Hey guys! Sorry it's taken me so long to update! School gets a bit hectic this time of year for us high-schoolers in the states! Anyways it has come to my realization that my idea for where this story is heading could possibly necessitate a sequel, but that's not certain yet, just thought I'd let you know! Also I know I have a lot more readers out there than are reviewing so PLEASE I feed off your feedback so let me know what you think even if it's just a "nice job" or "Yay you finally updated!" I like to think of you guys as people instead of "story alerts" in my inbox!

Disclaimer: I own a nifty new car, but that's not exactly Harry Potter

Some Fates Must Stay the Same

The cover stared up at her from it's place in her small hands. Every cell in her body zinged to attention. It drew her, called to her, and she couldn't tear her eyes away. She had no more than read the cover but she knew this was exactly what she was looking for. Discreetly she walked over to the counter and placed the book in her bag after purchasing it. She had just taken her fingers from the zipper when she felt two strong arms wrap around her waist from behind.

"Ready?" he breathed, the warmth of his breath spreading across her neck as he placed a small kiss on the smooth skin.

"Yes, it's high time we met the others for lunch," she said with a smile, leaning into him for a moment before pulling away and taking his hand as they walked to the three broomsticks. Hers was small in comparison to his, calloused by many years of wielding a beater's bat. She had always enjoyed the sensation of his warm, rough palms enveloping hers. She actually found it a bit odd that it had taken them this long to begin a relationship. For as long as she could remember they had been close like this. It had all started first year after a particularly nasty run in with a few of the Slytherine third years…

"Are you going to cry?" Lucius teased, eyes filled with malice and sick humor as he bore down on her. "Scared, mudblood?" he taunted. He rose his wand, "You should be."

Her body froze in fright, it was only the second day of school and she had no clue how to even begin to defend herself from the older student. All the spells she had read about fled from her thoughts as her body was gripped with terror at the situation. Even if she had remembered them, she had not had the time to try them out at all yet. She had been far to busy acquainting herself with the school.

"HEY! LEAVE HER ALONE!" Sirius had shouted, aiming his wand at the larger boy. "She has done you no wrong, Malfoy. Leave her be!"

"Now why would I want to do that? You don't scare me you filthy blood traitor! What would your mother say?" Lucius prodded, eyes aflame with malice.

"To hell with my mother! Now you-" he didn't get the opportunity to finish his demand as their head of house, Professor McGonagall, had just arrived on the scene.

"Mr. Black! Watch your language! Detention, my office, tomorrow night a seven sharp!" She bellowed, not allowing Lucius' snicker to persist for long as she rounded on him. He gulped in fright. "As for you Mr. Malfoy, I believe you're punishment is beyond me. Shall we see the headmaster? Follow me."

"Are you okay?" he asked as soon as they were gone. She nodded, the tears running silently down her cheeks giving her away.

"Hey, don't listen to him. People like him mean nothing, you hear? Absolutely nothing. All he is is vermin and he knows it. I just wants to bring you down so that he won't have to be alone at the bottom. Pricks like him don't even deserve the time of day." Sirius comforted in his own way, rubbing her back softly.

"Thanks," she smiled, wiping the tears from her cheeks as she turned to him.

"Don't mention it, any bloke worth his salt would have done the same."

"I'm Sarah, by the way," she murmured, leaning into the comfort of his hand on her back, exhausted from the encounter.

"Sirius," He smiled. It was the most beautiful, genuine smile she had ever seen. Even though she didn't know it at the time it was that first time he smiled at her that she fell in love with him.

She smiled even more brightly as she came back from the memory. It seemed so odd to her that none of their friends had ever figured it out. She supposed they never really felt the need to broadcast their budding relationship to the world. Perhaps it was selfish of them, but neither one of them had wanted to give up the silent companionship they shared where nothing else mattered. Not quidditch or gossip or drama or pranks, just Sirius and Sarah, together and yet not. It wasn't until recently that their relationship had become so public and serious, but that felt right too. If she was being honest with herself any relationship with serious could never feel wrong. He had been her first kiss. She could still vividly remember that night so many years ago…

It was the first snow of the year. Hogwarts glistened in the early morning, an owl hooted in the distance and Sarah was sitting un her favorite rock by the lake, a smile on her face. She didn't know why she had woken up so early on a Saturday, but she wouldn't change this moment for anything, especially not for a couple measly hours of sleep. It was her favorite time of year. She loved winter. She loved the clean purity that enveloped the world with each new snow fall. She loved the silence as animals lay dormant through the cold months. She loved the chill and the serenity. Nothing could compare to winter at Hogwarts. She was very surprised, however, when the soft crunching of snow disrupted her thoughts.

"Hey," Sirius greeted with his trademark smile, his blue eyes holding the mischievous light that never really left them as he sat down beside her. "I thought I'd find you here."

"Yeah, I'm surprised your up though, it's only seven, shouldn't you still be hibernating with your partners in crime?" she teased, smiling brightly back. They hadn't really had time to talk much recently and she missed him. He put his arm around her shoulders and she snuggled into him for warmth.

"Now why would I sleep when I could be out here on this beautiful morning with a surpassingly beautiful girl? Sleep is overrated," he murmured, resting his head on top of hers as they stared out at the lake. She smiled at the compliment. He had a way of making her feel as if she was floating on air with a simple sentence. She felt at home under his arm.

"Hmmm," she murmured n reply, closing her eyes as she leant against him, enjoying his presence even more than the stunning morning. He ran one hand gently through her curls as the other lazily traced circles on her back. They had always been close, but this was the first time they had been quite so close as they were at that moment. Neither of them wanted it to end.

They were like that for close to an hour sharing Sirius' cloak and each other's warmth when he suddenly leapt from the rock and got to his feet. Startled, she turned inquisitively to face him, regretful of the loss of warmth and proximity.

"Come on, I want to show you something," he said in answer to her silent question, smiling brightly as he helped her up, wrapping his arm around her waist when she reached the ground.

"Okay," she replied, still curious but willing to go along with it. He rewrapped his cloak around their shoulders and lead her down a path she had never really noticed before. Even more curious now, she snuggled in closer to his side and increased her pace to keep up with his long strides.

Before she knew it they had reached their destination and Sirius was whispering in her ear. "Close your eyes," he murmured softly, she did as he said without protest. He moved his hands to her waist and gently guided her forward. She bit her lip in anticipation a few moments later when they stopped and impatiently awaited his call to open her eyes. When he finally did she gasped softly, her had going to cover her mouth as she looked out at the most stunning view of Hogwarts she had ever seen. They were on top of what looked to be a series of caves outside Hogsmead and spread out below them was the whole village covered in white as it's inhabitants slowly began to stir. Off in the distance Hogwarts stood blanketed in snow, windows giving off a slight yellow glow in the early morning light. The lake sprawled lazily out to the side ringed by mountains.

"Oh Sirius, it's lovely," she replied. He didn't answer, merely holding her close as they took it in together. She looked up at him a few seconds later and was surprised by how close his face was to hers. Her eyes were immediately drawn to his lips, slightly chapped from the chill, before flitting up back to his blue eyes filled with warmth that she felt throughout her whole body as his lips lowered closer to hers and she closed the distance.

It was soft, sweet, tentative. Close-mouthed they stood there for a moment, connected at the lips before he slowly pulled away and gently stroked her cheek. There were no words said. None needed to be. Instead he took her hand in his and they slowly made their way back to Hogwarts before everyone else woke up and noticed them missing…

And then there was the first time he had told her he loved her, just a week ago, when for as far as their friends were concerned they had started dating…

It was just cold enough to warrant a sweater as Sarah wrapped herself more firmly into her cloak on top of the astronomy tower long after she should have been asleep. She couldn't bring herself to pull away from the stars and make the long trek back to Gryffindor tower however and so instead she remained, bundled up against the biting wind as her hazel eyes roamed the sky, counting shooting stars.

"You know I'm starting to think you're an insomniac," a warm, teasing voice murmured behind her. She smiled, she had hoped he would find her. Somehow he always seemed to know where she was at times like these. She had her suspicions as to why too, but she decided not to spoil his fun.

"It's hard to sleep when you know what your missing out on, she replied, gesturing out to the stars laid out before her. Her eyes still scanning the night sky. "It's so beautiful," she whispered, never moving from her spot at the ledge.

"Yeah, it is," he murmured behind her, but as she turned in curiosity at the heaviness of emotion she detected in his voice she realized he hadn't even looked at the stars. He was staring straight at her, eyes filled with warmth and something else… something more.

"I love you," he murmured, pulling her close and pressing his lips to hers firmly, softly, desperately as he pulled her as close to him as he could possibly manage. When he finally allowed her up for her she smiled brightly and looked into his stunningly blue eyes.

"I love you too Sirius, so, so much," and she pulled him back down and gently placed her lips against his once more…

She snuggled deeper into Sirius' side, smiling at the memories. She honestly couldn't imagine her life without him. He had been so important for so long. She loved him so much-

"Sarah?" he inquired, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"Where were you just then? You looked off," he replied curiously, pulling her closer as he wrapped the arm that had previously been holding her hand around her waist.

"Just thinking about you. Us." she replied simply, leaning her head against his shoulder. He nodded in understanding and held the door open for her a moment later when they reached The Three Broomsticks. James, Lily, Remus, and Peter were already there, sitting at their usual table in the far corner when they walked in, butter beers in hand as they tried their best to transfer the warmth from the mugs to their frozen hands.

"I'll go get us a drink," Sirius murmured, rubbing his hand over her lower back lightly as he removed it from her waist.

"Okay," she replied softly, smiling at him as he walked away before walking over to their friends. It was weird to have their friends together like this, but she liked it. She liked being able to be with everyone she loved at the same time, even if that meant sharing a table with worm tail. Even before the dream she had never liked him much. He always gave off a weird vibe.

"Well if it isn't the two lovebirds come to join us at last," James teased, mischievous smirk in place as he greeted the best friend of his long-time crush.

"Nice to see you too James," she replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes as she took one of the empty seats next to Lily. "You say that like your not completely smitten with my best friend over here."

"Yeah James, you really have no room to talk mate," Sirius added as he joined them at the table. "Here you go love, a nice steaming cup of butter beer just for you," he said jovially, looking proud of himself as he took the seat beside her. She couldn't help but laugh at his childish nature. It was just one of the many reasons she had fallen in love with him so easily, he was so easy going.

"Thanks," she replied, a thin layer of foam coating her lip from the froth. He laughed and wiped it off for her. "Oh shut up…" she mumbled, looking down with a blush.

The rest of the lunch was spent talking amicably about everything and nothing. Their two groups merged easily as Lily discussed the latest books with Remus and Sarah, Sirius, and James had a whole discussion on the advantages and disadvantages of being an unregistered animagus, the latter of the two remained oblivious to her knowledge of their full moon jaunts with their furry friend. Over all it was very comfortable and the topics remained relatively light until Sirius asked a question that caused tension to spring up like tigger on a sugar high.

"So what was that book you bought today?" he asked casually, completely oblivious to the position he had just put her in.

"Oh, nothing really, just a book on baby care I thought I could send to my sister in Whales, she's expecting you know," Sarah replied, playing it off as nothing and hoping nobody would notice. Remus stared at her a bit skeptically for a minute but seemed to shake himself out of it.

"Oh yeah, that's right, isn't she the one that married that Hufflepuff? What was his name…" James replied, scratching his chin as he tried to recall the name.

"Yeah, she met him when she came to visit Hogwarts for a couple weeks last year, I swear she simply wouldn't shut up about how lucky I was to be a witch and go to school with him for months until he finally popped the question and they moved in together after his graduation. She always has been a little obsessive though, as much as I love her," Sarah continued with a smile, happy they had bought the diversion.

"So she's expecting now? How far along is she?" Remus asked jovially, his curiosity peaked.

"Yeah, she just found out, she's only about six weeks in, they don't even know the gender yet," Lily replied, smiling with happiness for her friend.

"That's so cool, I bet your really excited to be an aunt," James added with a huge grin, it was no secret that he absolutely adored children.

"I am, I can't wait to see the little tyke, that baby is going to be so spoiled it's not even funny," she replied honestly, a warm smile on her face as Sirius pulled her into his side since they had now finished eating and were just talking.

"Well, I don't know about you guys but I have a lot of studying left to do, I think it's time I headed back," Lily said regretfully with a long sigh, she really didn't want her date with James to end but it was time to get back.

"Yeah, we'll go with you," James replied sadly, standing and offering her his cloak before walking outside with the rest of them in tow. They made their way to the carriages and from there to the school in relative silence. There was nothing really left to say and the silence was nice. Admittedly they were all a bit tired, but as soon as they arrived at the school Sirius took Sarah's hand and pulled her away from the group.

"I want to show you something," he said with a mischievous grin, peaking her interest as he guided her along the familiar hallways. When they reached the portrait of the dancing trolls she smiled in recognition at where they were but decided to let him have his fun and pretend like she didn't know of the room's existence. Besides, she only knew bout it from Hermione's memories anyway so she wasn't technically supposed to know it existed already anyway.

He paced back and forth in front of the blank space of wall in front of the portrait three times and as soon as he finished his last pace an old wooden door appeared, she pretended to be shocked. He smiled his signature I-know-something-funny-no-one-else-knows Sirius smile and his eyes glittered with satisfaction. He was certainly quite proud of himself in that moment.

"Welcome my lady, to the Room of Requirement. Right this way, if you will," he stated regally, opening the door and dramatically signaling for her to enter. She couldn't help but laugh at is antics.

Even though she knew of the room's capabilities she couldn't stop the gasp that escaped her lips. The ceiling had been enchanted similarly to that of the great hall but it only showed the stars, fading back the light of the sun until she could see the daytime stars just as well as she could see the others at night. The floor was a rich mahogany sprinkled with rose petals and there was a large plushy blue couch in front of a roaring fire set in a fireplace made of black marble. A rich Persian rug was cantered just in front of the fire place and candles floated about the entirety of the room.

"Oh Sirius, it's lovely," she stated, spinning in a slow circle to take it all in.

"This is our actual date, this is what I wanted for our first date, Sarah," he murmured, pulling her close in a warm embrace that she sighed into. "This is what you deserve, not some typical trip to Hogsmead.

"You know, if anyone else ever found out how much of a sap you truly are you would never live it down. It would completely ruin your bad boy reputation," she stated, giggling. This was her Sirius, this was the Sirius only she was privileged enough to know. He chuckled at her statement and mumbled something that sounded remarkably like "screw" and "bloody reputation" but she didn't have much time to put the two together before he captured her lips in a searing kiss and completely ended her thought process before leading her to the couch and handing her a glass of wine.

They spent the better part of the afternoon like that, sipping wine and gazing up at the stars on the rug in front of the warm fire as they simply continued to enjoy each other's presence. When dinner time came around they ate their, Sirius having already asked Binky (a house elf that was in love with him and had apparently followed him to Hogwarts after being fired from the black house) to bring them dinner. It wasn't until very late that they made their way back to Gryffindor tower and they were thankful everyone else was already asleep.

"Goodnight, he whispered softly in her ear before kissing her sweetly in front of the staircase that lead up to the girls dorms. She smiled up at him and returned the sentiment, kissing him lightly on the cheek before tiptoeing up to bed. It wasn't until she was safely back in the girl's dormitory that she remembered the book. Using her wand as a flashlight within the shield of her curtains she pulled it out of her bag.

Somnium Vates: Dream Seer

Wearily she opened the cover and began to read the first page:

In this world there are many strange things that even magic cannot explain. It is one of these many unexplainable events that this book will explore. That of the little known case of Somnium Vates or Dream Seers. There have been very few recorded incidences of the occurrence of Somnium Vates which has played a major role in why it is so little known and researched. It is believed that the occurrence of Somnium Vates is caused when in the event of a person's death they send out the memories of their life to the one person their should believes can help them best. It is unknown how exactly the soul can detect the proper recipient, though it has been concluded the person need not have ever known the owner of said memories. Through what little examples are available for study we have included that these are, indeed, memories of another time and not just dreams, but the fact that they are presented in the form of a dream makes it even more difficult to find cases where it has occurred…

She stopped reading there. She had her answer. It hadn't just been a dream. This Hermione person was real. Her memories were real, and that meant-

"No," she mumbled desperately into her hands as tears began to pull in her hazel eyes before she fiercely wiped them away. "It won't happen, I won't let it!" she murmured determinedly, pounding her pillow with a clenched fist, but as she thought back on all of Hermione's memories she came to a realization she wished she had never had to face. There are some fates that must stay the same… Without that prophecy Voldemort might never be defeated, but she couldn't just let her friends Die. She couldn't just let Sirius die. And in that moment she first began to plan a scheme that would completely alter the course of history. She would do whatever was necessary to protect those she loved. She would not let Hermione's reality come to be!

Well there you have it! I hope you liked it and I really hope some more of you review! And if you can't think of anything to review about maybe you could answer this question for me…. Can you tell I'm American by the way I write? And if so, how?

Well that's all for now! Until next time! -A