AN: Sorry it was so long guys I had writer's block again. Its hard when you get stuck in slump and your close to an exciting part. Or at least a part you already had partially written in your mind. I really didn't want to kill of Sarah but I always knew she would die eventually I just wasn't sure when. Very soon the perspective will change where it will mostly be Sirius' POV. I don't want to write about the hunt since we already know what happened. Every once in awhile I might do Ron or Harry's POV so we know what's going on during the hunt but not Hermione's. I will be up at my cabin from this Thursday the fifth to Sunday the fifteenth so my updates will be sporadic at best. Unfortunately there is no internet up there so I would have to go into town to visit the McDonalds to post. In the summer I am up at the cabin a lot more. Once again I am not JK Rowling.
Sirius POV
We all listened quietly to Fawkes' song mourning for Albus. Hermione closed her eyes tears cascading down her cheeks. I wrapped my arm around her waist and she cuddled into my chest seeking comfort. She cried brokenly. I knew a small part of her was crying for Albus but I knew she was mostly crying for everyone else. The pain in our bond was clear. She was hurting for everyone else who was hurting.
Poppy wiped under her eyes with a handkerchief and sniffled loudly. She looked up and her eyes widened when she looked Hermione over.
"Mrs Black what happened?" She asked darting over to look at her. Hermione looked up slowly her face pale.
"Sectumsempra and the cruciatus curse." Her eyes were glazed and I wiped the tears away that continued down her cheeks. Poppy bustled around her face pale but eventually brought a steaming cup over to us.
"You need to drink all of this Mrs Black." Hermione nodded as I held the cup up slowly so she could easily drink. She spluttered horribly then started coughing as if she had just taken a deep drink of Firewhisky.
"That's absolutely revolting." Hermione muttered shaking her head. She took a deep breath and grabbed the drink from my hand. I raised my eyebrow but said nothing. She threw her head back and drank the rest of it like a shot. Her eyes streamed and she sagged against me.
"Poppy?" Hermione's eyes were growing distant but her mind was still working. The connection was still strong and I could feel her fear.
"Its to help her sleep." Poppy said bustling over to Neville who was bleeding heavily.
"I'll be right here when you wake up I promise." I whispered kissing her forehead. Hermione relaxed into my side her eyes drifting shut.
The door suddenly flew open and Minerva entered the ward her wand at her side. Like everyone else, she bore marks of the recent battle: There were grazes on her face and her robes were ripped.
"Molly and Arthur are on their way," she said, and the spell of the music had left was broken: Everyone roused themselves as though coming out of trances, turning again to look at Bill, or else to rub their own eyes shake their heads. "Harry, what happened? According to Hagrid you were with Professor Dumbledore when he — when it happened. He says Professor Snape was involved in some —"
"Snape killed Dumbledore," Harry said his voice void of emotion. I wanted more than anything to comfort him but I knew it wouldn't help.
Minerva stared at Harry for a moment, then swayed alarmingly. Madam Pomfrey ran forward, conjuring a chair from thin air, which she pushed under McGonagall.
"Snape," Minerva repeated faintly, falling into the chair. "We all wondered… but he trusted… always… Snape… I can't believe it…"
"Snape was a highly accomplished Occlumens," Remus said his voice uncharacteristically harsh. "We always knew that."
"But Dumbledore swore he was on our side!" Tonks whispered. "I always thought Dumbledore must know something about Snape that we didn't…"
"He always hinted that he had an ironclad reason for trusting Snape," Minerva muttered now dabbing at the corners of her leaking eyes with a tartan-edged handkerchief. "I mean… with Snape's history… of course people were bound to wonder… but Dumbledore told me explicitly that Snape's repentance was absolutely genuine — Wouldn't hear a word against him!"
"I'd love to know what Snape told him to convince him," Tonks said twisting her wedding ring nervously.
"I know," Harry said, and everyone turned to look at him. "Snape passed Voldemort the information that made Voldemort hunt down my mum and dad. Then Snape told Dumbledore he hadn't realized what he was doing, he was really sorry he'd done it, sorry that they were dead."
Everyone stared at him. It was silent for one long moment then everyone started yelling. I had never been so grateful that Hermione couldn't hear what they were saying about one of her, and my, best friends. But I had a part to play, and play it I would.
"Snape hated James!" I yelled darkly into the noise my eyes flashing. Remus was nodding in agreement.
"And he didn't think my mother was worth a damn either," Harry said, "because she was Muggleborn… 'Mudblood,' he called her…" Not quite true but it would be a good cover if everyone thought Severus hated Lily because of her muggleborn status.
"How did he even find out what was going on?" Minerva asked faintly rubbing her hands against her eyes.
"Hermione ran down to guard his office so he wouldn't leave." Neville said as Poppy popped his shoulder back into place. He hissed and shook his head as he held Hannah's hand.
"She was fighting, I saw her." Ginny said running her fingers through her hair. The motion reminded me of Lily and I turned to look at my sleeping wife. It was easier that way, or at least that's what I told myself.
"Why would she come back up?" Ron asked rubbing his eyes sleepily. I swallowed thickly and stared at the blanket not wanting to answer.
"It must have been because of me." I muttered flicking a strand of hair out of my eyes. Everyone was staring at me, waiting. "Rowle crucio'd me. She must have felt it and came to protect me." Tonks smiled sadly at me in understanding. She knew what it felt like to feel the echo's of your spouse. Fred frowned his eyes distant.
"Felt?" Fred asked his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"When you get married there is a faint hum from your spouse. But there is also a way to invoke a deeper bond where you can feel your spouse's emotions and sometimes even their thoughts. Its a newer idea and I decided to have it on our marriage before we got married." Fred's eyes were wide, so were George's.
"She came to protect me." I whispered pulling her closer to me. Hermione could have easily been killed all because of our bond. I shook my head tears threatening to spill.
"Pads its not your fault." I swallowed thickly and breathed in deeply of Hermione's scent trying to calm myself.
The doors of the hospital wing burst open suddenly making us all jump. Arthur and Molly were striding up the ward, Fleur just behind them, her beautiful face terrified.
"Molly — Arthur —" Minerva said jumping up and hurrying to greet them. "I am so sorry —"
"Bill," Molly said darting past Professor McGonagall as she caught sight of Bill's mangled face. "Oh, Bill!"
Remus and Tonks had got up hastily and retreated so that Arthur and Molly could get nearer to the bed. Molly bent over her son and pressed her lips to his bloody forehead.
"You said Greyback attacked him?" Arthur asked Minerva distractedly. "But he hadn't transformed? So what does that mean? What will happen to Bill?"
"We don't yet know," Minerva said, looking helplessly at Lupin.
"There will probably be some contamination, Arthur," Remus said. "It is an odd case, possibly unique… We don't know what his behavior might be like when he awakens…"
Molly took the nasty-smelling ointment from Madam Pomfrey and began dabbing at Bill's wounds.
"And Dumbledore…" Arthur started then stopped. "Minerva, is it true… Is he really…?"
As Minerva nodded, I noticed Ginny out of the corner of my eye. Her slightly narrowed eyes were fixed upon Fleur, who was gazing down at Bill with a frozen expression on her face. It was one of pure agony. Anyone could see it.
"Dumbledore gone," Arthur whispered. Molly could only stare at Bill as she began to sob, tears falling onto Bill's mutilated face.
"Of course, it doesn't matter how he looks… It's not r-really important… but he was a very handsome little b-boy… always very handsome… and he was g-going to be married!" I froze and glared at her. Was?
"And what do you mean by zat?" Fleur asked loudly her eyes flashing. "What do you mean, 'he was going to be married?'"
Molly raised her tear-stained face, looking startled. "Well — only that —"
"You theenk Bill will not wish to marry me anymore?" Fleur demanded her cheeks flushed with anger "You theenk, because of these bites, he will not love me?"
"No, that's not what I —"
"Because 'e will!" Fleur said, drawing herself up to her full height and throwing back her long mane of silver hair. "It would take more zan a werewolf to stop Bill loving me!"
"Well, yes, I'm sure," Molly said. "but I thought perhaps — given how — how he —"
My temper finally snapped, call it lack of sleep or being crucio'd but I could not watch Fleur flounder for one more minute. "How could you possibly think Fleur wouldn't want to be with him?"
The silence in the room was deafening. Everyone was staring at me in various states of shock. But the look on Fleur's face said it all. She was glad someone else believed she loved Bill besides Hermione.
"What?" Molly asked her eyes wide.
"Look at Fleur." I demanded Molly. She turned and looked at her future daughter-in-law. It was easy to see she only saw the half-veela woman in front of her. "Do you see the pain on her face? That is the pain of seeing someone you love so desperately you would rather die than see them like that!"
When no one said anything Fleur's eyes flashed in pain.
"You thought I would not weesh to marry him? Or per'aps, you hoped?" said Fleur, her nostrils flaring. "What do I care how he looks? I am good-looking enough for both of us, I theenk! All these scars show is zat my husband is brave! And I shall do zat!" She added fiercely, pushing Molly aside and snatched the ointment from her. Bill seemed to relax under Fleur's gentle touch and soft words of love.
Molly fell back against Arthur and watched Fleur mopping up Bill's wounds with a curious expression upon her face. Nobody said anything; I hoped she finally saw how much they loved each other. Everyone else seemed too afraid to move.
"Our Great-Auntie Muriel," Molly said after a long pause, "has a very beautiful tiara — goblin-made — which I am sure I could persuade her to lend you for the wedding. She is very fond of Bill, you know, and it would look lovely with your hair."
"Thank you," Fleur said stiffly. "I am sure zat will be lovely."
And then, I didn't quite see how it happened, both, women were crying and hugging each other. My eyes widened in disbelief as I watched them.
"Your right Sirius. She loves him." Molly said wiping her eyes with a handkerchief.
"I've seen it all along." I said shrugging. The excitement seemed to die down after that. Poppy forced multiple potions down Hermione's throat and muttered healing charms over her back. The sun was rising when Poppy finally stepped away a small smile on her face.
"I've done everything I can to get rid of the scar from the Sectumsempra curse but there will be a mark left. It should be faint." I nodded and blew out a heavy breath. "You should really go to bed Sirius."
"I'm not tired." It was true. I wasn't. Poppy nodded and wandered away.
"'ave you really always seen my love for Bill?" Fleur asked from her spot next to Bill. She was curled up next to him like a small child her eyes large and distant.
"Yes. The pain in your eyes when I first met you was... heartbreaking." Fleur nodded and sniffed softly.
"I just wish zey 'ad realized eet sooner." Fleur said shaking her head.
"At least they see it now." I said looking at her. She nodded after a moment smiling sleepily. "So how did you and Bill meet."
Fleur's eyes danced happily and she smiled in understanding, she didn't want to sleep either. "After Beauxbatons I zought eet would be a good idea to work on my eenglish. I met Bill zere and one of the craziest theengs 'appened. Bill didn't look at me like all zee other men did. 'e actually zought I was annoying. We bickered and fought like crazy at first. Zen an older man 'it on me in front of 'im." Fleur shook her head smiling. "I 'ave never seen Bill so mad. 'e liked me the 'ole time 'e just didn't want to admit it. Zat night 'e asked me out and I agreed. Zere was just something about 'im."
"I know what you mean." I said smiling and wrapped my arm around Hermione.
"'ow did you and 'ermione meet?" Fleur asked watching me play with one of Hermione's crazy curls.
"Do you know about me being wrongfully imprisoned?" I asked absently twisting the curl.
"Yes." Fleur said nodding.
"Well I escaped from Azkaban three and a half years ago. I'm an Animagus and can turn into a dog. I slipped out of Azkaban in dog form and swam to shore when I saw Ron's pet rat in the daily prophet." I shook my head and ran a hand through my hair. "He wasn't really a rat he was also an Animagus and the one who really committed the crimes it was believed I made. I escaped because Peter would gleefully kill Harry if Voldemort rose again without a second thought."
"'zat ees 'orible." Fleur said shaking her head.
"I had gotten onto the school grounds and took Ron to the whomping willow where I could kill the bloody rat." I shook my head remembering that night. "Hermione and Harry came after Ron to save him. Harry almost killed me and Hermione broke my nose." I shook my head a smile spreading across my face. Soft laughter came from beneath me and I looked down at Hermione in surprise. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled at me.
"I forgot about that." She said her voice hoarse.
"I didn't." I muttered shaking my head a smile spreading across my face in spite of myself.
"Did I ever apologize for that?" Hermione asked running a hand through my hair. I shivered and bit back a moan.
"No I don't think you did." I whispered kissing her gently.
"Ugh get a room!" Fleur called tossing a pillow at us. It hit me in the head and I shook my head laughing.
"If Bill was awake you would be doing the same thing." Fleur's cheeks lit up in a blush and I laughed deeply as she hid her face in Bill's chest.
AN: Please Review! Tell me what you love, what you hate, quirky ideas, anything.