Title: Never Let Me Go
Couple: Hermione/Sirius
Rating: M, for later chapters.
Disclaimer: Really, I wish I did, but I don't own anything related to Harry Potter. The wonderful and amazing JK Rowling owns it all.

Chapter Three

Under Madam Pomfrey's orders, Hermione sat on the edge of the bed and waited for her pick up. It wasn't until another three days that she was finally released from the hospital wing, and while she was still a bit pale, some color had returned to her cheeks. She had strict direction from the medi-witch to keep in three solid meals with emphasis on breakfast, since it was the most important meal of the day.

Hermione wasn't exactly a breakfast person, but she kept that information to herself.

When the morning came she had showered and dressed, feeling fresh and clean for the first time in what seemed like forever. Dumbledore had come down earlier and given her the belongings they found her with. The beaded purse was intact and all her books, maps, and clothes were nice and secure inside just as they had been the last time she checked. Bellatrix Lestrange's wand, however, hadn't come out as unscathed.

The pieces of it were now in the rubbish bin, there was no repairing it and Hermione was actually quite glad to be rid of it. That wand had done too many evil things for her liking, and truly belonged to a woman just as evil as the curse's she used. So, good riddance.

'...from a secure source we have confirmation that You-Know-Who was defeated by an eighteen year old witch named, Hermione Granger!'

Hermione sighed at the Daily Prophet in her lap. Of course, it was front page news. A mere girl had taken on Voldemort and come out the victor. How could it be, when so many others had faced the man and died trying?

Her eyes shut and she tried to will away the sight of James Potter dying. It didn't work. She still saw the flash of green light as if it happen only seconds ago. It might have just been her imagination, but he had fallen with a grace one only saw in movies. The light had left his eyes, before his knees ever touched the ground.

Hermione shook her head, as if it would help rid her mind of the image. James Potter had a striking resemblance to his son, and it was hard for Hermione to think about, because that could very well have been Harry. From what Dumbledore told her – the dead one – the war in her time wouldn't be won to the light. And that only meant one thing. Harry would die.

Had that been the intent all along? One life for another? Did James Potter have to die in order for his wife and son to have a future with some normality in it? Did James Potter die so that Harry wouldn't in the battle she'd come from?

She groaned, letting the Prophet fall to the ground as she brought her finger to her temple. For one in her life, Hermione wished she didn't think so much. Wouldn't that be nice? To be incompetent and dimwitted. Ha, she could only dream... She came by curiosity and cross-examination, naturally. She couldn't ever remember a time when she hadn't questioned things or was led by her curiosity until she was satisfied. While she'd been commended for it many times... Professor Snape had been right, she was nothing more than a insufferable know-it-all.

"You okay there, love?" the voice surprised Hermione and she looked up quickly.

And there he stood, tall, dark, and she'd even go so far to say he was handsome. Sirius Black sure did have a presence that spoke for itself. One look at him and she knew he was trouble, hair falling into his eyes as he leaned casually against the wall.

"Oh, um, yes," she said, forcing a smile on her face, as she stood. Picking the Daily Prophet off the floor and setting it on the bed. When she looked back he was still watching her. Only this time she noticed the sadness in his eyes. But, of course... James Potter was his best friend. "Have you been there long?"

He shook his head, "Not at all."

Hermione couldn't understand why she felt so awkward. Maybe because she'd seen him die in her fifth year... Maybe because all she really wanted to do was run over and squeeze the life out of him (figuratively speaking) just to make sure he was really there.

She might have thought he was trying to live through her, Harry, and Ron in order to regain some of his youth, but she never thought very ill of him. She even remembered when he tried to teach her how to play wizard's chess one time during her stay at Grimmauld Place...

Hermione could feel her cheeks warming as he eyed her curiously. "I'm Hermione-"

"-Granger?" he finished, pushing off the wall and walking to her in three long strides. He held his hand out to her and she shook it. "Yes, I know," Sirius brought her hand up to his lips and lightly kissed her knuckles, much to her surprise. She could feel the wisps of his warm breath against her skin. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Sirius Black."

Hermione snatched her hand away and turned around to hide the flush on her face. Seriously, now, she hadn't gotten so flustered since Viktor Krum. Not that Ron hadn't given her butterflies, but Viktor, and now Sirius, seemed to have this predatory look that made her feel like she was some harlot in one of her Aunt Patricia's romance novels.

She grabbed her beaded, bag from the bed and turned around, forcing a look of nonchalance. "Yes, I know of you as well."

"Oh, really," the smirk on his face was sure to make her melt, but Hermione kept up her resistance. This was Harry's godfather... And while she would never see her Harry again, it still held some merit, didn't it? "So, I'm alive in the future?"

The question surprised her, but really she should have known Dumbledore would inform the Order. Hermione shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure. Things have changed rather drastically."

He nodded to that, looking away solemnly, "Yes. Yes, they have."

Silence. One, two, three... "It's alright that I'm staying with you, right?" she asked after a moment. "I mean, Dumbledore isn't forcing you to or anything?"

Sirius looked at her with an air of amusement. "Actually, my friend Remus suggested it. It doesn't bother me, though. It might be nice for the place to get a woman's touch," he smiled at her, and she couldn't stop from smiling back. "Are you ready, then?" he asked and looked at the beaded purse in her hands curiously.

/-/-/-/

Hermione was surprised by how cozy Sirius and Remus' apartment was. The building itself was a magical community and just a couple blocks from the Leaky Cauldron. Hermione and Sirius made small talk when they walked from Hogwarts to the apparition point. He had apparated them to a hallway with startling purple walls and dark green carpet. She didn't even try to hide her distaste and if his chuckled was anything to go by, he definitely noticed.

Once inside, Hermione nearly sighed in relief. The walls were taupe and the floors were a rich hardwood. The living room and kitchen were open to each other, which was nice and made the room seem bigger. It was rather obvious men lived here, going by the furniture and general decorating. Brown leather couches and a deep red chair surrounded a fireplace, the coffee and corner tables were mismatched and the walls were bare, aside from the moving poster of some Quidditch team. Hermione noticed a bookcase, but only saw a few books on one shelf, which she would soon rectify.

"Well, this is it," Sirius said, and Hermione watched as he ran over to the couch and seemed to kick something underneath it. Was that a bra? "Living room, kitchen," he said, flicking his wrist to gesture. He then surprised her by taking her hand and pulling her down a small hallway lined with four doors.

Hermione's eyes were a little wide and she was trying not to notice the warmth of his finger around hers.

It wasn't easy.

Sirius opened one door. "Remus's bedroom," she looked in, but only noticed how clean it seemed to be, before she was dragged to the next one. "Bathroom," he kicked the door open and all Hermione saw this time was a toilet.

Okay, the the warmth of his hand wasn't so much of a distraction, as now she felt like her arm might fall off.

"My bedroom," he waggled his eyebrows, oblivious to the discomfort he was causing her. She saw a flash of dark blue, before she was dragged to the last door. "And-" Sirius paused for dramatics, finally letting go of her hand, much to her delight, as he opened the door. "You're room."

Hermione didn't hesitate to go in, afraid he'd grab her hand again and rip it clean off. A small smile came to her lips. The room was plain, same color walls and floor as in the main room, with white sheets on the bed, bare shelves on the wall, a dresser at one side of the room and a wardrobe on the other. However, it had the most magnificent things Hermione had ever seen... A window seat. It didn't have pillows or cushions, but she'd always wanted a window seat. A place to sit and read and just... be.

She didn't notice Sirius watching her from the door way, and she only remembered his presence when he spoke, "We left it plain, so you can do whatever you want with it." Sirius walked over to the bed, tapping a finger against the stark, white sheets. "Go out and buy you some new bedding... A rug, perhaps. Maybe even some curtains and pillows," he said gesturing to the window seat, and Hermione looked back over her shoulder and imagined how it could be, when a thought struck her hard.

She had no money.

Well, maybe a knut or two, but not enough to decorate the room or pay for rent, or even... Dear Merlin, she didn't have money for a new wand!

"You okay?" his voice brought her back and she shook her head.

"I don't have any money."

"Oh!" Sirius started laughing. Hermione frowned, she didn't see how that was funny. He pulled a piece of parchment from his pocket and handed it to her. "Sorry, it slipped my mind."

Hermione took the parchment, still frowning as she read the number '648'. "Is this a vault number?" she held it up, looking at Sirius questioningly.

"Yeah," he nodded, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned back against the wall, casually. "The Order threw it together to get you started. It's not much, but it'll hold you over until you find a job."

"And how did that slip your mind, exactly?" she asked, a tad surly. To Hermione, it seemed a bit important to be forgotten.

Sirius shrugged his shoulders with a smirk on his lips, which infuriated Hermione even further. "By the way, Remus and I have come to a decision."

"Oh?" Hermione asked sarcastically, placing her hands on her hips. "And what decision may that be?"

He pushed off the wall and came towards her, bending down so they were eye level. She could feel his breath on her face and in Hermione's opinion, he was just a little too close for comfort. "It depends," he said and at their proximity she noticed his eyes were a startling gray, his skin was smooth enough to make any woman envious, and his breath smelt a lick of firewhiskey. "How well do you cook?"

/-/-/-/

"You didn't have to do this," Remus said shyly, for the fifth time that night.

Hermione gave him an exasperated look and he held his hands up in mock surrender. The smile came to her lips before she had a moment to think and she shook her head. Grabbing the boiled potatoes, she set them on the table.

Remus was much more easier to be around. The moment he walked through the door, she felt at ease. Maybe because she didn't have to be alone with Sirius anymore...

She agreed to do the cooking, but when she was faced with the kitchen that night, she struggled. Not because she couldn't cook, because she could thank to her mother and Mrs. Weasley, but because the ice box and pantry were practically bare.

"Tomorrow I'll go shopping," she told Remus as she brought the rolls to the table next and Remus brought the salad. "Then I'll fix something much more filling."

"I have business to attend to, but Sirius won't mind tagging along," Remus sat down and began filling his plate. Yes, Dumbledore had also explained that it might be best for her to have an escort for a while, until things settled down. Hermione could only hope they settled quickly.

Hermione hesitated, her hand on the chair and she looked towards the hallway. "Should someone get Sirius?" she asked, quirking a brow.

"No," Remus' tone was glum and Hermione slowly sank down into her seat when he started to explain. "Ever since... Well, ever since James' passing-" Hermione could hear the strain in his voice. "Well, just don't bother him if he shuts himself up in his room," he said quietly, but she noticed the warning.

Poor Sirius... Poor Remus...

Silence took over for a couple minutes and the two started eating with Hermione glancing towards the hall every other moment. Halfway through and Hermione was pushing her potatoes and salad together. "Have you seen Lily?" she asked, after much deliberation.

Remus's head dipped in a nod. "She's staying with her sister. Petunia? I think, her name is."

Hermione pushed her plate away, crossing her arms as she leaned over the table some. From what Hermione knew, Petunia Dursley was a horrid woman, as was her husband and son. Dudley was a mere baby, now, though. "Why didn't she stay with you two?" she inquired.

"I don't know," Remus shrugged, pausing for a moment as his forehead crinkled in thought. He looked so young, and Hermione took the moment to really look at him. He didn't look haggard or tired, so it mustn't be near the full moon, however, he did have a couple scars from past transitions; one on the side of his chin and the other marring his cheekbone. His eyes were blue and his hair a light, sandy brown. There was also a spark in his eye that the Remus Lupin of her time didn't have. "We offered," he then said, popping a potato in his mouth.

CRASH!

Hermione jumped at the loud noise of something breaking and Remus closed his eyes and set his fork down. She gave Remus a questioning look, but he just sat there as the loud noises continued. It took her a moment to realize that it was coming from down the hall. Sirius? She stood, but was stopped when Remus grabbed her hand.

She looked down at him. "Why don't you go to bed, Hermione," Remus suggested, confusing her. "I'll clean the kitchen," she saw him flinch when another crash resonated throughout the apartment. "And maybe you should use a silencing spell..."

Hermione wanted to say something, wanted to ask what was going on. But as another crash swept over their ears, Remus stood up and started clearing the table. She watched him for a moment, but seeing his face turning a light shade of pink, she started down the hall. She jumped once again when Sirius' door jostled, something being thrown against it and she heard him curse profusely. Hermione had paused to listen, but then rushed to her bedroom when she heard the distinct sound of crying.

Only once she was inside with the door closed, did Hermione remember: she didn't have a wand.

TBC.

A/N: Thank you all for the reviews. You are all so very lovely. AND, just encase you saw the chapter three before this one. I really was unhappy with that and decided a rewrite was in dire need. I'm rather happier with this one, though, and hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it. Tell me what you think, hm?