Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters. Everything belongs to JK Rowling, and I'm merely allowed to play around with them. No copyright infringement is intended.
As usual, thanks to TheSpringLover and MissMaryLiz for reviewing! The rest of you better do what they do! Now, on with the story... And don't hate me guys. :p
Chapter 7
-o-O-o-
Hermione woke up early again the next morning, feeling very monotonous, almost robotic. She wondered why that was for a long time, until she realised what day it was. She was sipping her coffee quietly when she came to that realisation: it was the last day before the holidays and the others were all leaving the tomorrow.
She also came to the realisation that she was going to be very lonely for the next two months. Busy and taken, but lonely. After all, she had her appointment with the goblins, her work at the Three Broomsticks and her O.W.L.'s to pass again, much to her regret.
She therefore started the day very moodily. To her cure her grumpiness, she took a trip to the library after her breakfast finished. She didn't even glare at the Slytherins as she left the Great Hall.
Once in the library, she felt much better. She breathed in the scent of books with her eyes closed and when she opened them, she was smiling. She picked a book out of a shelf randomly and opened it to the first page. Most ancient Pureblood Houses and Their History, the cover read. The first chapter was on the Black family.
She was so engrossed in the book that she didn't notice the arrival of four figures, hiding behind a bookcase. They deliberated quietly for a few minutes before one of them stepped out, irritated at having to be the spokesperson. He ruffled his raven hair a little and advanced awkwardly towards the reading girl. "Err… 'Mione?" he asked.
She looked up from her book and the boy. "Oh, hey Sirius." she greeted him when she recognised him. He looked very stressed, as if something was bothering him. She wondered what it was for some time, until she remembered the thing he almost let slip the day before.
He gulped down hard. "Look, I'm really sorry about yesterday." he started. "I was totally wasted and I said some stupid stuff because I was trying to prove myself, to show you I was tough and… well, I ended up being really mean to James and Peter and… Oh, god, Remus!" he looked really ashamed of himself, and he started biting his knuckle. "I nearly said some awful stuff about him, and, I swear, if you hadn't cursed me, it would have meant the end of him." he released a dry sob, and she couldn't help herself.
She put her book down on her chair, stood up and embraced him. Well, sort of embraced him, because she only reached about his shoulder, so her arms were wrapped around his waist. He was surprised at first, but soon enough, he returned her hug, and they even swayed a little. He buried his face in her hair and inhaled deeply. "It's okay, Sirius." she told him. Her voice was slightly muffled by his shirt. "Everyone makes mistakes. I'm just really happy you accept yours."
He had calmed down and was now no longer biting his knuckles. "I'm such a monster." he said, holding her tighter.
She detached herself from him. "Don't say that, Sirius." Her voice was soft, but she knew he wouldn't disobey her. "You are one of the bravest men I've ever met. You can take things most people would break down if they happened to them. You're one of the most intelligent, too. You don't follow others like sheep, you think about what's asked of you. You even went against your own family to achieve that independence." He smiled slightly. "No matter how hard you might try to convince others and yourself, it's a really hard thing to do. Where I come from…" He inhaled sharply, and she knew why: it was the first time she spoke of her past willingly. "Where I come from, there was a man I knew like that. He had abandoned everything he had, conscious of the consequences, for his friends and his beliefs. After that, he lost the life he had built himself because of an unjust accusation. He spent twelve years of pure torture paying for that. Here, it's an equivalent to twelve years… In Azkaban."
Sirius gasped. "Twelve years? And he never lost it?"
She shook her head. "He came back." she continued. "He came back to put things right and punish the real culprit. He didn't manage to do it, but I had the privilege of meeting him. Despite all that Fate had thrown in his face, he could still smile." she smiled herself. "He could still laugh, and no matter how much he enjoyed denying it… He could still love. And I have always admired him because of that." She held her hand up next to his cheek hesitatingly, before stroking it gently. "You remind me so much of him." she whispered.
He leaned against her hand. When she pulled it away, he grabbed it and kissed it gently, staring directly into her eyes. His own silver pools were showing so much tenderness she positively melted. They stayed like that for a while until they heard someone clear their throat. Sirius groaned and turned around, to find the three other Marauders staring. Peter and Remus' faces showed no emotions, but James was positively beaming. "Way to go, Padfoot!" he cheered, and then sprinted out.
Peter shifted his feet awkwardly, before nodding in acknowledgement and leaving hurriedly after his friend. Only Remus stood there, staring at the pair. After a lot of staring between the three, he nodded. "Thanks Hermione." he said quietly. "For hexing the git… And forgiving him." and he left without another word.
Hermione shifted her feet. "Why do I feel as if he was mad at me?" she asked.
Sirius seemed uncomfortable too. "Err… It may have been that Moony kept a little secret from us and he may have been… Pining after you."
She gasped. "And you didn't notice?" she asked.
He was now nervously stuffing his hands as far down his pockets as he possibly could. "I might have been a little… Preoccupied by other things." he mumbled.
She slapped his arm. "You jerk!" she yelled. "You should never ever stop worrying about your friends! He's going to be really upset now and if you had been more careful, this wouldn't have happened! I mean, he's probably thinking I have feelings for you or something now!"
Sirius' shoulders slackened. "Yeah, you're probably right. I should go and apologise." he admitted.
She heaved a sigh and nodded. "Yeah." she said. "Go do just that. I'll come over to check you've made up. Mind you, Sirius Black, if he doesn't forgive you, it's entirely your fault."
He sighed too. "Oh, well, I guess I know what I've gotta do now." he declared. She nodded stiffly, and he set off. He was feeling slightly confused with himself. He liked Hermione, that was sure. Remus liked Hermione, that was pretty goddam sure too. But who did Hermione like?
She was a strange and confusing girl. By the way she acted, she seemed to fancy the whole bloody school! First she hugs him and reassures him, and for a couple of seconds he knew they could be together. But then she goes crazy because, apparently, Remus likes her. He snorted and started jogging up a flight of stairs. Can't she just like one person?, he thought.
Then it hit him. It hit him hard, as if he had just run into a brick wall at full speed. She didn't like him. She liked Remus. After all, she had only said someone where she came from reminded her of him. She had used the word 'admired', not 'loved'. He shook his head and stopped in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady. "Lochness monster." he hissed at her, and she scowled at him before swinging open.
He stomped in the Common Room and, upon noting Remus' absence, ran up the stairs to the boys' dormitory. Fury suddenly hit him as he saw that pompous son of a bitch just lying down on his bed, apparently reading a book. He looked up and noticed his friend's arrival. "Hello Sirius." he said, putting his book down on his bedside table. He stood up and frowned at the Animagus. "What's got your knickers in a twist?" he asked, practically sneering.
Sirius was fuming. "You!" he bellowed. "Who else?" It was a good thing the dormitories were empty except for the two of them.
"Me?" Remus growled. "I should be angry with you!" he declared.
"Oh yeah? And under what motive?" Sirius threw back.
"I like her!" he bellowed. "Isn't it fucking obvious? I mean, I asked her to Hogsmeade and we made a prank together…"
"What's that got to do with me?" Sirius' hand was itching for his wand, just to curse the guys in front of him.
"She likes you!" he declared. His hand was inching towards his pocket as well, Sirius noted. "It's always been Saint Sirius who gets all the credit, hasn't it? I'm just the big bad wolf! And I hate that! Because I never save the day, I don't ride off in the sunset, and I don't get the girl!"
"Shut up!" Sirius yelled back, pulling his wand out of his pocket, but not pointing it at Remus. "Just shut up! You don't know what it's like!"
Remus pulled his own wand out of his pocket. "Stupefy!" he said, but Sirius deflected the curse. "You shut up! You never listen to me! Impedimenta! Let me just give you a piece of my mind! Defodio! You always came first in my list of priorities! Deprimo! Every time I liked someone, you had her first! I always let you! Tarantagerella! First Jackie! Then Lauren! And Meredith! Catherine! Lisa! Victoria! Locomotor Mortis!" Sirius managed to block all the spells, but Remus' wrath seemed destructive. "You even took Mary from me!" he bellowed, tears forming in his eyes. "And now you're angry with me?! Petrificus Totalus! You fucking hypocrite!"
"You bastard!" Sirius yelled back. "Maybe I had their affection, but it was the only one I had! Confringo! You know how I feel every time your mom sends you homemade brownies or something? I feel abandoned! Why do you think I fuck all these girls, huh? I don't do it to piss you off! Desangeo! It numbs the pain! All that that I feel when I see you all go googly eyed on stuff people send you! Expelliarmus! Because you're so fucking blind you don't see how I'd love to be you!"
"I won't let you hurt Hermione!" Remus cried. "Expulso! She's the only one I have, and you're not taking her away from me!"
"You complete dork!" Sirius was starting to cry slightly too. "I don't want to use her! She's different! Incendio! And for fuck's sake, she doesn't like me!" Remus froze. "That's right, she doesn't like me! She just made that pretty clear! She told me to go and apologise for making you believe the wrong thing! How do you think that feels, huh? I feel betrayed! Betrayed by my werewolf of a supposed best friend! I fucking hate you!"
Remus stowed his wand away. They stared at each other for a while, before he declared in a cold voice: "Well that just about makes things clear, doesn't it?"
Sirius glared at him and stowed his own wand away. "Yeah, it does. May the best man win… That would be me, since you're not even a man." he sneered.
Remus growled and shoved past Sirius to exit the dormitory, slamming the door after him. Sirius groaned and soon followed. Once in the Common Room, he sat down on a couch and brooded. Hermione came in just before lunch. When she saw his face, she asked: "I take it he didn't forgive you?" For an answer, Sirius just growled. "Hey, don't take it out on me!" she said, holding both of her hands up. "I've got nothing to do with this!" After that, she just walked quietly up to her dormitories.
When she was gone, Sirius sighed, pinching his sinuses between his thumb and forefinger, muttering: "If only you knew, Hermione. If only you knew."
-o-O-o-
The next day started gloomily for most of the Gryffindors. Remus and Sirius glared at each other constantly and couldn't stand being within a ten foot radius of each other. When Remus approached, Sirius would say: "Funny, I can sense some backstabbing coming." When Sirius came too near, Remus would go: "There's a mangy mutt smell in the air, don't you think?"
Basically, it pissed Hermione off. She refused to help either of them to get their trunks downstairs, for fear that they would think she was taking a side. When James, Peter, Lily and Mary asked what was wrong with them, she just waved it off with a wave of her hand and said: "Why don't you ask them?"
So then the little group was standing on the platform, all hugging Hermione, one after the other. When it was James' turn, he whispered in her ear: "They'll come around. In the meantime, if Dumbledore lets you, you could bunk at by place." he released her then, smiling slightly despite the circumstances, and hopped onto the train, where most of the students were already waiting.
She waved them off, Remus and Sirius from two different windows, promising to write a lot, before walking to the back of the train, so as to exit the platform. On her way, she felt someone staring. She turned to her right and was not surprised to find Regulus smirking at her from a compartment window. "What do you want, Black?" she asked, really not in the mood.
"Nothing." he answered. Somehow she doubted his sincerity; he was always after something.
"Oh really?" she asked tauntingly. "I guess I'll be off then."
She turned and started to walk away, before he called out: "Granger, wait!" Ha! she thought. I knew it!
She turned back to him and stared at him, trying to look annoyed. "What, Black? I don't have all day."
The smirk looked harder to keep up as he answered. "Have good holidays." After a while, he added. "They might just be your last."
She was surprised, to say the least. "I…" she stuttered. "I… Thank you, I guess."
The train started chugging and moving very slowly. Regulus' face showed panic, before he focused on her, looking menacing. "You'd better write, Granger." he growled. "Because otherwise, I will kill you."
She knew better than to cower in fear. "Sure Black." she said, rolling her eyes. She started to follow the train at a slow pace. "You better write too!" she added, starting to jog. "Because otherwise, I will kill you!" She started running then, until she reached the end of he platform, and she remembered something. "Hey Black!" she cried out at his retreating form.
"Yeah?" he yelled back.
She put her hands around her mouth to sound louder. "Don't do anything stupid!" she yelled as loud as she possibly could, before agitating her hand in the air as if she wanted to make a plane land. She saw him shake his head and wave slightly, before he put his body back in the window and was gone. She hoped he would take her advice.
-o-O-o-
So, this chapter is slightly long, because I wanted to give you a good update today, seeing as I'm not even sure if I will do it tomorrow, mind you, because my muse is running out, and I haven't got enough reviews to keep me going! Besides, the next chapter is really short.
You know what to do, just type in your little review and press that too neglected (in my opinion) button to send it to me! Hope you guys had a nice week end! :)
Also, I'll mention, in the next A/N, the person who finds my reference to a cartoon in this chapter and writes it in a review! Think of this as a contest of some sort.
Next chapter: Owl post and real O.W.L.'s.