hand down his cheek. "I didn't mean to cause you pain, but it needed to be done. I hope you understand." Hermione whispered quietly.

"So many secrets Mya. What am I to do with you?"

A voice startled her, but she didn't let it affect her. "Absolutely nothing, Remus." She turned sad eyes in his direction. "If you were smart you would stay out of it, otherwise you might end up getting hurt."

His eyes narrowed dangerously. "Is that a threat?"

"Not from me." Hermione sighed.

Remus decided it was safer just to release his anger. "Why did you apologize to Sirius for causing him pain? You weren't the one to do it." He watched her cautiously.

"But I was." She said simply.

Remus sputtered. "But that's impossible. You weren't anywhere near him."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "There's something you should know about magic Remus. Not everything needs to be done face to face. You're smart enough to realize. You realized that something was possessing Sirius."

"You knew!" Hermione stared at him blankly. "You were freeing him."

He wasn't asking her a question, he was stating a fact, but she answered all the same. "Yes."

"Did you know it would hurt him?"

"It was always a possibility." Hermione said simply, not wanting Remus to know how much it had hurt her to know she put Sirius in so much pain.

"So hurting him didn't matter?!" Remus asked angrily.

Hermione lifted tired eyes to watch the near hysterical werewolf. "No, not if it meant freeing him."

She turned back around to face Sirius and placed a loving kiss on his forehead before she walked past Remus as if a conversation had never taken place. Hermione knew she had taken a bold move by talking so freely with Remus, but it didn't matter.

His conscious would keep him silent, of that she knew. Him saying anything wouldn't make anything better. A secret for a secret.

The next few days were a blur to the brightest witch of her age. She was trying to decide which horcrux would be easiest to locate. There was a Hogsmeade weekend coming up and it would be the perfect opportunity to take an unsupervised trip.

Hermione knew that Hufflepuff's cup was in the Lestrange vault at Gringotts. Ravenclaw's diadem was hidden in a tree in the forbidden forest. Slytherin's locket was located at Black Manor. Riddle's diary was in possession of Lucius Malfoy. Gaunt's ring was hidden in a cave and Nagini was with Voldemort.

Her best bet was to go for the locket at Black Manor, she wasn't in a rush to return to Malfoy's house. It would be too coincidental if she was to show up twice in a matter of days, too suspicious.

Now she just needed a plan of action.

She would need to stay at Hogsmeade for a extended period of time, for appearances sake. If she disappeared too quickly someone would take notice and most likely report to Dumbledore and she was still upset with him.

The conniving old coot asked too much of her and gave too little in return.

Hermione rubbed her tired eyes and tried in vain to sooth away the impending migraine she could feel coming. It seemed the more she changed the situations around her the more frequent she received migraines.

Her head shot up. "What if it's telling me something? Maybe I'm doing things right. Maybe it's my saving grace." Hermione mumbled half-heartedly.

"It'll take more then a migraine to dissuade me."

"What will?"

Hermione turned around abruptly at the sudden intrusion. "James," she said breathlessly. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Sirius still?"

James brushed away her concerns. "Remus is more then capable of dealing with Sirius while he's unconscious. And besides, he'll come get me the moment he awakens. Now don't change the subject."

"It's nothing. I've just been getting slight migraines everyday and it's beginning to get on my nerves." Hermione replied flippantly.

"Hmm." James hummed in agreement and eyed her cautiously.

Hermione noticed his subdued manner and wanted him to hurry up and spit it out. "What is it?" He looked shocked. "Your face says it all. Now what did you want to talk about?"

"About us."

"There is no us." Hermione growled.

James sighed. "Come one Mya. Don't be like this. You wanted to know what I was thinking about and this is it. I'm thinking about us and I have been since that kiss. No, even longer and I don't know why you feel the need to push me away. I'm not going anywhere soon."

"Why are you doing this to me, James?"

He came up to her and placed his hands on either side of her face. "Because I care about you so much and you don't seem to understand."

Hermione licked her lips in anticipation. "I care for you too, but right now there are more important things going on in my life. I need to keep a level head in my dealings and anything could distract me at this point and I don't want to take the chance of people getting hurt on my account."

"Your not Merlin. No one expects you to do great things. I just want you in my life and that's enough." James pleaded.

She shook her head and closed her eyes. "You don't understand the situation. Voldemort is rising in power James and there is nothing any of us can do to stop it. He won't stop and someone needs to fight."

"But why does that someone have to be you?"

"I'm here for a reason, James. You can't expect me to stand around while people get hurt. I'm apart of this coming war as much as the next person, if not more, and I plan on doing my part." Hermione was trying to get James to understand.

"Then I will too. I'm with you no matter what."

"James," Hermione's voice ached. She couldn't stand the thought of James or any of her new friends getting hurt. "You don't have to."

"I know, but I want to. If the woman I care about will be fighting then I'll be by your side as well." Hermione started to protest, but James put his thumb to her lips. "No, Mya. You need to listen to me. I'm not asking you to tell me you love me. All I'm asking is that you'll give us a chance. We won't even be dating. Just let me show you how much I care about you."

Hermione wanted to protest and tell him no, but his idea sounded too sweet to her ears and she found herself nodding. Against her better judgment she agreed to accept him.

"You won't regret this."

For some reason Hermione wasn't sure if he was right. She was almost positive that in the end all she would be was regretful, but she smiled up at him all the same and when he bent down to kiss her she accepted all he had to offer.

But his words haunted her even as she kissed him back.