Disclaimer: I do not own any Harry Potter characters, but I wouldn't mind taking Sirius home :D
Weight of the World
Chapter 9
"Come on, Mudblood – Where did you get the swo—?" The rest of the word was drowned out by my own scream as agony rippled across her body, relentless – Can anybody hear me? Why wasn't anyone helping me? What sword? What was she talking about, I didn't know, where did I get what sword?
"I don't…I can't…" She gasped, tears falling rapidly from her eyes as she tried to breathe, her lungs feeling like lead, deadweight…Where was she?
"LIAR!" She barely had time to prepare before another scream was drawn from her almost lifeless body and she writhed in unbearable pain, wishing that it would end, why wasn't it ending, God please, let it end…
"Hermione!" Her name. But who was it? Who was shouting for her, screaming for her, sounding as if they were in pain too…
"Hermione!"…Ron. Her Ron. Was he okay? Merlin, where was he? He was trying to get to her, that she was sure of, but before she could let her train of thought of continue, her arm was suddenly on fire and she screamed again, wondering how her vocal chords where still intact – how long had it been? It felt like hours.
"Hermione!" Ron, I can hear you, I'm here, still here…Where is here? "Wake up!"
Wake-up? She was asleep? Her body listed to the side, boneless, weak, unmovable. "Found…We found…" Where, where did you find it Hermione? Come on, think! Think! Think! "Copy!" She gasped out, "it's just a…Just a copy…"
"Hermione! Wake-up now, for Merlin's sake!"
Hermione's eyes shot open and she sat up straight, feeling her sweat dripping down her body and she gasped in pain and terror, scrambling away from the foreign hands on her shoulders and her eyes darted around the unfamiliar room. Where was she?
"Hermione?" She knew that voice. The sarcastic, bitchy tone was now soothing and comforting and her eyes settled on Natalia sat on the edge of the bed in her purple silk nightie, her hands held up in front of her in an unthreatening gesture.
The recognition of her surroundings and where and when she was hit her like a freight train and she closed her eyes in relief at not being where she was…A Dream. It was only a dream. "Hermione, what the Hell was that?" Ahh, the sarcastic, bitchy tone was back. Hermione was surprised to find that she was strangely thankful for it at that moment.
"Just a nightmare, Nat. It's fine."
"No, it isn't, and don't call me Nat, Herm." Hermione rolled her eyes at the childish banter and got out of her bed on shaky legs, making to go to her kitchen for a much needed cup of tea, one that would calm her nerves and soothe her psyche.
God, she felt like Trelawney.
"Hermione. I know that we met, like, a week ago, but if something's troubling you or keeping you up at night, you know you can share it with me."
Hermione was shocked by her friends' declaration but she appreciated it so much. She had the sudden urge to just cry and throw herself at Natalia, hugging her new friend for all she was worth.
Instead she nodded and smiled brightly at Natalia. "I know, Nat."
"Whatever, Herm," was the flippant reply, but Hermione could see the teasing gleam in her dark eyes.
"Hey, how did you get in here?" She asked, suddenly realising that Natalia was in her bedroom and that she didn't have keys to the front door.
"Merlin, are you a witch or aren't you?" Natalia asked, producing her wand from her thigh holster and patting Hermione lightly on the cheek with the tip of her wand. "For such a smart woman you really can be blonde sometimes." Natalia laughed, sliding her wand back into the black holster and sauntering past Hermione to the living room, sitting herself on the couch and reaching for the book that Hermione had been reading just before she went to bed.
Hermione rolled her eyes again and made her way to the kitchen and prepared them both drinks in a mirror image of what she'd done earlier and brought them both back into the living room. "So, if you're not a Slytherin, what house where you in?"
"Please – we're close, but we're not that close." Natalia said, flipping through the book, her eyes skimming the words briefly before jumping to the next page.
"Fine. I'll just ask Sirius. I'm sure that I can persuade him to tell me."
Natalia narrowed her eyes at her and let them flicker back to the page in front of her. "Go do that. I'm sure you'll both get something satisfying out of it."
"I hate you." Hermione said cheerily, sipping from her tea.
"Say that again next time I wake up to your screams and attempt to rescue you." Though the words were said teasingly, Hermione could hear the seriousness behind them – she'd scared her friend and she felt guilty about it – could feel the guilt twisting around in her stomach and she felt the intense need to apologize.
"Nat, I'm so-"
"Say you're sorry and I'll throw this mug of steaming hot black coffee at you."
"Noted."
"Come on then, bitch – get talking." Natalia said, raising one eyebrow and settling back against the couch cushions, hands wrapped around the ceramic of the mug of coffee, patiently waiting for Hermione to start talking.
"How come you're the only one who heard? Shouldn't have the others heard me as well?" Hermione asked, hoping that this would detour Natalia's question – while she felt close to Natalia, she had only just met her and didn't feel comfortable telling her this at all.
"Steven's working at Spellbound tonight, Remus is at the Potter's, Caitlyn and Jack are at her parent's house and Cal is probably zonked out from all the partying he did the other night." Natalia reeled off and Hermione was impressed at how much Natalia knew about the other people in the building. "So, enough distracting – talk."
"Nat, listen –"
"I'll tell you what house I was in at Hogwarts."
"Nice try – I'm not that curious." Hermione was lying through her teeth, but there was no way she was sharing that information so soon with anyone - if she'd even share it at all.
00000
"Is she really?" Hermione asked Remus, surprised at the answer to the question she'd just asked; what house was Natalia in?
Remus chuckled and nodded levitating a pile of books to the room at the back of the store and he waved his wand, making them all shuffle and sort themselves out alphabetically. "Not a lot of people would guess that, and whenever anyone mentions it she looks like she's about to turn into a vulture, but that's the house she was in."
"I don't get why she's embarrassed by it." Hermione said, checking the money in the till, "it's not like it's terrible."
"No, but it distorts her 'bad-girl image.'" Remus told her, "she'd much rather not tell anyone and have them assume Slytherin then let anyone know that she's a – Speak of the devil!" Remus said delighted as the door opened and Natalia stepped through, looking as stunning as ever. She raised an eyebrow at him in a cool manner before sashaying up to the till and right in front of Hermione.
"Come on then, Herm, let's go to lunch." Natalia said in a bored voice, waving her hand as if she was indifferent to the meeting – when in actuality, it was Natalia who suggested that they meet up for Lunch today.
"Remus, can you hold the fort?" Hermione asked reaching for her coat.
Remus looked slowly to his left and then to his right before looking over his shoulder at the empty shop. "Well, there doesn't seem to be a stampeded – I think I can manage." He grinned, "if I need you, just look for the silver wolf," he said cheerily before waving them goodbye.
Hermione chuckled lightly as she wound her scarf around her neck and wondering briefly how Natalia could be outside in this weather with only a think jacket on over a loose tank top. When Hermione had arrived here, the weather had been unseasonably warm for January, but it seemed that the weather was done playing nice and it had turned around a full 180 – the wind bit into the exposed skin of Hermione's hands before she had a chance to pull her gloves on.
"So, where to?" Natalia asked, head held high as her dark eyes looked down the streets at all the shoppers and passer-by's, grinning as a particularly handsome man walked past. "Wherever he's going would be great."
Hermione rolled her eyes and hooked her arm through Natalia's, pulling her in the opposite direction, towards her favourite place and the place that felt like home to her; The TriWand.
The second that Hermione and Natalia stepped through the threshold of the warm, homely pub, she was engulfed in the wide open arms of Madame Rosmerta and she happily let herself be hugged by the woman that had given her a home.
"Hermione, dear! I'm so glad to see you! It's been awhile, huh?" Rosmerta said, despite the fact that it had only been a week since she moved into her own apartment, Hermione didn't say anything. When they pulled apart and smiled warmly at each other, Natalia coughed impatiently, reminding Hermione that she was still there.
"Oh, Rosmerta this is Natalia – she's my neighbour. Rosmerta took me in when I first got to London." Hermione said, feeling admiration and fondness for the older woman settle in her heart next to the open space she felt when she thought of the friends and family that she had left behind.
"Pleasure." Natalia said and even though it was said in a 'couldn't-care-less' tone, Hermione heard the hidden thanks beneath.
Hermione smiled and looked at the pub, trying to find an open table when she stopped short, feeling half annoyed and half-satisfied at what she saw.
Sirius Black was sat in the TriWand, hidden away in a dark alcove with a blonde haired, blue eyes beauty with legs that went on forever and a chest that most girls would be envious of.
"Bastard." Natalia whispered behind her but Hermione barely heard – she'd known that Sirius would be hard to get but at the same time she had thought that the luck of the mirror would just guide Sirius to her – that was when she realised the true power of the mirror; it would pull him to her, settle her in his mind, but she had to tie the knot. She had to make him fall in love with her.
And as she watched Sirius lean into the blonde and press a kiss to the hollow of her ear, she realised that she had no idea how to do that.
A/N: I know I know – "I'll have it up in a couple of hours." All I can say about that is – I suck.
On the other hand, it's half-term for me now (yay!), so hopefully I'll have more chapters up – Although I really can't promise anything.
Thanks for reading! Love you all!
Kelly
xxx