A/N: Another chapter for you this week! And..er...you know... *cough* The raunchy version can be found from Ao3 under the same pen name... ;)

Happy reading!

And, well, please review :)

Chapter 17: Banned

November 9th 1977 (Wednesday)

"It's not working!" Hermione shouted in a mix of panic and frustration, as she faced a fiery beast with Dumbledore and Gideon Prewett. They were in Letterfearn again, inside the vast chamber, training to master the horrible Fiendfyre curse. This time both Hermione and Gideon tried to cease the flames while McGonagall and Fabian were having a rest. It took every ounce of their strength, and even though she was exhausted, Hermione was still in awe of how powerful the Headmaster must be, as he could endure all that alone.

Gideon cast the spell again, and after a couple of tries, he finally managed to cease the flames. "Nicely done, Gideon," Dumbledore said, looking slightly tired but still beaming at the DADA professor over his half-moon spectacles. McGonagall too nodded approvingly at her colleague.

"Thanks," Gideon breathed, as he sat heavily on the ground and rubbed his face with his hands.

"Way to go, bro," Fabian chuckled, and came to sit down next to him, patting his brother on the shoulder, while McGonagall sat down with Dumbledore on a small sofa they had conjured.

Hermione felt a bit disappointed by her own spellwork, but smiled to the others nonetheless. Gideon and McGonagall had already managed to extinguish the cursed fire, and Hermione felt like she was nowhere near that yet. Well, at least someone was making a progress in their group. She thought bitterly.

"Come here, little Dumbledore," Fabian said, smirking at her.

"Please don't call me that," Hermione grumbled, while the Headmaster and her Head of House chuckled quietly near them. Hermione sat down next to Fabian and he threw an arm around her shoulders.

"You know, if he hadn't succeeded before you, he'd be a quite shite teacher, eh?" He said jokingly, and Hermione gave him a small smile.

"I guess so." She said wearily, leaning her head back to the wall, feeling the exhaustion take over again.

"I personally think that this calls for a pub crawl, what do you say? Shall we hit the Three B's?" Fabian asked, eyeing Hermione mischievously.

"You're not taking the mickey are you? You do realise I have school tomorrow, and my Head of House and the Headmaster are right there?" Hermione said incredulously.

Both Prewetts laughed. "Okay, since Gideon here has to work tomorrow too, I propose one drink." Fabian said, and turned to the Headmaster, "Would that be okay, Albus? One drink? And we'll escort her right back to her dorm after."

Albus gave a small nod, his mouth twitching a bit in amusement while McGonagall eyed the brothers and Hermione with a stern look in her eyes.

"Just one. I think you have earned it, after the progress we have made today." McGonagall said to Hermione with a hint of a smile on her lips.

"So? How 'bout it, little Dumbledore?" Fabian turned to Hermione and winked at her.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Fine. Only if you stop calling me that."

Fabian laughed. "I'll make no such promise. Come on," he said, grinning at her.

Hermione followed the Prewetts as they stood up. The group left the chamber and walked towards McGonagall's house again. The brothers and Hermione apparated to Hogsmeade, while Albus and McGonagall went inside her house.

As they entered the pub, Fabian went to the bar to buy them drinks while Hermione and Gideon sat next to each other at a table in the corner.

"You did great today, Hermione. Trust me, you'll get it right soon." Gideon said, smiling at her.

Hermione nodded, picking invisible lint from her sweater. She had at least managed to dress warmly, she thought bitterly, most of her thoughts still lingering in the cave. She knew it was pointless to be frustrated for not learning something, she knew it, but still, she couldn't stop feeling inadequate.

"How are you doing?" Gideon asked, looking at her with a hint of concern in his eyes. "I mean, you have a lot on your plate…"

Hermione shrugged. "I'm okay." She said, unreassuringly.

Gideon frowned at her and was about to say something but refrained when Fabian came back from the bar with their drinks – three glasses of Firewhiskey – which he placed on the table. He sat down next to his brother and pushed a glass towards Hermione.

Hermione lifted her brows at the alcohol and Fabian smirked at her.

"Bottoms up," He winked and took a sip from his glass.

Hermione worried her lip but then took a sip from her own drink as well. She instantly felt the liquid warm her insides. Perhaps it was a good idea after all, considering what they'd been through that night. Even if they hadn't cast the curse, just trying to extinguish it and being around that much of dark magic for that long affected them, or at least, it affected her. She felt like something cold and dark was trying to entwine with her insides, ready to cover the light in her if the opportunity presented itself. Hermione wondered if the others felt the same.

"So…Did you go to school with one of our nephews?" Fabian asked with a grin, breaking the tense silence they were at.

Hermione's eyes widened with surprise and she looked around them quickly. "Are you mental? What if someone heard you?" She hissed at him.

Fabian laughed. "Well, that'd be hard after my silencing charm." He said with a wink. Gideon rolled his eyes with amusement.

Oh.

"Well?" Fabian asked, looking intrigued.

Hermione shifted uncomfortably. Even if they had cast a silencing charm around them, she was still a bit hesitant speaking about her past publicly. She leaned closer to the brothers and whispered, "Yes, I did actually. I was very close to one of them." She said, taking a deep breath to keep her voice from wavering. Both brothers eyed her with surprise.

"Close, huh?" Fabian drawled and shared a devilish grin with his brother.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "He was my best friend. Nothing more," She said, giving the brothers a sharp look. She knew there had been something more to her and Ron's relationship, but she certainly wasn't going to reveal the information to them.

Gideon and Fabian nodded sincerely.

"You knew Molly? And her family?" Gideon asked with a small smile. "It feels so…bizarre, you know?" He continued and Fabian nodded in agreement.

Hermione smiled to the brothers. "Yes, I knew them. Molly and Arthur were like the second set of parents to me. I actually spent a lot of time at the Burrow during my holidays." She said with a pensive smile, looking at the table as pictures of Christmases and summers started to swarm in her head.

She thought of the orchard behind the Burrow, where she and Ginny had spent time on summer nights, giggling about boys and worrying about the future. She remembered the cookings of Mrs. Weasley, the overgrown garden with a pond full of frogs, the narrow river next to the cornfields, where the Weasley children, Hermione and Harry had gone swimming on the hottest days of summer.

Hermione felt overwhelmed by longing and sadness, and she blinked rapidly as her eyes started to sting. She kept her gaze on the table, a deep frown between her brows as the brothers stared at her with a mix of confusion and surprise.

She knew that Gideon and Fabian probably hadn't known that she had been that close with their sister and her family. She didn't miss the look of uncertainty they exchanged before Gideon put his arm around her shoulders. Hermione stayed quiet, not trusting her voice, as Gideon patted her on the shoulder, trying to comfort her.

"You must miss them a lot…" Fabian said carefully, eyeing Hermione with a sad smile.

Hermione glanced at the brothers and cleared her throat, trying to rid the lump she had there. She took her glass and gulped down the rest of her drink, the liquid burning and numbing the pain, the sadness and the hopelessness that was threatening to rise inside her. Both brothers lifted their brows but said nothing.

She sighed. "I do…Very much, actually. But for now, there's nothing I can do about it," she said weakly.

Gideon and Fabian nodded. They knew Hermione hadn't yet given up researching the way back to her own time, even though the Headmaster had said there was slim to none chance for her to find anything. And Hermione was grateful for them not bringing up the fact.

"I think we should go back to the castle, if you don't mind? It's getting late." She muttered, standing up. Gideon and Fabian both murmured their agreements and followed her outside. They walked back to the castle in silence.

As she reached the empty common room, after Gideon and Fabian had escorted her to the portrait, she headed straight to the staircase that lead to the boys' dormitory. She just couldn't go to bed alone, with all the memories swarming in her head. She needed someone to hold her, to sooth the disorder she was feeling. She needed someone to distract her.

She stepped quietly inside the seventh-year boys' dormitory, moving towards Sirius's bed. The room was dark and filled with sounds of the four sleeping Marauders. She glanced to the furthest bed, where Peter was snoring behind the curtains. Opposite to his bed was Remus, who was sleeping quietly, his hangings open and his back turned to the others. James was sprawled in his bed, which was opposite to Sirius's. He slept with the bed's curtains open and he had a leg dangling off the bed.

The curtains around Sirius's bed were drawn closed, so she slipped between them quickly and sat on the edge of his bed. Sirius was lying on his back, the comforter kicked away again. He was wearing only his pyjama bottoms that hung low on his hips like they always did. Her eyes wandered over his body, over his lean, muscular form. Just looking at his defined abdomen and strong arms, which were thrown over his head and eyes, brought a shiver of incitement in her.

She leaned closer to him and kissed his lips softly. He hummed quietly in his sleep. Her heart thrummed in her chest. Was it okay? To kiss him while he was asleep? She wondered and saw his lips curve upwards a bit. Biting her lip, she looked at him unsurely, when a thought came into her head.

Hermione continued giving feathery kisses down his jaw, his neck, and over his chest. His chest rumbled at her touch, but his eyes were still closed. She could see that his breathing was faster.

Hermione swallowed deeply before she continued. Her kisses travelled lower hesitantly, down his belly, and Sirius squirmed slightly, humming in his sleep. As her lips were nearing the waistband of his pyjama bottoms, kissing down the trail of the black hair that continued down under his pants, Sirius's took a sharp breath and his eyes snapped open.

"Hermione...?" He mumbled, breathing heavily. She could see his obvious arousal through the fabric of his pants.

"Yes?" She whispered unsurely. She traced the skin over the waistband of his pants with her fingers while she continued watching his reaction. Sirius licked his lips and shuddered, the muscles in his lower abdomen clenching.

"Is this okay?" She asked tentatively. Her fingers were curled inside the waistband as she started to pull his pyjama bottoms down slowly.

He let out a strangled noise and nodded. "Yes. Yeah. More than okay," He stammered, watching her ministrations in awe.

Hermione pulled his pants all the way down after he lifted his hips in order to help her.

"Am I dreaming?" He breathed unsteadily as her gaze flickered over his body.

Hermione worried her lip, and glanced at him hesitantly as her hands wandered up his thighs, towards his pelvis. She had no idea if what she was doing was right, but she gathered that it was, as he trembled beneath her fingers.

A while after Sirius rambled incoherently and took deep breaths as he lay his head down against the pillows, eyes closed, his whole body relaxed and his expression somewhat close to bliss. After calming his breath, he opened his eyes finally and stared at her in wonder.

"Was it…good?" She asked hesitantly, although all the evidence told her already that it had been.

Sirius gave her a captivated smile. "It was amazing, love. I enjoyed every minute of it," He said quietly, before continuing with a slight puzzlement in his eyes, "You just keep amazing me."

He took her hand and tugged her closer to him. Hermione followed and lay down next to him. He eyed at her with an intense look, and began to kiss her passionately. As his hands trailed down her body, caressing her curves, finally resting at the buckle of her jeans, she took his hands in hers.

"Can we just sleep?" She asked, holding back a yawn and looking at him sleepily.

He frowned slightly. "Yeah, of course. I just don't want to leave you unsatisfied," he said with a small smile, kissing her lips softly and reaching for the comforter.

Hermione smiled and snuggled closer to him after he pulled the comforter over them.

"You're not. I'm content being right here, in your arms." She whispered, half asleep already.

Sirius stared her in bewilderment for a long moment, then kissed the top of her head and drifted quickly to sleep, hugging her close to him.

November 12th 1977 (Saturday)

When Sirius had woken up on Thursday morning after the night Hermione had sneaked into his dorm and fallen asleep in his arms, he had been surprised to see her gone. At first, he had thought that he truly had been dreaming, but later on, as he'd met her and seen the way she looked at him, he knew it had happened. He smirked at himself as he walked down to the breakfast on Saturday morning, and thought of her flushed face and how her eyes had roamed up and down his body.

They hadn't had the time to spend any alone time together since, as they'd been swarmed with homework and he'd been in an extra Quidditch practice on Friday night. Their practice had taken a lot more time than usual, something Sirius and his teammates hadn't appreciated that much, and when they'd finally arrived to their common room, everyone else had already been sleeping. Sirius reckoned that his best mate was a bit obsessed on winning the Quidditch Cup in his final year, and thus he was throwing extra practices on them.

As Sirius entered the Great Hall, he sat next to Hermione and gave her a quick kiss.

"Good morning, kitten," he grinned to her and grabbed a toast from a large plate.

Hermione smiled and poured him coffee. She swallowed hard as she felt his thumb brushing along her spine through the fabric of her robes, and she hastily put the coffee pot back on the table.

Sirius smirked at her flustered expression and was about to say something but was interrupted by James, who walked behind him and smacked him round the head, making the raven-haired boy wince slightly before his mate marched to the other side of the table.

"What did you do, Pads?" Remus asked resignedly, as James sat next to him and started to load his plate with food, glaring at Sirius who was sitting opposite to him. The girls eyed the pair with a mix of confusion and amusement.

Sirius chuckled. "Nothing much. Just pulled a teeny prank on Prongs." He said, grinning.

Hermione lifted her brows. "Sirius?" She asked cautiously and glanced at James, who was looking irritated. Sirius sniggered.

"I really didn't do much…Just, you know, replaced his broom with a Muggle one before he got the chance to go to his morning fly," He said with an innocent shrug.

Hermione sighed and shook her head. "Did you give the real one back?"

"No," Sirius said incredulously. "Why would I do that? You do remember the dreadlocks, right?" He said with a slight bitterness in his voice.

James narrowed his eyes at his mate. "You want to tell her the real reason for your stupid prank, Pads?" He said warningly. Sirius lifted his brows in irritation and James seemed to be a bit pleased with himself.

"What?" Hermione asked, giving Sirius a puzzled look.

He groaned and ran a hand through his hair. "He uh…banned you from our dorm for a month." He grumbled, not looking at her, and instead glaring at James, who was smirking at him.

"W-What? Why?" Hermione asked quietly, looking at James in confusion. Lily and the others too were watching James in bewilderment.

"Let's just say…I'm a bit of a light sleeper. And you didn't use a silencing charm." He said and gave Hermione a pointed look.

Hermione's eyes widened with embarrassment and her face flushed bright red. The others eyed the scene with a variety of expressions from amusement to shock.

Sirius rolled his eyes to James. "Like anyone would believe you were a light sleeper...Your snoring makes the windows rattle," He huffed.

James arched a brow at his friend. "Although, now that I think about it, I only heard Padfoot making noises…" James said and glanced at Hermione with a mischievous look in his eyes. "I mean, perhaps your mouth was otherwise occupied?" He asked pointedly, his remark sparking guffaws from the others.

"Prongs. That's enough." Sirius said with a warning in his voice.

"Oh, Merlin…" Hermione whispered, burying her face in her hands. Sirius smoothed his hand up and down her back, trying to calm her.

Lily looked like she was torn between laughter and disdain, and decided to change the subject for her friend's sake.

"So…um…who do you suppose will win today?" The redhead asked with a slightly squeaky voice, trying to school her features as she eyed the others. Today was the first Quidditch match of the season and it was going to be Ravenclaw versus Slytherin.

"Ravenclaw, obviously," James scoffed, "Slytherin's team is shite. Although it would be better if they won…Then we'd have an easy lead in the points." He continued thoughtfully.

Hermione's attention drifted elsewhere as her friends started to discuss about Quidditch. She just wasn't that interested in the sport. Her eyes travelled along the Great Hall, eyeing the excited students in every table. Most of them were wearing blue or green, supporting either one or the other team. She glanced at the enchanted ceiling – it was covered with grey clouds. She really hoped it wasn't going to rain, as it was quite horrible to sit in the Quidditch stands during a bad weather.

Her eyes flickered towards the Slytherin table, where she saw Regulus amongst his teammates. He ate silently as the others talked around him with hushed tones. A moment passed and he looked up, straight into her eyes. Hermione swallowed as they stared at each other for a long moment. It felt like she should've looked away, but she couldn't. She frowned as she felt her stomach twist all of a sudden and she blinked in bewilderment. Regulus's gaze shifted next to her, and she knew he was looking at his brother. Hermione saw Sirius looking back and it seemed like the boys were having a silent conversation as they simply stared at each other before averting their eyes, both then smirking to their own plates.

Hermione tried to focus on her tea and gather her thoughts. She couldn't place the feeling she now had inside her. But what was it?

Hermione was so immersed in her thoughts that she actually jumped when Sirius spoke to her. "Shall we go kitten?" He asked, giving her a slight nudge.

Hermione saw that most of the students were already drifting towards the Quidditch pitch. "Sure." She said and smiled at him as they stood up and left the Great Hall with the other Gryffindors.

The game had been a close call. Ravenclaw eventually won, but Slytherin had caught the Snitch. Sirius and Hermione had both grinned and whooped at the dark haired Slytherin seeker, who flew by near them. Regulus had merely shaken his head in amusement, smirking at the pair before he had returned to his sour-faced teammates.

After the game, the seventh year Gryffindor girls had gone to Hogsmeade – McGonagall had given them a special permission to go, and Hermione suspected that their Head of House probably had a soft spot for the Head Girl, since she apparently hadn't needed that much of persuasion. Alice had finally a chance to meet her boyfriend, Frank, who had a day off, while Lily, Mary and Marlene were going to grab lunch in the village. Hermione had opted to stay in the castle, as she had much to accomplish in research and studying front. After lunch, she had browsed through the books she had loaned from the restricted section the week before, as she had had the whole dormitory to herself.

Later in the evening Hermione was doing her homework at the Gryffindor common room, sitting near the fire. Remus had joined her, while the rest of the boys were somewhere in the castle, causing mischief. After some time, she eyed him unsurely, trying to figure out a way to ask him about something that was in her mind.

"Just let it out, Hermione," He muttered while he scribbled something into his parchment.

Hermione flinched. "What? How did you know I was about to speak?"

Remus glanced at her, smirking. "Besides the fact that I can hear your heart rate speeding up and down?" He chuckled at her flustered look. "I knew you'd want to talk sooner or later…" He said, putting his quill away and giving her his full attention.

"Well…Yes. I do. Um…How are you doing?" Hermione asked, eyeing him with concern.

"You mean, how am I handling the fact that I have a…girlfriend?" He said, cringing a little. "Peachy." He said with mirthless laugh, and rubbed his face.

"I dunno, Hermione. Mary's great, I mean...We really hit it off." He said with a sheepish smile.

"Oh, I know," Hermione smirked, giving him a knowing look. Mary hadn't talked much about him after Halloween ball, but some details had slipped. Remus gave her a puzzled look.

"She said you're an animal," Hermione said innocently, and laughed as she saw his face pale and his eyes widen with shock.

"W-What?" He stammered.

Hermione snorted. "I think it was meant in a good way," she said, giving him a meaningful smile. Remus cleared his throat nervously and averted his gaze.

"I…I'm just still a bit worried that I might hurt her." He muttered, turning his uncertain eyes back to her.

Hermione smiled at him. She understood that his illness affected him even without the full moon. "You won't, trust me. And…I think you should talk to her. I mean, not necessary tell about the…Lycanthropy," She said the last word inaudibly, after glancing around them, making sure they were alone. "But the feelings you have and the thoughts that are going through your head. That you are afraid that you'll be too rough with her?"

He looked at the table thoughtfully for a moment. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He said finally, giving her a small smile.

She patted his hand and they continued with their Charms homework in silence, occasionally asking detailed questions on the subject from each other.

November 25th 1977 (Friday)

It was the night of the full moon, and the girls were having a 'girls' night in' at their dorm. The guys had told them they'd be sneaking off to Hogsmeade for the night, hitting the pubs there, while Lily and Hermione were told that they were actually sneaking to grab a load of sweets for Remus since the two girls knew that their werewolf friend was going to stay in the infirmary. Before the boys had left the common room, Hermione had told Sirius to have fun and behave. He had merely barked a laugh and replied, "I always behave like a good dog."

"I just have a feeling that he's not being completely honest with me," Mary said with a hint of annoyance in her voice, as they were setting up their snacks and drinks on her expanded night stand. Regardless of Lily's reluctance to drinking in school premises, Mary and Marlene had insisted they should be having a few drinks.

At first, the girls had decided to entertain themselves with a bit of a drinking game, not to get sloshed, but to have fun and relax a bit. They were supposed to take a sip from their Mimosas Mary had made them, every time the Marauders were mentioned, including their names and/or their nicknames.

Eventually they had to put a stop to the game, as apparently all their topics involved a marauder or two. They really needed to fix their lives to not revolve around men only, Hermione thought, and said so to the girls.

"But I love men," Mary whined, sprawled on her bed, while Alice was sitting at the foot of it. "I'll drink to that," Alice agreed, emptying her last drink.

Marlene smirked from her bed, where she was lying on her stomach. "I think you both mean, one man?"

"Well, yeah," Mary said, rolling her eyes with amusement. "And may I just state the fact that James is being a prat for banning the girls from their dorm." She said, pouting to the unfairness of it.

Apparently, James's ban did not only concern Hermione, but all the girls. James had told them later on, that he and Sirius had to be in top condition for Quidditch, as the Gryffindor's first match was to be played in the middle of December. He'd said that they needed a good night's sleep every night to accomplish that. Sirius had then slyly proposed that perhaps something else could keep James energetic, winking at Lily as he spoke. James had punched his friend for his comment, and that had been the end of that discussion.

Lily arched a brow to her friends. "I think, for once in his life he is being reasonable. The dorms are not for some fun night life, they are for sleeping." She said matter-of-factly.

Marlene snorted. "Just call it shagging, Lily."

Lily pursed her lips and Marlene eyed her. "You know, soon you'll be changing your mind. When you and your Head Boy start your 'fun night life'." Marlene finished with a teasing grin.

"And that, I assure you, is not happening in the near future. I'm far too busy with school and my Heads' duties." Lily said confidently.

"Oh? How's James handling it?" Marlene asked with interest, a smile tugging at her lips.

Lily shrugged. "He's not complaining."

Marlene snorted and muttered something under her breath.

"You still snog each other, right?" Mary asked, her face scrunched up in confusion. "And do some other stuff, too?"

"Yes, of course we do!" Lily huffed, "But that's between me and him, just so you know." She said with a stern look.

Hermione smiled pensively. Sometimes Lily resembled a lot of another fiery red-haired girl Hermione knew from her past, but certainly not now. Ginny would've been spilling every single sordid detail there was to give, enjoying every minute of it.

Mary rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, Lils. You have to give us something, eh?" She said, grinning mischievously at the redhead.

"I agree! How is he?" Alice asked with a devilish grin, "You know, at snogging?"

Lily blushed a bit. "Um…Good, I guess…It's not like I have that much to compare to."

Hermione knew her friend had kissed only one boy before James, and apparently that was some time ago.

"Well, was he better than Daniel?" Mary asked, waggling her brows.

Lily rolled her eyes before she spoke. "Yes."

"What about Snape?" Marlene asked.

Hermione let out a loud cough. What?! Lily and Snape…?

"W-What?" Lily breathed, her eyes widening in shock.

"Did you ever snog him?" Mary asked, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "You know, when you were spending time together…Before the um, you know…" She said and cringed as she ended her sentence in awkward silence.

Lily dropped her gaze down and didn't say anything. The girls looked at each other unsurely and waited for Lily to say something. She didn't. Instead she stood up from her bed, where she and Hermione were sitting and walked away from the dormitory.

"Lils?" Hermione called to her as the red-haired girl stormed off. They heard the door shut with a quiet click.

Hermione sighed. Mary looked at the others regretfully. "Shit…I didn't mean to…"

"I know. I'll go check on her." Hermione said and gave Mary a small smile before she left the dorm and went after Lily.

As she stepped into the empty common room, Hermione saw Lily sitting on the couch by the fading fire, immersed in her thoughts.

"Have you talked with him?" Hermione asked cautiously as she approached her and sat down next to her.

Lily stared ahead and sighed. "No. But…well…lately I've been having some second thoughts. You know? Did I end it too easily after all? Our friendship?" She muttered, glancing at Hermione with a deep frown.

Hermione smiled at her sadly. "I don't know…Only you know if you did, but no one else. That being said…I'm sure you didn't cut him out of your life because of just a onetime slur?" Hermione asked tentatively. "I mean, it was wrong of him to call you names, but if there hadn't been anything else going on, I'm sure you would've forgiven him. Right?" She said and eyed her friend searchingly.

Lily blinked. "Yes, of course. It would've been a bit high handed of me to shun him based on one mistake." She muttered thoughtfully. "Of course there were other things too. You know what I mean. You know who he is friends with, and what he's planning to do…" She said exasperatedly, giving her a helpless look. "It's like he didn't even try to say no to them. To refuse them. To disagree with them. That's what bothered me the most," Lily muttered, staring ahead, a strained look in her eyes.

"Yeah, I know." Hermione said quietly. "But I think there could be a chance for him to change sides after all...You know he's friends with Regulus, right?" She said and looked at Lily pointedly.

Her brows shot up. "Has Sev said anything?" She whispered anxiously.

"Well, no. I was in speaking terms with him until I made friends with Regulus. For some reason that seemed to irritate him and now he is acting like a prat most of the time we're at Potions." Hermione huffed, annoyed by his behaviour.

"But…I could ask Regulus to talk to him about it. Only…" Hermione stopped and watched Lily with uncertainty.

"What?" Lily asked urgently.

"I think he wants your forgiveness…otherwise he probably won't do it. I mean, he's not friends with anyone on 'our side'. I don't know if he sees any point in joining us if everyone hates him…" Hermione said carefully, watching Lily's expression harden.

Hermione sighed. "Look, I am not asking you to forgive him right away and forget everything that has happened, but… Just think about it, okay?" She said while giving her a sideway hug.

"I will," Lily said quietly.

The boys were walking back to the castle from the forest, leaving Remus in the Shack to sleep in his wolf form for the rest of the night. Dawn was about to break soon, and the boys had resumed to an earlier argument about the girl-ban regarding their dorm. Sirius was pouting, after James had suggested that he should go and have a wank if it was bothering him that much.

James snorted at his friend as they walked through the halls, checking the map as they went. "Come on, mate. The match is in a couple of weeks. I'm sure you can manage, as you have so far." He said with a frustrated huff.

"Yes, Prongs, I believe it is easy for you, since you've probably grown your virginity back by now, as the result of your Victorian ways," Sirius muttered, glaring at his friend, while Peter snickered. James merely rolled his eyes as he checked the map.

"Have you and Hermione…you know?" Peter asked while they ascended the stairs.

"What do you think, Pete?" Sirius said, winking at his friend.

James smirked. "Based on the sounds, which by the way, are constantly ringing in my head – no."

"Oh, Prongs, I'm flattered. Didn't know you thought of me that much." Sirius said, grinning at his friend. "Do you think of me when you get off too?" Sirius asked lightly.

"Bugger off."

Sirius laughed at him. "Make me."

James sighed irritably.

"Admit it, Prongs. I'd rock your world." Sirius said smugly. "I mean, I'd want to shag me too if I were you," He continued and poked his friend on his ribs.

James growled. "Piss off, Pads. I'm not in the mood for your jokes. I just want to head to our dorm, so that I can catch a couple of hours of sleep before the morning."

Sirius chuckled. "Oh, you were so much more fun when you were getting some…" he said, earning a punch on the shoulder from his friend.

"…Damn…You're strong for a little thing." Sirius muttered and ducked behind Peter as James tried another swing at him.

Peter merely laughed at their banter, shaking his head in exasperation.

"I'm warning you, Pads." James said darkly, glaring at his friend.

Sirius lifted his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay," he said, biting back a grin as they entered their common room.

Soon they were walking up the stairs to their dorm, all of them yawning heavily. Each boy collapsed on their respective beds, exhausted from the night.