AN: Like I've said in all my other notes I'm trying to update as much as possible so it will be done before the new year. Unfortunately if your following any of my other stories they won't be updated as much while I'm working on this story. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's anything you don't is mine.

Sirius POV

I sat on the toilet flipping through the Daily Prophet while Hermione was taking a bath. She had asked to be alone but I couldn't do it. I knew what she would do the moment I left. She would rub her skin raw trying to get rid of the feeling of having someone, besides me, touch her.

"Hermione?" I asked looking up from the newspaper. She looked up from the bandage on her arm that she had been examining.

"Yes?" She asked slowly her eyes pained.

"Your beautiful." I said watching her. A dark flush spread across her cheeks and she snorted.

"Liar." She said unwrapping her bandage. The moment she took off the bandage blood leaked out from the letters. No matter what Fleur, Bill and I had tried we hadn't figured out how to stop it. So far we had been giving her blood replenishing potions, from Severus, to keep her strength up.

"But you are beautiful." I said throwing the newspaper in the corner. It was utter rubbish anyway. Nothing in there about what was really going out there.

"No I'm not!" She spat her eyes flashing then deflated. "I'm a Mudblood."

"Hermione! You are not nor will you ever be a Mudblood." I said crossing over to her. She sunk lower into the water in order to hide her body. I grabbed her arm that had the word carved into her arm. "This does not make you ugly... no matter what you think."

She tried to pull her arm away but stopped her body slumping. "Yes it does."

Merlin I had to snap her out of this! I blew out a heavy breath and ran a hand through my hair. "Sweetheart, you are one of, if not the strongest woman I have ever met. You were tortured by two of the worst Death Eaters I have ever known and you never broke. They did not break you. You were able to fight through all of it and lie to them about the sword. Nott even carved into you, thinking he could break you, but you didn't. Your just as strong as you've always been.

"And these letters," I traced the cuts in her arm watching her face. She seemed stuck in a trance listening to me. "They are a badge of honor."

Something in Hermione's eyes shifted. Instead of the pain that had been surrounding her like a cloud, lifted from her. The spark I loved came back to her eyes and she smiled slowly.

"Your right." She said with a smile. I smiled in return and leaned forward to kiss her. Hermione hummed the moment my lips touched hers. I kept my kisses slow and easy, the last thing I needed was for her to be scared of me doing too much too soon.

Hermione pressed her body closer to mine. I moaned and wrapped my hands in her hair. She shuddered and pulled me closer to her. For one moment I lost my balance then fell into the tub with my wife. Water splashed out of the tub and onto the floor. The bubbles that had filled half of the tub were all over the floor.

"Oops." I snorted and tried to contain the laugh that was threatening to escape. Hermione's small giggle made me look up at her. Since the bubbles and most of the water was gone I could see every curve of my wife. She looked the same as she had before the night we had gone to save Harry,

"Your beautiful." I whispered pressing a kiss against Hermione's neck. She threw her head back and gave a throaty moan.

"I love you Sirius." She whispered weaving her hands into my hair and pulled hard. I moaned and hovered over her.

"I love you too."

Neville POV

"I still can't believe Ginny's in hiding." Hannah muttered shaking her head. We were the only two leaders left for Dumbledore's Army and recruiting was hard.

"We knew it would happen at some point." I muttered staring out the train window. It was true Ginny was always waiting for the moment Ron would be found with Harry. The Weasleys were the biggest 'blood traitors' out there besides Sirius and Remus.

"I know but still..." Hannah said trailing off. I turned back to her and smiled at Alice who was curled up next to her sleeping fitfully. Ever since we had saved Alice she had been glued to Hannah's side. The poor half-blood had been through too much.

Susan Bones looked up from the book she had been reading then looked back down at it. She had taken to sitting with us and spending time with us in the Room of Requirement.

"I know what you mean. It will be hard to keep the D.A. going without her." I muttered sitting down next to Hannah. She leaned her head against my shoulder and sighed.

"Their fighting him. The trio... their trying to take him down right?" Hannah whispered staring at the wall.

"Yes. Harry's not the type to run away. He never has been." I muttered placing a kiss on her forehead. Hannah nodded and sighed. I tried to talk to her but she seemed a little out of it. Over the Easter holiday she had stayed with me since I thought it would keep her safe.

Unfortunately I didn't take Gran into consideration. She had been pretty hard on Hannah and had pulled her to the side to have some 'girl talk'. Whatever the talk had been about had changed her. She had slowly been distancing herself from me and I hated it.

"Hannah –" I was cut off by the compartment door being forced open roughly. The last person I would ever expect was standing there. Draco Malfoy. He looked horrible. His hair was messy and he had deep blue circles under his eyes.

"Malfoy?" He jumped slightly and quickly shut the door.

"Can we help you with something?" Hannah asked coldly. Susan didn't say anything, she just watched him warily. Alice whimpered softly then fell back to sleep.

"Yes." He muttered rubbing his eyes. "I killed," my heart stuttered. "I killed Nott."

I froze and Hannah gasped sharply. Susan's eyes were wide. "Do you love her?"

"I'm not in love with her but yes I love her." He whispered then looked around at us. "You know about the curse, don't you?"

"Yes," I whispered watching him.

"Have you heard from them?" He asked warily.

"Yes."

"And?"

"She's healing." Susan said standing slowly. "What are you really doing here?"

"I want to be apart of Dumbledore's Army."

Hermione POV

I slowly lowered myself in front of the grave and placed a handful of flowers on it. "Thank you, Kreacher for saving us."

I closed my eyes and silently thanked Merlin for the wonderful house-elf who had sacrificed everything to save me and my friends.

"Hermione?" I looked up and smiled at Sirius as he exited the house.

"Yeah?" I asked watching him.

"What are you doing?" He asked looking down at the tombstone that read: HERE LIES KREACHER: A NEW KIND OF FRIEND. At first I hadn't understood what it had meant but after thinking on it for awhile I understood. Kreacher had hated me. He hadn't kept it a secret either. But he still did everything he could to save me not for me, no never for me, but for Harry and Sirius.

"Paying my respects." I said tracing my fingers against the simple stone. "You know, I still don't remember him saving us."

"Well I don't think you would." Sirius said kneeling down next to me. "You passed out while Ron was pulling you out from the chandelier."

I nodded. Ron and Harry had explained all that had happened but it was frustrating that I couldn't remember anything.

"Come on Hermione, why don't we go work on the plan to break into Gringotts." I nodded and slowly stood up brushing the sand from my jeans.

"Do you really think it will work?" I asked pushing my hair behind my shoulder. "Me turning into Bellatrix?"

"Yes I do." Sirius said with a nod. "Besides I'm coming with this time so I won't let anything happen to you."

"Sirius you can't promise that." I said turning to him. "You have no idea what could happen."

"Your right, I don't know, but that doesn't mean I won't do everything I can to keep you safe." Sirius said leaning down and pressing his lips against mine.

"Hermione! Sirius!" Sirius and I pulled away. I only had enough time to register the blonde hair before I was being tackled by Emily. She pulled away and smiled at me before hugging me tight. I looked up to Sirius who was smiling down at us a funny look on his face. It was a mixture of longing and happiness. Why would he look like that?

"Daddy!" Emily said pulling away from me then wrapped her skinny arms around Sirius' middle. My eyes just about bugged out of my head. Looks like Sirius and I had some things to talk about from his days while I was on the hunt.

"Hermy!" I looked up and gasped. Sebastian was running at me on unsteady chubby legs. My sweet little brother. He looked so big! I pulled him into my arms and hugged him tightly to me.

"Sebastian." I whispered into his curly hair. "Where are mum and dad?"

"Unfortunately we can't run as fast as a one and a half year old." Dad said a small smile on his face. Mum was standing next to him a smile on his face. For one moment everything was perfect. Then I remembered our plan. We were going to break into Gringotts in a few days.

AN: Please Review! It helps much more than you realize and motivates me to update sooner.