Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter related. The only thing I own here are the original characters and the plot, but most of them are based on real people and I'm sure that someone, somewhere has had the same idea.

Playing God

Chapter 7

Sirius and James had tailed the suspected Death Eaters down Diagon Alley and waited for probable cause to bring them in – while Kingsley had asked them to pick them up, they couldn't do so without reason – being suspected wasn't exactly a crime. They got their reason when they saw Adrian Tate reach into the deep pockets of his sleeve and pull out a vial full of fizzing black liquid; Sirius and James recognized it, had dealt with it before and knew exactly what it was – Ignis.

They had reacted instinctively, not worried about being discovered by the suspected Death Eaters as the only thing on their minds at the minute was to keep the passer-by's, who were completely ignorant about the whole thing, safe from harm.

They both threw up a protective shield as they ran foreword, dodging people who were still unawares just as the vial was launched through the air and hit the shield of the protective enchantments, which they hadn't recognised had been put up. Sirius felt the usual rush of exhilaration when he went on missions like this, loved the thrill of the chase as he pushed people out of his way, ignoring the screams of shock and fear which curled into his gut and something reared in him to protect, and the relief he felt overwhelming as he realised that he'd saved countless people that day – this was why he loved his job so much.

They caught the suspected easily, Sirius not even getting out of breath from the long run down Diagon Alley, used to this kind of work out (from sex, to the gym he used his body regularly) and had tackled Reece Traviston to the ground with practised ease. Beside him, James had gripped the back of Tate's robes and was pulling him back, anger making his actions rough.

While Sirius enjoyed the thrill of the chase, James was the opposite. He was a lot more cautious and didn't like to throw himself immediately into the fray, intending to go back home to his wife and unborn child at the end of the day and not get carted off to the morgue at the bottom of the Ministry.

"Now, what possessed you to think you could get away with something like that on our watch?" Sirius asked, holding his hand to the back of Traviston's head, pressing it into the hard ground as he sat on his back, his weight stopping the Suspected from moving at all as he'd spelled ropes to wrap around his feet.

"Like I'd tell you anything, you filthy blood trai-" before Traviston could even finish the insult, Sirius had lifted his head up and back by the fingers tangled in his messy blonde hair and smashed his head back onto the hard floor.

"Proud of it, Traviston. I chose my side." Sirius said, feeling the anger rise up his sternum and he knew that his skin was starting to flush.

"Well, you're wrong." Traviston spat blood onto the floor and groaned in pain just as another team of Auror's, Frank Longbottom and Penelope Hyde, arrived and helped to secure the two Suspected. James must have sent for them, because Sirius hadn't even thought of it.

"Say that again when you're behind the bars of a jail cell and I'm free as a bird."

"Or a dog." James sniggered, an internal nudge at Sirius' animagus form and Sirius grinned at him, feeling his anger dissipate as his best friend teased with him.

The two best friends continued to banter as they watched Tate and Traviston get carted off to the Ministry by Frank and Penelope and, if it wasn't for the Ground Control that had to be done down Diagon Alley, Sirius and James would have gone to the Ministry.

After they gave their statements the first thing they did was put up a barrier which stopped the Media from getting to close – while they couldn't stop the papers and the wizarding wireless from getting the story, they could stop them getting in their way.

Then they made their way back to the scene to collect statements from witnesses to back up their story and to use the evidence during the trial. When they got there they were a little shocked to see that the windows of the shops nearest to where the vial had hit the shield where near enough destroyed and Sirius felt ice curl in his stomach as he saw one of the shops was Florish and Blotts.

Hermione and Remus.

He acted on auto-pilot and rushed to the entrance, cursing the glass and stone that littered the way and he roughly kicked bits of debris away, only vaguely aware of James behind him, helping him with magic – Sirius hadn't even thought to take his wand out from his sleeve, fear for his friends determining his actions as he desperately made his way into the shop, needing to see Remus and Hermione – he wasn't sure where the intense desire to protect and keep Hermione safe came from, but he didn't waste time trying to figure it out and instead burst into the shop, his grey eyes sharply scanning the scene before him.

"Remus!" He shouted, moving quickly foreword. "Hermione!"

"Back here, Sirius!" Sirius felt relief so strong that his knees almost buckled at realising that his friends were okay – any less than that and someone would have acted quicker. Unless they were both hurt, a voice whispered traitorously in his mind and he roughly pushed it away.

He made his way to the back room, James chuckling dryly beside him and Sirius shot him a slight look of contempt as he pushed the door open and stopped dead at the sight before him – Remus was kneeling before Hermione who was sat on her chair – for one mad second Sirius thought that Remus and Hermione were kissing and he felt pure anger curl in his stomach, but then Remus shifted and he felt his anger dissipate as he realised that he was holding a piece of wet cloth to Hermione's cheek.

"What happened?" He asked, pushing Remus to the side lightly and letting his eyes scan him quickly for injury before looking at Hermione, taking the wet cloth from Remus' long fingers and lifting it gently, seeing a shallow cut on her cheek.

Hermione smiled at him and gestured with her hand to the windows, "a piece of glass hit me is all. I'm lucky it didn't hit me in the eye." She said and Sirius scoffed lightly.

"Yeah, lucky." He frowned and took her chin between his thumb and forefinger, leaning her head back so he could better see with the light.

"It's fine, Sirius." Hermione whispered and Sirius sighed, letting go of her and pressing the cloth to her cheek again, lifting her small hand in his larger one and pressing it to the wet fabric, so that she was holding it there herself.

"You okay, Moony?" He called over his shoulders, his grey eyes not moving away from Hermione.

"If I said no would you rush to my side?" Remus quipped, batting his eyelashes and Sirius pushed him over effortlessly, smiling when Hermione let out a tiny giggle.

"How come my name wasn't called in loving concern?" Sirius frowned slightly and turned his head to see Ali, who he'd still assumed was on holiday.

Before he could respond, James had grabbed his collar and had yanked him up, back on his feet and was pulling him away. "Come on, Padfoot, we've got work to do." Sirius groaned and looked at Hermione again – he just wanted to stay with her, make sure she was really okay.

00000

Hermione watched James and Sirius leave the bookstore with a heavy heart – she had wanted Sirius to stay a little longer, to soothe her – yes, she hadn't needed soothing in a long time, becoming almost completely independent when Ron had been tortured into insanity, but right now, with the threat of Voldemort rising above her and the impossible task given to her, she just wanted to be held.

It was pathetic, how someone who had lived through three battles with Voldemort could be so shaken by a Death Eater attack that wasn't even on the Richter scale, but she couldn't help it – her emotions had been whacked out of synch.

She, Remus and Ali closed the store and asked any customers to come back the next day as they cleared away the mess and rubble at the front of the shop and Ali cried out in happiness at seeing that the books were unharmed.

It was tiring work and Hermione was unfortunately reminded of the destruction that befell Hogwarts castle, although not on such a grand scale. After they had repaired the window and re-created the front of the store, they were allowed to go home – the lucky thing for Hermione was that she had tomorrow off and she was grateful for it.

She walked into her apartment with a tired sigh and leaned against the door in an echo of her actions earlier that morning, letting the bag fall from her shoulder and hit the floor with a dull thud, not caring for once when things fell from it and she tiredly made her way to her bedroom. She longed for a girl-friend, one that she could confide in, but Lily was out of the question as Hermione couldn't morally hang out with her and pretend that everything was okay.

Just as she collapsed onto her bed and kicked her shoes off, the doorbell rang. Hermione groaned sharply and turned onto her side, flicking her wand so that her crème curtains closed and blocked out the mid-afternoon sun. She hoped that if she didn't move and answer the door, the person on the other end would just simply walk away.

No such luck.

After the doorbell rang for the fourth time, she rolled out of the bed reluctantly and tiredly made her way to the front door, wondering briefly to herself if she should go to the Magical Menagerie and get herself a cat to keep her company as she opened the door.

"Wow, way to keep a lady waiting." Before Hermione could even think of a response, Natalia had pushed past her and was standing in her living room, running a critical eye over the furnishings.

"I'm sorry?" Hermione guessed was the right thing to say at this point and she was rewarded when Natalia nodded at her, crossing her arms over her chest. Hermione stared blankly for a moment, wondering what exactly Natalia was doing here but before she could ask, Natalia was already talking.

"Was that Sirius Black I saw leaving your apartment this morning?" She asked and went to her couch, flopping down onto the red cushions and picking up a book that was on the coffee table before her, one that Hermione had been reading recently.

"Er…Yeah. Yes it was, can I help you?" She asked, incredibly confused as to what this woman was doing in her home and she remembered Remus' warning to her to not get on Natalia's bad side.

"Girl you've got some skill – You've barely been here 48 hours and you already got Sirius Black to raise his flagpole on your continent." Hermione couldn't help but laugh loudly at the wording and she shook her head.

"No. There was no raising of any flagpoles." She giggled and Natalia looked disappointed.

"So he didn't park his car in your garage?"

"How many euphemisms do you have?" Hermione asked, feeling the tension that had settled heavily on her shoulders relax slightly as she realised that Natalia wasn't here to cause her imminent harm or run her out of the apartment.

Natalia just grinned and raised her eyebrows, letting Hermione know without words just how many euphemisms for sex she had up her sleeve and she was suddenly, vividly reminded of Ginny.

"Oh, if Sirius hasn't got you on your back yet, trust me, it will soon happen." Natalia said, leaning her head back over the back of the couch and laying her arms flat on either side. "Been there, done that, got the T-Shirt."

Hermione snorted lightly, knowing about Sirius' reputation with girls and just how tough her mission was – sure, she could maybe get Sirius to date her, but could she get him to stay?

"Come on, we're going shopping." Natalia said out of the blue, standing and shimmying her hips slightly and her black curls swayed around her torso before she turned to Hermione with one eyebrow raised, waiting for her to respond.

"Are we?" She asked, slowly rising to her feet, trying to wrap her mind around this sudden friendship – what did she do to get on Natalia's good side?

Natalia rolled her brown eyes in response and walked to the front door, her high-heels clacking against the hard-wood floors. "Yes. Come on, I heard that Black and Potter single-handedly destroyed a few shops down Diagon Alley, so we'll go somewhere else. Hogsmeade, I think. Yeah, we'll go there. What are you doing?"

"Honestly? Wondering what you're doing here." She didn't mean to sound rude, but this was a sudden visit by someone she was told to be careful around.

Natalia rolled her eyes again, "Look, you're new, you're cute and you've got the opportunity to get Sirius hook, line and sinker. Of course I'm going to like you. Now come on, before we have a 'moment'."

Hermione blinked blankly, never feeling more stupid then her life and followed Natalia with a mindless sort of obedience, grabbing her bag absently and closing and locking her front door with her keys, checking that her wand was in her bag.

"Good. Let's go." Hermione looked at Natalia just as her fingers were enclosed around her own and she had the sudden feeling of being pulled through a very long, very thin pipe.

Shopping with Natalia had been a…new experience, she could say for certain. Natalia was liked a hyped up version of Ginny, saying what was on her mind, wearing what she wanted to wear, doing what she wanted to do – even if she was actually on your side she would speak up, tell you that you were wrong if that was the case, but Hermione knew that Natalia would defend her friends until the end.

Did this mean they were friends now? She wondered idly to herself as they made their way to a café, laden with shopping bags and some purchases that Hermione knew she would never have bought had it not been for the witch barging her way through the line to get her much needed caffeine hit.

Hermione was completely at a loss as she thought about why Natalia had chosen to befriend her…Or even if she'd done so – for all Hermione knew she was plotting out some sneak attack that would run Hermione from her own home.

"Will you stop that?" Hermione blinked and saw that Natalia was now sitting across from her, a mocha cappuccino in one hand and a pack of sugar in the other, "I'm not going to bite."

The line was something that Sirius would say followed by a - "unless you want me to, of course." Hermione chuckled as she heard Natalia and reached for the other cup that was in front of her – it held her own green tea. "I don't know why you wanted me to order you a fruity non-drink, but keep it away from me at all times."

Hermione smiled and leaned back, holding the cup to her face and inhaling one of her favourite scents in the world as she looked at the girl across from her, who was chatting absently about a nice dress that she'd seen in the window of a passing shop and she just had to go back and get it. Hermione rolled her eyes lightly and knew that she was going to spend a lot of time in this woman's company.

A/N: And here's chapter 7 – I hope you all like Natalia! I love her :D

Happy reading!

Kelly

xxx