Author's Note: Trigger warning for this chapter!

CHAPTER 12

It seemed as though the biting winds of January were shifting to a still coolness as February arrived. A new notice had been posted in the Gryffindor common room a few days earlier: Hogsmeade for the weekend before Valentine's Day. That Saturday morning, Sirius was lounging on the sofa in the Common Room while Hermione checked over his and James's essays on Hippogriff care. He had his feet up on the coffee table and was watching James guide a model broom around the ceiling.

"Alright, they're fine now. You two really should learn to proofread your own things. You know I won't be there to fix your N.E.W.T.s," she said reprovingly.

"Well, when you've got O's on all seventy-two exams you'll be taking, and we've gotten straight Trolls, we'll just hang our heads in shame," said James.

"Oh, stop. I haven't been studying nearly as much as I ought to," Hermione said bashfully.

"I'm sure you got twenty-six Outstandings on your O.W.L.s, too," Sirius added. "Did they have O.W.L.s where you came from?"

"Yes," she said quickly. "And I only got ten."

Sirius and James both burst into laughter.

"Of course you did," Sirius said, chuckling.

"Only ten?" said James, still guffawing. "How did you let yourself sink to such low standards!"

After they had finished their homework, he went upstairs to get ready for Hogsmeade. He'd never had a girl to take to Hogsmeade for Valentine's Day; in fact, he'd always made quite sure he was single for that particular holiday. But he found himself bubbling over with excitement to spend the day with Hermione. He adored her. James was fussing over his hair in the mirror, making sure it lay exactly as messy as he wanted it to. Even Remus had reluctantly agreed to a date with Amanda Jones for the day. That night, the Ravenclaws were throwing a party in their Common Room, and Sirius and James were planning to smuggle a significant amount of Firewhiskey back to the castle.

Soon, the four boys were descending their staircase to head to Hogsmeade. Hermione, Lily, and Amanda were waiting for them. Sirius took Hermione's hand, giving her a quick kiss and following the rest of the students out of Hogwarts and toward Hogsmeade Village. Sirius waved at James and Lily as they headed off to Honeyduke's to buy candies, and he laughed as he saw Amanda dragging a horrified Remus to Madame Puddifoot's. Peter was standing with Sirius and Hermione, looking at them expectantly, but Sirius gave him something of a glare.

"All right, all right, I'll take the hint," said Peter with a defeated chuckle. Hermione squeezed Sirius's hand, as though she were about to ask Peter to come back and join them, but Sirius pulled her along the road through Hogsmeade. He had quite a day planned.

"What do you say we skip the Three Broomsticks and check out the Shrieking Shack," he whispered, his hands snaking around to her back as he turned to face her.

"I believe that place is haunted," she said, looking up at him with feigned ignorance.

"Yes," he replied. "Haunted by a very naughty dog."

She rolled her eyes and slapped him playfully on the arm as he laughed. He grasped Hermione's hand, and they walked toward the Shrieking Shack. He was stealing furtive glances around to make sure no one was watching as they crept toward the entrance, clambering through a broken window. He pulled Hermione in after him, and she gazed around the place. Sirius scratched the back of his head. Perhaps he should have taken her to someplace a bit nicer than the Shrieking Shack for their first Valentine's Day together.

"It's not much," he said, slightly embarrassed.

"It's wonderful," said Hermione. "It's so clean."

Sirius gave her a quizzical look, but she just shook her head. It was more difficult to find time alone at Hogwarts than it was at the Potters' home for Christmas, and even they'd managed to find a few stolen moments in Sirius's dorm room when his roommates were gone, it had always felt rushed and a bit dangerous. But today, they had most of the day to themselves and a very private place to be undisturbed. Sirius sat down on the bed and pulled her on top of him. She settled down delightfully on his lap where he was already growing hard in anticipation. He simply couldn't get enough of her. His hands ran up her thighs, underneath her school skirt. She bent her head to kiss him as she wound her arms behind his neck.

"I love you," he whispered against her face.

"I love you, too," she said with a smile.

He peeled her shirt up over her head as she fumbled with the buttons of his school robes, pulling them off his shoulders and skimming his bare skin. He'd cast a warming charm inside the room, but the chill of the outside air still seeped in. His skin tingled with the cold and with the feeling of her small hands on his body. Her kisses were deep and passionate, her tongue winding against his as she mewled into his mouth.

"I don't understand," Hermione whispered in between kisses, "how any adult ever gets anything done… when they could be doing this instead."

Sirius chuckled and lifted her bodily from his lap, laying her on the bed to cast a contraceptive charm and position himself between her legs. He pulled her skirt and panties down, pausing to kiss the soft skin between her legs. With his fingers, he touched her gently, his thumb circling her clitoris and his long fingers slowly curling inside her until she was crying out, her back lifting off the bed and her vagina spasming around his fingers. The sounds she made as she fell apart brought his erection to full force, and he got onto his knees, lifting her legs so that one was against each of his shoulders.

Sirius guided himself into her, staring into her eyes, hooded with desire, as he thrust forward once, twice, three times until he was buried fully. A strangled groan escaped his lips. Hermione was right. How did anyone ever get things done when they could be doing this? The truth was, he'd been with rather a lot of girls, and not a few women, and yet the feeling of being inside of Hermione, being as close as it was possible to be with the person he loved, was unlike any of the others. His eyes roved her body, watching her breasts bounce, feeling her fingers digging into his thighs to pull him closer. He heard her whimpering, and his orgasm slowly began to build inside of him. His thrusts were faster and deeper as he approached climax, and Hermione's eyes rolled back into her head, her cries wanton and desperate.

His fingers clamped down on her thighs as orgasm washed over him. Slowly, he continued to push himself in and out of her until he was fully spent, and then, he collapsed forward, smiling against her lips as he kissed her.

"Sirius?" she said in a husky whisper.

"Hm?"

"I've got an awful cramp in my leg," said Hermione.

"Oh!"

They were both laughing as he pulled himself from her and let her stretch her legs. He lay next to her, pulling her close to him and brushing his fingers along her neck and her ribcage. He loved those lazy moments after sex when he was relaxed and sated. She had the cutest pillow talk.

"-and I had to learn all the capitals of European countries," she said.

"When you were just nine years old?" he said, kissing her neck.

"Yes! It was awful. But my parents always said that education was the most important thing," said Hermione.

"Denmark," said Sirius against her skin.

"What?"

"What's the capital of Denmark?"

"Copenhagen, of course," said Hermione.

"Switzerland," said Sirius.

"Bern."

"Lithuania."

"Vilnius," she said immediately. "Come on, give me a tough one."

"That was my tough one!"

After a while, they got dressed and clambered back out the window into Hogsmeade. Sirius and Hermione, blushing and holding hands, walked back through the streets of the town until they met up with their group of friends. James and Lily looked radiantly in love, oblivious to nearly everything around them. Remus and Amanda were laughing good-naturedly with Peter, who had obviously joined them at some point during the day.

James and Sirius quickly stole off to the alleyway behind the Hog's Head Inn, meeting a dodgy man in his early thirties who called himself Dung. They dumped a load of galleons in his hands, and he handed over several bottles of Firewhiskey, plus a few bottles of Muggle bourbon, several flagons of mead, and a baggie of fragrant green marijuana. They magically shrunk the bottles to fit in their bags and returned to the rest of the group. Then, the group of Gryffindors headed back to the castle together. There was a hum of excitement among the students, as all the sixth and seventh years were planning on heading to the Ravenclaw Common Room that evening for their surreptitious party. Once they returned to Gryffindor Tower, Hermione, Lily, and Amanda disappeared upstairs to get ready, leaving the boys alone.

"So, Sirius. Have a nice day?" asked James with an eyebrow raised.

"You're one to talk," said Sirius with an eye roll, though he felt his cheeks redden. "What about you, Remus?"

Remus sighed.

"She likes me," said Remus with a shrug.

Sirius gave him an expectant look, but Remus just shook his head. Sirius felt so much sympathy for his friend. He deserved to find what James had found, what Sirius had found, but he was too worried about his 'furry little problem' to let a girl like Amanda get close.

Hermione descended the stairs a while later, and she looked absolutely stunning. She was wearing a short skirt that clung to her figure in all the right places, and a scoop necked shirt that Sirius wasn't too sure he wanted her to wear in front of half the sixth and seventh years at Hogwarts. He took her hand and pulled her close for a kiss. It was late, and four or five of the other older Gryffindors had gathered behind James and Sirius to head to the party. They quietly pulled out the Marauder's Map to check that the coast was clear, and then the students all clambered out of the portrait hole together.

(())

Hermione's heart was racing as she followed Sirius through the dark corridors of Hogwarts. Sure, she had broken her fair share of rules during her time at the castle and had spent plenty of time out of bed after hours, but she'd never been one to go to a party. In fact, she hadn't even been aware there were parties at Hogwarts. Did they not exist in her time, or was she just too much of a bossy rule-follower to be invited to them? Hermione suspected the latter. When the group got to the doorway to the Ravenclaw Common Room, a group of students was waiting outside.

"What's the hold-up?" called James from the back of the crowd.

"None of us can figure out how to get in!" hissed a Hufflepuff seventh year from the front of the crowd.

"No one knows the password?" he asked.

"There isn't one!" said the student. "It's a… it's some kind of riddle!"

Everyone murmured nervously.

"What can you catch but not throw?" the Hufflepuff recited to the back of the crowd.

Hermione and Lily looked at each other at the same time and giggled.

"A cold!" said Lily brightly, and the door to the Ravenclaw Common Room swung open.

The Common Room was dimly lit, with loud music playing and a crowd of students already dancing. The Ravenclaw dormitory was different than the Gryffindor one. Instead of staircases that led up to the girls' and boys' dormitories, there were dozens of doors all around the edges that led straight into the many bedrooms. She peered into one of the rooms, seeing only two small beds. Apparently in Ravenclaw, students slept in pairs, rather than in groups of four or five. The room was also decorated differently. In place of overstuffed armchairs and comfortable sofas, the décor reminded Hermione more of King Louis the XIV, with lavish gold lamps and ornate chairs and settees. Hermione spotted a few students she recognized from classes, and in the corner were a group of Slytherins that included Regulus, Snape, and Avery. She felt Sirius stiffen beside her as he surveyed the Slytherins, but then he was distracted when one of the seventh year Ravenclaw prefects, a very pretty girl with bright blue eyes and blonde hair, appeared in front of them.

"Hey, Sirius," she said brightly. "You've got the drinks?"

"Oh, hey, Rebecca," said Sirius, relaxing. "Yea, I've got them."

Rebecca smiled, revealing brilliant white teeth. She grabbed a couple of bottles from Sirius's hands and turned to the room.

"Gryffindors to the rescue!" she called, and a few whoops came from the crowd, though she saw Regulus and Avery rolling their eyes and sneering.

Rebecca smiled again at Sirius and flounced away from them. Hermione held Sirius's hand and fought a wave of jealousy.

"Who's that?" she asked, trying to seem nonchalant.

"Oh, that?" asked Sirius, tugging at his collar. "That's Rebecca."

Hermione raised an eyebrow, and Sirius laughed guiltily.

"We dated for a while last year," said Sirius. "A long while, actually. But it's been over for ages."

He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her, his tongue sliding into her mouth in the middle of a crowd of dancing students.

"I love you," he said, his forehead resting against hers. "Now, let's get you something to drink."

The party was raucous. Hermione had never experienced anything like it. Peter was off in the corner engaging in what he called "Herbology lessons" with a few of the Hufflepuffs, the small cigarettes they had in their hands emitting a very pungent smell. Any time a younger student tried to creep into the Common Room, they were bellowed at loudly and quickly disappeared back into their bedrooms. A couple of students were pouring shots of Firewhiskey and then trying to light their breath on fire with their wands, smoke pouring from their ears. The Slytherins were in the corner bending over a table with a substance Hermione didn't recognize but had a feeling was quite illegal. She suddenly felt very nervous and was glad for Sirius's presence at her side. He put a shot glass in her hand filled with amber liquid.

"Bottom's up," he barked, and then he downed the shot in one gulp, shaking his head afterward like a dog that's just come out of the water.

She was nervous, but she plucked up her Gryffindor courage and downed the shot herself. It was simply awful, and she was half worried it was about to come right back up. Her eyes were watering, and she was dimly aware of Sirius clapping her on the back and laughing.

"Come on, we'll get you a mead, it's a lot more palatable," he said as he poured himself another shot of whiskey.

The night began to blur in her mind as the mead flowed. There was lots of dancing, and she loved the feeling of moving against Sirius's body as the music pounded in her ears. His kisses were electrifying as they danced. A couple of girls tried to cut in, but he pulled away from them, with eyes only for her. Soon, Hermione was exhausted and laughing. She and Sirius went to join Peter and a few Ravenclaws. Sirius offered her another cup of mead, but Hermione knew she'd had too much already.

James and Lily had disappeared into one of the bedrooms, and even Remus and Amanda were snogging in the corner. One of the Ravenclaw girls had climbed onto an antique table and was dancing, and a group of Hufflepuffs was playing strip Exploding Snap. Sirius seemed perfectly at home in this rowdy environment, like he'd been going to parties like this for years (which of course, he probably had), but Hermione found herself a bit overwhelmed. The room was beginning to spin. She grasped Sirius's arm as he laughed uproariously.

"I'm going to take a quick break," said Hermione to him, almost shouting over the music.

He turned to her and held her hands, looking at her with concern.

"Are you all right, love?" he asked. "Shall we go?"

"No, no, I'll be fine," she said. "Just need some quiet for a moment. I'll be back."

She found an open bedroom and walked inside, closing the door. The room was lit with only the dim, soft glow of a lamp in the corner, and though she could hear the thumping music outside the door, it was pleasantly muffled. She felt she could finally hear herself think. Hermione fell onto one of the beds, rolling onto her side and noticing that when she shut her eyes, the room seemed to swirl around her. She kept one eye open, gazing out the small window that overlooked the Forbidden Forest. Behind her, she heard the door to the room open and shut.

"Sirius, I told you I'm fine," said Hermione.

"Try again," said a malicious voice as a hand wrapped around her face, covering her mouth so she couldn't scream.

When she looked up, she saw Avery on top of her. She fumbled for her wand, only to realize too late that she'd left it in Gryffindor Tower, thinking her outfit had no place for it. Avery's body was heavy, and his eyes were cruel. Hermione wriggled underneath him, trying to get him off her, but this only made him chuckle low in his throat and tighten his grip. She panicked, feeling tears stinging her eyes and trying to move, but he had her pinned down too forcefully. Then, she felt his hand slide up her skirt, dipping into her panties and touching her between her legs. She tried to scream, her voice muffled by his hand and tears pouring from her eyes.

The door slammed open. Hermione heard Sirius roar.

Avery was lifted off her. She fumbled with her panties and skirt to cover herself. Sirius had his wand drawn as he shoved Avery forcefully into a corner of the room. Horrified, she sat on the bed, watching the scene unfold. Remus had appeared in the room instantly, and in a moment, so had James, still pulling his robes up over his shoulders as though he'd just been undressed moments before.

"WHAT THE FUCK, AVERY?" yelled Sirius, wand pointing at Avery's throat, who was sneering at Sirius evilly.

Regulus raced into the room and tried to launch himself at Sirius, but Remus and James pushed him away roughly. Regulus landed in the corner with Avery and raised his hands in front of them as though to stop Sirius's attack.

"The fuck are you on about, Sirius?" Regulus was shouting.

"Get the fuck out of my way!" bellowed Sirius. "Do you know what he was doing? The bastard came in here while she was resting-"

At this, Sirius pointed at Hermione, and every head in the room turned in her direction. She wanted nothing more than to disappear. She could feel tears on her cheeks and a lump in her throat.

"And he was about to… to…" Sirius couldn't even say the words.

Remus was looking from Avery's sneering face and to Hermione's tear-streaked one as she fumbled to pull down her skirt.

"Jesus Christ," said Remus, in sudden horrifying realization.

Remus rushed to Hermione, helping her cover herself and pulling her up from the bed with a protective arm around her shoulders, putting his body in between her and Avery. James was at Sirius's side in an instant, wand drawn. Hermione stared at them. Regulus had turned to Avery and had a look on his face that was something like horror.

"I wouldn't have done it," said Avery mockingly. "Not to a Mudblood."

At this, Sirius cocked his fist back and punched Avery right in the nose. Avery crumpled. Regulus was staring at his limp body on the floor.

"That's the kind of lot you're spending your time with, eh, Regulus?" said Sirius, shaking out his fist and stretching his fingers.

Just then, they heard commotion in the Common Room. One of the Ravenclaws was shouting that Flitwick was on his way. They could hear everyone scrambling. Bottles and glasses were being levitated to hiding places, Scourgify charms were being cast, and teenagers were racing out of the room in droves. Sirius and Regulus gave each other a long look, and then Sirius turned to Hermione, taking her hand and pulling her along. Hermione, Sirius, James, and Remus all left the small dorm room, finding Lily, Amanda, and the rest of their Gryffindor companions fleeing the party. The group of Gryffindors all raced back up to Gryffindor Tower and climbed in the portrait hole one after another.

Most of the Gryffindor sixth and seventh years headed right back up to their dormitories, laughing drunkenly as they stumbled up the stairs. Lily, noticing Hermione's tear-streaked face, gave her a worried look.

"What's wrong?" asked Lily.

"I'll take care of her," said Sirius, holding her protectively against his chest.

James walked Lily to the staircase, probably telling Lily the story so Hermione wouldn't have to. Remus gave Hermione a squeeze on the shoulder before he followed Peter upstairs. Sirius finally pulled back from Hermione just enough to look her in the eyes.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I am now," said Hermione, taking a deep breath. "Sirius, I don't want to… I don't want to be alone. Can I sleep with you?"

Sirius wrapped her in a tight embrace.

"Of course you can," he said, kissing the top of her head.

Hermione smiled at him. He took her hand and led her upstairs. He creaked the door open to the Seventh year boys' dormitory, and upon seeing that his roommates were all already snoring, he led her to his bed. She climbed in, and he snuggled in close to her, wrapping his arms around her from behind. Hermione took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.