Chapter 09: Duelling

Monday, 5 September 1977

The weekend after the party was over rather quickly and Hermione had studied in her dorm and in the library for the most of it. She had gone over the conversation between Regulus and Snape in her head multiple times after Saturday. It seemed that Regulus had been unaffected by her words, which made her wonder how she was going to proceed with him. Could there be a way to him through Sirius? She let out a frustrated huff as she thought about the raven-haired Marauder and the mixed feelings she had about him.

Then there was Snape...what was she going to do with him? Both Regulus and Snape seemed not to follow Voldemort and his dogma eagerly, but only in appearance, or so they had said. So maybe they would be willing to hear her out.

Monday came with new classes and a new teacher. Hermione found herself in the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom with her dormmates, the Marauders, some Slytherins and most of the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. It was a popular class, probably because there had been many rumours of the Dark Lord. Also, it was the place where they learned how to duel.

"Good morning, class," their professor called from the front of the classroom. "I'm Professor Prewett and I am here to teach you the Defence Against the Dark Arts," he said as he leaned against his desk, eyeing his NEWT students with an excited look.

Hermione of course knew exactly who he was, as he had been a name on one of her lists she had gone through with Dumbledore. She studied the professor carefully, noticing quite a few similarities between him and Molly Weasley, his sister. She smiled sadly as she thought about Molly and how much she missed the Burrow and its residents, but eventually shrugged away her thoughts as Professor Prewett continued.

"As you are all seventh year NEWT students, you have already practiced duelling during your sixth year. I want to see at what level you are, since in your NEWT's, you are going to demonstrate your duelling skills during the practical part of the exam." He explained. "So, find a partner and some space on the floor and wait for my sign to begin." He said simply, and as the students all stood up, he flicked his wand to clear the room of tables and chairs.

Hermione watched as her classmates paired with each other, as did the students from other houses. In the end, Hermione and Snape were left unpaired. Hermione groaned inwardly and almost rolled her eyes to the likelihood of it happening but restrained herself and went to stand opposite to Snape near the bookshelves on the back wall of the classroom.

Hermione didn't miss her fellow Gryffindors staring at the pair with alarmed looks.

Snape watched Hermione carefully, an unreadable expression on his face. "I hope you are as adequate as you were in Potions."

Hermione pressed her lips together and gave the boy a blank look.

"Brilliant!" Professor Prewett said as everyone had taken their places in the room. "Now, try to keep your duels nonverbal and use only the basic hexes and jinxes. No banned or dark curses," Professor Prewett continued with a strict voice as he eyed the students.

"You may begin when you are ready. And remember the proper duelling etiquette." He said and the students started to bow to their opponents and take their duelling stances.

Hermione and Snape locked their eyes as they both bowed to one another. He watched her with a calculating look that made her slightly anxious. Hermione took in a calming breath and gripped her wand.

Snape cast the first spell, a nonverbal tickling charm, which Hermione blocked swiftly. She replied quickly with a Knockback Jinx, which he cut off smoothly with a wave of his wand.

They continued in silence, both using nonverbal spells.

Snape sent a stunner at her direction, which she blocked and replied with a Stinging Hex. He cut off her hex and threw a nonverbal Stickfast Hex, which was blocked by her. Curses, hexes and jinxes were flying rapidly from both directions and all around them by the other duellers.

Hermione began to think that they were quite at the same skill level, but then, after she had sent a curse towards him, Snape managed to hit her with one of his own jinxes; a nonverbal Levicorpus. When Hermione felt the tell-tale tug in her ankle, she quickly cast a nonverbal Liberacorpus.

Snape blanched and gave her a suspicious look. Hermione grimaced inwardly, realising that Snape was probably trying to figure out how she had already learned to deflect his spell, when she had been at the school only for a handful of days. She quickly sent a stunning curse at him to distract him, yelling the curse verbally.

He blocked it deftly before casting a Jelly-Legs curse, also verbally, causing her legs to collapse beneath her. Finally, he managed to disarm her. "Expelliarmus!"

Her wand flew to his hand. "Finite," Snape murmured, cancelling the Jelly-Legs curse on her legs and allowing her to stand up again. He placed her wand back to her hand while giving her a scrutinising look. Hermione noticed that almost everyone in the room had already finished with their duelling and most of them had been watching her duel against Snape with mixed looks of surprise and interest.

"Nicely done, everyone!" Professor Prewett called, beaming at the students.

When the class was over, everyone began gathering their belongings and heading towards lunch. As Hermione collected her bag from the back of the class and glanced up, she saw Professor Prewett eyeing her with a strange look in his eyes.

"Miss Dumbledore, I'd like a word with you," he said to her as Hermione was passing him and walking towards the door. She tensed a bit but turned around and stood in place, wondering what he wanted to talk about.

After the last student had left the class, Professor Prewett spoke to her. "Let's go to my office, Miss Dumbledore," Professor Prewett said and walked to the door in the corner, which Hermione presumed lead to his office. Hermione nodded and followed him.

As they entered the small and unpretentious office, he gestured at the chair in front of his desk, while he took a seat on the other side of it. Hermione sat down and took in her surroundings. The first thing she noticed were several photographs of red-haired witches and wizards. She quickly averted her eyes from the pictures, as they brought back memories she didn't want to delve in right then. Instead she moved her gaze to the corner, where a comfortable looking armchair stood next to a large bookshelf that was filled with interesting looking volumes, which she itched to browse.

As Hermione studied his office, she could practically feel Professor Prewett's gaze on the side of her neck. When Hermione shifted her eyes back to him, she took a better look at him than she had done before and after their class. Professor Prewett was young. Perhaps even a bit too young to be a professor - which made her wonder if Prewett was there because he was an Auror and not because his aspiration was to teach at Hogwarts. However, she had to admit that the man had held an adequate duelling lesson and hoped his future classes would be like that. Prewett was also rather handsome. He was tall and broad-shouldered, had wavy red hair coming down to his shoulders and cerulean blue eyes which reminded her a lot about Ron.

"The reason I asked you here, is that I want to thank you." Professor Prewett started.

Hermione furrowed her brows. "Oh...I'm afraid I don't understand, sir."

Professor Prewett smirked. "You can call me Gideon outside class."

"Um...okay. Er, why do you want to thank me, si…Gideon?" She frowned at him.

"Well, for saving my life, actually. And my brother's as well. So...Thank you. I'm in your debt." Gideon said, staring at her sincerely.

"You're…welcome?" She said hesitantly, still slightly puzzled by his words. Saving his life? She knew Gideon and Fabian had been on her list of casualties. She wondered if something had happened. She also wondered, with dread, if something had changed.

Hermione started to feel very alarmed and didn't even notice at first that the man in front of her became more serious, the look in his eyes turning slightly suspicious.

"What I would like to know, Miss Dumbledore, is how a seventeen-year-old student would have that kind of information. How would you know about a Death Eater trap placed for me and my brother?" He asked mutedly.

Hermione blinked. Was that how it had originally happened? Had she changed their fates? Hermione's mind was whirling. She bit her lip, trying to focus on the now and gave Gideon a nervous glance. "I...I'm actually eighteen. And…I don't know if I can talk about it…" she said with a small grimace.

Gideon studied her features. "Miss Dumbledore. Your uncle said that we are going to have a conversation soon together, so does it matter if you tell me now, or later when we meet with the Headmaster?" he asked, not taking no for an answer.

Hermione looked up, giving him a wary look. "It's Hermione. And...I really think we should wait until we meet with the Headmaster—"

"Look, Hermione. I'm going to find out about it sooner or later anyway." He interrupted, giving her a pointed look.

She chewed the corner of her lips and pondered what exactly she could tell him. She tried to figure out what Dumbledore had told Gideon, and why the old man hadn't discussed it with her first. Hermione and Dumbledore had agreed that they would not speak about the circumstances regarding her arrival with anyone, so it didn't make any sense that he had told Gideon that she had saved him and his brother.

Even so, she knew she could trust Gideon, since Gideon was Molly Weasley's brother and a trusted member of the first Order. She also knew she couldn't talk about the future before she had had a talk with Dumbledore, and before the man in front of her had taken an Unbreakable Vow or something, since in the end, very few people could be trusted. What if someone used Legilimency on him and that way extracted information about a time-traveller? She wasn't sure if the Vow protected from Legilimency. It was essential that Voldemort didn't find out about her.

She decided that part of the truth would have to suffice. Hermione took in a deep breath and spoke with an expressionless face. "I had a vision about you and your brother being tortured and killed by Death Eaters who had lured you into a trap."

In truth, they hadn't spoken that much about the deaths on the list she had given Dumbledore, but he had said that he would be sharing the information with the Order if necessary. So perhaps they had managed to save two lives already, if Gideon and his brother now were in her debt. The thought both terrified and excited her.

They were both silent for a moment. Gideon rubbed his temple and stared at her with a contemplative look. "Are you a seer, Hermione?" he asked slowly, eyeing her carefully.

Hermione felt bad for lying to him, but she had to say something. "I'm...I'm not sure. I just know things. And I know that I don't want him to know the things I know, if you know what I mean?" She said pointedly, giving Gideon a hard look.

Gideon quickly nodded in understanding. "Don't worry, Hermione. I will tell my brother about this, but no one else, I assure you. Your secret is safe with us. The Aurors are taught Occlumency and my brother and I are quite proficient with it, so I hope this eases your mind a bit." He said reassuringly.

"Thank you for telling me, Hermione." He continued, smiling at her while shaking his head in astonishment. Hermione nodded and gave him a small smile in return.

"I'm afraid I have someplace to be right now, but…perhaps you could stay after the next class as well, so that we can continue this discussion? There are some things you should know." He said, stood up and walked to the door, holding it open for her.

"Oh. Okay," Hermione said and stood up. She picked up her schoolbag while Gideon returned to his desk and then Hermione left his office, feeling very much confused and very much in the need to figure out what had happened.

Tuesday, 6 September 1977

The next afternoon Hermione walked with Remus to the Ancient Runes class, after having double Transfiguration and double Charms. Tuesdays seemed to be rather exhausting days, since every class they had required their utmost concentration, which made Hermione and Remus stay in a comfortable silence as they walked through the halls in a slow pace. Both Lily and Peter were running late; the former had some Heads' errand to run and the latter had stayed behind Charms class to talk about the assignment Professor Flitwick had given them. The rest of the seventh year Gryffindors had a free period.

As they neared the hallway where their Ancient Runes class was being held, Hermione's thoughts wandered to the previous night. After dinner on Monday night, Hermione had gone to see Dumbledore. What she had discussed with Gideon – the information she had received, had bothered her throughout the day. She had kept thinking if something had indeed changed since the Prewetts had been attacked but survived from it. Dumbledore had calmly explained to her what had happened in their assignment and how the Order had been able to prepare for a trap because of Hermione's help.

But when Hermione had told the Headmaster that she believed that the attack against the Prewetts had actually happened a couple of years later in her time, Dumbledore had merely said that the occurrence might have been just that, which meant that Hermione was in an alternate timeline, or, that the incident hadn't actually happened yet and would happen eventually.

In the end, Hermione had returned to her dormitory, feeling frustrated and anxious for not being any wiser about her situation.

"So, how are you adjusting to Hogwarts?" Remus asked after a long silence, as they sat down next to each other on a bench in the hall, opposite to their classroom.

Hermione thought about her answer for a moment. She had had so much going on already and it was only the third day of classes. "As well as I can, I think…" She replied, giving him a small smile. "There's just so much to get used to. It's a bit overwhelming. I mean, people are different here and very close and familiar with one another. And the classes are different…" She said, her voice trailing off.

It was totally a lie, although the content of the lessons was new to her and everything going on between her classes - getting to know everyone, her own missions and the Order business, trying to figure out a way to go back to her own life - made her feel she was quite overwhelmed indeed.

Remus nodded understandingly. "I know what you mean. When I first came here, I thought I wasn't going to last the first year. I was very lonely, kept to myself a lot at first, as it was hard for me to get to know anyone… I thought I didn't deserve anyone's friendship. And because my mum's getting ill quite often, I have to study harder to keep up with everyone so that I can visit her when necessary. I still don't quite know how I managed to make friends and survive this far." He chuckled.

Hermione knew he was talking about how his Lycanthropy had affected his life. She wished she could've just told him that she knew, but it would have been too suspicious. She had to wait at least a couple of full moons. Her heart broke a little to hear he had been a lonely first year, just like she had been before she, Harry and Ron had become best friends. She gave him a sad smile and sighed, feeling a rush of emotions course through her.

"I miss my old life…I miss my friends." She whispered, blinking away tears. She scolded herself for being so emotional, in the middle of the hallway, right before their class.

Remus took her hand and squeezed it before he spoke, "I'm sorry, Hermione. I can't even imagine how it would feel like to leave your friends behind. I mean, I don't even want to imagine a life without my mates…" He said compassionately.

"But you shouldn't be afraid to make new friends, you know? They won't erase the ones you already have. And there are still ways to stay in touch with them, even though you're not seeing them on a daily basis, right?" He said sensibly, smiling at her.

Hermione sighed inwardly. Remus thought her friends were still in Australia…If he only knew.

Remus talking about not even being able to imagine a life without his friends made Hermione grievously think that in a few years he would be experiencing exactly how it felt, if something wasn't done about it.

If she wasn't going to do something about it.

Thursday, 8 September 1977

On Thursday evening the seventh year Gryffindors were having dinner at their table in the Great Hall. They had had a double Defence lesson in the morning and as promised, Hermione had stayed behind to talk with Gideon. She had come to lunch so late that the others had already gone to the next class, which had been Charms.

"So, Hermione, what did Prewett want with you today? I mean, he asked you to stay after class again," Sirius asked from opposite to Hermione, eyeing her closely. He had pushed his food around sullenly the whole dinner, his eyes never leaving her.

"Professor Prewett," Hermione corrected and gave him a cautious look before smiling at him. She had already agreed with Gideon that if someone asked about why she was spending extra time with their Defence professor, they would say that they were simply filling in the blanks in her education, since the curriculum of the Defence Against Dark Magic - the subject that was taught in the Australian Wizarding School - wasn't as broad as Defence Against the Dark Arts's contents in Hogwarts were.

"Oh, we're just going through the curriculum of Defence. It isn't exactly the same as what is taught in my previous school, so Gideo...I mean, Professor Prewett just wants me to be prepared for my NEWT's." She answered simply, flushing slightly from her slip, knowing fully well she had been chastising him a mere moment ago.

She didn't miss the sharp look Sirius and James exchanged. Hermione knew that Sirius had been watching her more carefully for the past few days, ever since she had stayed after the Defence class on Monday to have a chat with Gideon. She hadn't been oblivious to the seething looks he had given to the Professor either, whenever Hermione had exchanged words with him in the hallways outside classes.

Hermione suspected that perhaps someone – well, Sirius – might think that their Defence Professor had some ulterior motives behind his friendliness, but she couldn't exactly prove him how wrong those thoughts were since she wasn't supposed to talk about the Order or anything regarding it to the others. And thus, she had to hope that her explanation of catching up with schoolwork would be enough to answer the questions her friends might have.

Sirius gave her a fleeting quizzical look and merely nodded, seemingly accepting her explanation. They spent the rest of the dinner time talking with their other housemates. After finishing their meal, Hermione, Lily, James and Sirius headed towards the Astronomy Tower while the rest of the seventh year Gryffindors who didn't take NEWT Astronomy, went back to the Gryffindor tower.

Once or twice a month if the sky was clear enough, the Astronomy lesson was for stargazing. Otherwise the lesson would be held in a classroom attached to the tower. That night their lesson was held in the classroom.

"Hey Pads, did you hear about the man who stayed up all night looking for the sun to come up?" James said under his breath, laughter in his voice as the boys sat down behind Hermione and Lily.

Sirius sniggered. "Yes, but I'll humour you, Prongs. What happened?"

"It finally DAWNED on him." James replied. Both boys chuckled, while Lily and Hermione exchanged a look of exasperation before throwing the boys a couple of scowls.

"Good evening class. We will start the term by revising some earlier topics which are part of the NEWT's curriculum." Professor Moonshine started when all the students were seated in the classroom.

"So, we are talking about the solstices and equinoxes today. Can someone tell me what the words Solstice and Equinox mean?" He viewed the class expectantly. Lily's hand shot up. "Yes, Miss Evans?"

"The words are from Latin, sir. Solstice means 'sun stands still;' equinox means 'equal night'." Lily answered, quoting their Astronomy book word for word.

"Couldn't phrase it better myself," Professor Moonshine smiled. "And what about when the solstices and equinoxes happen? Anyone? How about our transfer student? Miss Dumbledore?" The professor looked at Hermione and smiled in encouragement.

"Er...The vernal equinox occurs on, or around March 21; summer solstice on, or around June 21; autumnal equinox on, or around September 23; winter solstice on, or around December 22." She replied anxiously. While in her past she had been eager to answer questions and prove herself, now she wanted to keep a low profile and not to draw attention to herself. At least, no more than her new last name already did.

Professor Moonshine beamed at her. "Right you are, too! Ten points to Gryffindor for exemplary answers."

When the class was finished, Hermione felt someone tap her shoulder. When she turned, Sirius was there, smiling at her a bit nervously.

"Hey…can we chat for a minute?"

Hermione knew they would have to talk eventually. About what she had heard in the library and what had happened before that, at the party. When they had nearly kissed. She nodded tensely to him, turned to Lily and said to her, "Go ahead to the dorm. I'll catch you up."

Lily eyed Hermione and Sirius closely before answering, "Sure. James?" she turned towards James who was at his table, gathering his things and throwing them into his school bag. He looked up at Lily with reserve in his eyes.

"Walk with me to the tower, will you? These two are staying behind for a chat," Lily said a bit awkwardly, nodding at Hermione's and Sirius's direction. As Hermione looked at the Head students, she couldn't help but wonder if there was something going on between them. They seemed somewhat cautious around one another and didn't really make any eye contact. Hermione made a mental note to ask Lily about it later on.

"Yeah, uh, sure. Lily. Let's go," James answered, equally uncomfortably.

There definitely was something unresolved between the Head students, Hermione concluded as she watched them prepare to leave. They all left the class and Hermione and Sirius trailed slowly behind James and Lily as they walked down the corridor in silence. While James and Lily went ahead along the corridor, Sirius suddenly took Hermione's hand and pulled her through a tapestry, to a hidden passageway that lead near the Gryffindor tower. As they started walking along the passageway, Hermione could feel her stomach twisting with nervousness. She knew she had to say something.

"Sirius—"

"Hermione—"

They both started talking at the same time, stopping in their tracks and smiling at each other. Sirius motioned for her to go first.

"Sirius...I…I need to tell you something," Hermione said with a sombre voice.

Sirius's brows furrowed slightly as he took in her serious expression and his eyes moved over her face searchingly before he spoke. "Okay."

"I met your brother...and I think he is going to do something..." Hermione said, staring at him with worry as she saw his posture stiffening. "I saw him at the library a few days back, talking with someone about choosing him," she continued, giving Sirius a pointed look.

Sirius's eyes turned cold, his expression shifting quickly to an unreadable one. "That fucking arsehole..."

"Maybe…maybe he thinks it's the safest option? Maybe he thinks that he doesn't have a choice?" She said slowly, aiming for a cautious voice as she placed her hand against his arm in a calming gesture.

Sirius spoke through gritted teeth. "Oh, he has a choice. He knows he has a choice. Because I tried to give him one. I tried to take him with me…" He hissed bitterly and ran a hand through his hair. "Who was he talking to?" Sirius asked darkly.

"It...it was Snape," she said quietly, hoping he wouldn't lose his temper.

"Fucking Snivellus," Sirius growled venomously. "That greasy son of a bitch!"

"...Bloody gits the both of them." He continued wearily as he rubbed his temple.

"It seemed that they both were a bit hesitant of joining. And I think there might be a chance to get your brother on our side nevertheless." She said sincerely. Sirius's eyes snapped back to hers, suspicion flickering in them.

"Why do you say that?" He asked slowly, his eyes narrowing and scrutinising her.

"I, um…may have had chat with him." Hermione said with a small cringe.

"What?" Sirius asked blankly.

Hermione winced. "He must've figured out that I heard their conversation, because he came to me afterwards and asked a bunch of questions, some of them about you…" she said, giving him a helpless look.

Sirius arched a brow but said nothing. Hermione stopped herself from squirming under his hard stare. She knew she had to explain him everything there was to the incident.

"I told him that we had just met, nothing more than that. And I asked him to think it over, what he was about to do. I asked him to think about the consequences and, um, what it would do to you as well…" Hermione explained and Sirius merely watched her with a calculating look in his eyes.

After a short silence Sirius let out a frustrated huff and threaded both hands through his hair. "You know, you didn't have to talk to him. But...thank you," he murmured, staring at her with that hard look again.

This time Hermione held his stare. Sirius took a step towards her, standing so close that Hermione could feel the warmth of his body. Then his fingertips traced the angle of her jaw and Hermione shivered slightly. The pad of his thumb brushed her lips and Hermione could only stare at his glowing grey eyes, mesmerised by their beauty. She knew it wasn't wise to engage in anything with him, but she was leaning into him nevertheless. She felt intrigued by him and being there so close to him made her want to reach towards the feeling of excitement she had in the bottom of her stomach.

Slowly, Sirius leaned towards her, closing the distance between their lips. He kissed her softly, waiting for her to pull away, his hand feathering against her cheek. When she didn't move, he met her lips again, more determinedly, until Hermione kissed him back. At first, their kiss was slow, curious and earnest. As their lips pressed together, again and again, the kiss became more intense, more enticing. Hermione felt feverish and bold, a mix of feelings she had never experienced before. Wanting the feeling to continue and grow, she sighed against Sirius's lips and touched his tongue tentatively with hers.

Sirius faltered, his breath uneven before he moved his hand from her cheek and slid it into her hair, angling her head for better access for his mouth. He slowly pushed her against the stone wall, taking a hold of her waist with one hand while the other stayed tangled in her curls. Hermione let out a sharp breath and gripped his wide shoulders for support as Sirius leaned down close, his mouth brushing against hers, his warm breath mingling with hers before diving into another searing kiss. Her hands followed the lines of his neck, threading through the hair on the back of his neck, tugging it gently. Hermione smiled against his lips as she heard him let out a small groan.

The hand on her waist moved downwards to her hips and then to the small of her back, while their lips kept gliding against each other in fiery passion. His fingers flexed over her back, caressing her, making delicious shivers run through her spine, making her breathe heavily against his mouth. The next moment, Sirius pressed her against his hips and she could feel exactly how aroused he was. Feeling him like that made her breath catch in her throat and her heart beating furiously. Hermione shifted against him, feeling light-headed, drawing out a moan from him that was muffled against her lips before he broke the kiss and pulled slightly back. Both of them were out of breath as they watched each other with a mix of surprise, longing and bewilderment.

"Sorry about that," Sirius breathed, his brow slightly furrowed and eyes roaming over her face, as if trying to assess her reaction to what they'd just done. "There's something about you…something that's making it very hard for me to stay away from you... But I think you've already figured that out," Sirius continued quietly.

Hermione took in a shaky breath, feeling equally alarmed and thrilled as she realised what had just happened. She really didn't need to make things harder than they already were. Her situation was still unsolved and that alone meant that she was not supposed to get involved with anyone.

"Sirius..." She whispered resignedly.

He must've had seen it from her eyes because he broke away from her and took a step back.

Sirius stared at her for a moment, looking upset. "But you don't feel the same I presume?" He asked mutedly.

"I...I don't know!" She exclaimed, crossing her arms across her chest. "It's just that...I think it's too soon. This is all happening too fast. I barely know you." She said sincerely.

He stared at her with an unreadable expression in his stormy grey eyes before he finally nodded.

"We should go." She said softly, knowing it had to be close to the curfew.

"Yeah, let's go," he sighed. After a second's hesitation, Sirius took her hand and led them to the Gryffindor common room.

When they were about to enter through the portrait hole, he pulled her close to him again, into a soft, lingering kiss. The kiss wasn't as passionate as before, but more meaningful one. Hermione was startled but kissed him back all the same.

"Something for you to think about," Sirius murmured with an intense gaze. He then took her hand again and led them to the empty common room. He gave her hand a one final soft squeeze before sauntering to the boys' dormitories, a wide grin plastered on his face.

As Sirius stepped into the dormitory, he noticed James lounging on his bed, still wearing his school robes. Remus was in the shower based on the sounds of water running in their bathroom, while Peter was in his bed, already asleep.

"I take it you asked her out, finally?" James said airily, smirking at Sirius. James had a Quidditch magazine open on his lap and he looked like the depiction of a slacker.

Not even bothering to hide his grin, Sirius closed the door and walked towards his bed, which was opposite to James's. "Nope. That bird is a tough cookie, I'll give you that. But you know how I love the chase, right?" Sirius winked at James who shook his head with amusement.

"All bark and no bite, mate." James muttered, giving his attention again to the magazine.

Sirius started to disrobe himself but suddenly turned to face his friend. "Prongs..." He said hesitantly, debating with himself if he could say what was occupying his mind.

James lifted his brows at him, looking curious. "Well? Spit it out."

"I just...I don't think I want to fuck this up…" Sirius said slowly, frowning at the floor between them.

James snorted. "Then don't."

Sirius gave his friend an unimpressed look.

James lifted his hands up in surrender. "Yeah, okay. Uh - " he said and scratched the back of his head. "I mean. I thought you were gonna - well - you know, shag her and have it out of your system..." He finished with a mild grimace.

Sirius looked away, knowing his friend had a point. He had been boasting about seducing Hermione, hadn't he? And now...now, something had changed. He had never really been this invested with any girl he had dated or had a one-nighter with.

"Just...Be careful with her, Pads. She may look and act like a tough one, but she might not be all that." James said with a sharp look.

Sirius hummed in comprehension as he went back to his nightly routine, his mind whirling.

When Hermione opened the door to her dormitory, Lily jumped up from her bed, brimming with excitement. "So? What did you guys talk...Oh Godric, you kissed him, didn't you?!" She squeaked and stared at Hermione's face.

Hermione knew her hair had to be bushier than it usually was after Sirius had ran his fingers through it and briefly wondered if her lips were as swollen and red as Sirius's had been when they had headed to their respective dormitories. She felt her cheeks warm up at the thought and looked down, walking briskly to her own bed.

"Well, fess up, Dumbledore," Marlene demanded from her bed, where she was finishing her Charms essay.

Hermione noticed that Alice and Mary too were staring at her from their beds. They were all clearly waiting for her to return so that they could have a lovely gossip before going to sleep.

"There's nothing much to tell. Yes, we kissed, but that's all," Hermione said as she looked at the other girls, trying to appear nonchalant. "There's nothing more than that. I mean, isn't that the kind of guy he is?"

She hoped he wasn't, even though she knew how unwise it was to let the thing between her and Sirius continue. There was no guarantee that she would even be there the next week or month.

The girls exchanged knowing looks before Lily spoke, sounding slightly unsure. "Well, yes, he is. But I think he is acting a bit differently with you. I mean, did he try to do more than just kiss you? Like, did he try to undress you or anything?"

Mary snorted while Alice and Marlene grinned at Lily. Lily glanced at the others. "Well, that's how he usually is, isn't he?" Lily said disapprovingly.

Hermione arched a brow at the redhead and shook her head, but then she remembered how he had pulled her tightly against him, how intense everything had been. It definitely seemed like he had wanted to do more than just kiss her. And as she felt her neck warm up, she thought what could have happened if he hadn't stopped himself.

Alice lifted her brows at Hermione. "Earth to Hermione…" She said, a sly grin tugging her lips. "…so…something else did happen?" Alice continued promptly, watching her carefully.

Hermione pressed her lips together while everyone else stared at her with anticipation in their eyes. "Well…he, um...it was intense?" She tried and after she saw the still expectant looks the others gave her, she continued. "Okay, this is so embarrassing to talk about, but during the kiss, I felt...you know, he...was very into it..." Hermione stammered, her face heating up as she looked at the others pointedly until Marlene and Alice burst into laughter, while Mary and Lily looked Hermione back with shocked expressions.

"Yes, we know, Hermione. At least, some of us do." Marlene said and smirked at Lily and Mary, who were both still taken aback and apparently not used to this kind of revelations about boys, since neither of them had had anything more than a casual snog before, even when dating.

"So…What happened then?" Alice asked excitedly, ignoring Lily and Mary.

"He apologised and backed off. Things were a bit heated before that and neither of us was really thinking where everything was heading." Hermione said with helpless shrug.

The girls stared at her with surprised looks.

"Well look at that. Maybe he could be in it for the long run, if he's trying to take things slow?" Alice said thoughtfully, while Lily and Mary nodded. Marlene eyed the others in disbelief before turning back to her essay.

"I don't know…maybe. I just don't know if I should be doing anything with him. I just came here and starting something with someone is just a bit overwhelming." Hermione said, feeling unsure.

Truthfully, she felt wrong doing anything with Sirius, because he didn't know the truth about her. And then there was the fact that she had known the older Sirius. What if she would go back to her old life at some point and she would have to leave him behind? Or what if she returned to her old life and he would recognise her and things turned awkward? Was that even possible anymore? Hermione started to gather her books and organise her school bag for the next day before getting ready for bed.

When she finally climbed between her comfortable sheets, she felt exhausted. All the lying and scheming was taking its toll on her.