A/N: Sooo...a longish chapter, once again. And you know, the uncensored version can be found on Ao3 ;)

Please review!

Chapter 24: Will you be my Valentine?

February 3rd 1978 (Friday)

The bell on the door dinged as five girls walked into the Three Broomsticks, drawing many curious eyes on them. The pub was packed; it was Friday evening. The seventh year Gryffindor girls were celebrating Lily's eighteenth birthday, and as she felt that lately, she had spent too much of her time with her boyfriend, and not enough with her friends, she had proposed they'd have a girls' night.

Mary and Marlene had persuaded her to spend the night out instead of hanging in their dorm, and after Lily had caved in, she had used her reliability and good manners to get permission from McGonagall so that the girls could go to the village.

As they walked further into the pub, Lily, Alice and Hermione managed to find them a table in the midst of people, while Mary and Marlene went to the bar to buy them drinks. Based on the looks in their eyes, Hermione could only presume there would be some strong liquids included in their order.

Hermione sat down next to Alice and glanced around the pub. Every seat was taken, and the bar was full too. She recognised a couple of Hogwarts students sitting in one corner, likely without permission to be there since they kept glancing cautiously around them every now and then. On the other side she saw a group of young men, old enough to be out of school, toasting together and laughing with each other. Then there was a selection of older wizards and witches scattered around the pub, as well as another group of young men.

Mary and Marlene came back with a tray heavy with drinks. They brought five shots of Firewhiskey, a bottle of Butterbeer for each, and a large Pumpkintini for the birthday girl. After toasting to Lily, who first eyed the drinks with her lips pursed but with a subtle smile before eventually snatching a Butterbeer, the girls went through the usual Hogwarts gossip.

A while after, Hermione and Lily set out to acquire their second round of drinks, while Marlene took a quick visit to the toilet and Mary and Alice stayed at their table.

"So. Is there something going on between you and Prewett?" Lily asked bluntly as they waited for their turn at the crowded bar.

Hermione whirled to look at her friend and then around them, making sure no one had heard her. "Lily! Someone could hear you," Hermione hissed to her friend, who rolled her eyes.

"Like anyone would hear anything spoken in a normal voice in here," She muttered, glancing at the loudly chattering people around the pub. "Well? Are you going to tell me? Or should I ask him?" She said, her expression turning to slightly mischievous as she glanced at the other end of the counter. Hermione's eyes followed her gaze and her brows lifted in mild surprise as she saw Gideon there, supposedly with his friends as he kept talking and laughing with the group beside him.

"No, you shouldn't." Hermione said warningly as Lily chuckled at her.

"Take a chill pill, Hermione." Lily said, waving her hand a bit sluggishly.

Hermione actually snorted. "Lils? Are you drunk?" She asked while biting her lip to suppress a grin.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Of course I'm not. I'm the Head Girl, Hermione. It is my responsibility to make sure all of you get safely back to the castle after having your knees up in here." She said simply, and Hermione shook her head with amusement.

"What about Regulus?" Lily asked after they both had been silent for a moment.

Hermione turned to look at her friend who eyed her with a knowing look. "I know you've been seeing him, Mione." Lily said with a serious tone, and Hermione's brows lifted in surprise.

"Oh…" Hermione managed to say.

Lily gave her a stern look and sighed. "I'm worried about you," She finally said.

"What? Why?" Hermione asked in confusion.

"Well…Even if they are supposedly the good ones, that doesn't mean their friends are. I just don't want you to get hurt." She said with a troubled look, and Hermione didn't have to guess who was the other Slytherin her friend was talking about.

"He wouldn't let them hurt me," Hermione said reassuringly, but she knew she couldn't put Regulus into a place where he would have to choose between her and them, especially when he had to remain a spy for the Order. That was the reason they had decided to only meet in the Room of Requirement.

"As for his so-called friends…I know what they are. And I know what is expected from him," Hermione said, chewing the inside of her cheek.

Lily's eyes widened. "And you're okay with it?" She asked with an alarmed voice.

"Of course not!" Hermione quietly exclaimed.

"Then what? I don't understand, Hermione. Even if he says he doesn't want it, how can you be sure?" Lily asked and shook her head in confusion.

Hermione knew Lily still doubted Snape. She let out a soft sigh. "Come on," She said, tugging Lily's hand and moving towards the toilets. The redhead followed without a word, as Hermione led them behind a door.

Lily lifted her brows in suspicion as Hermione took her wand and began to wave it around them in intricate patterns. Lily's eyes widened as she realised which spells her friend was casting.

"Did you just – "

"Shush!"

Lily rolled her eyes in mild annoyance but said nothing. When Hermione was ready, she opened her mouth.

"Why did you just put protection spells around us?" Lily asked warily.

Hermione sighed. "It's merely a precaution. I'm not telling you anything when there is a risk of being overheard," She said with a frown.

"Oh."

"I'm in the Order." Hermione said with a serious face.

Lily's eyes widened and her jaw dropped in surprise. "W-what?"

"Your heard me. Gideon is too. There's nothing going on between us, except the fact that we are friends." She explained, as Lily continued to gape at her.

"About Reg…" Hermione muttered. "I don't know what to say. Only that…I trust him." Hermione said softly.

"Do you love him?" Lily asked carefully.

Hermione blinked at the blunt question and thought about her tangled feelings. What she had with Regulus, was something so unexpected, so intense, and so…enticing. She hadn't felt like that with anyone, not even Sirius. And then there was Sirius…whom she still harboured some kind of feelings. Not love, no. But…something. How could she love Regulus if there was still a tiny part of her that felt something for his brother?

She looked at her friend helplessly and shrugged. "I don't know. It's complicated."

Lily smiled at her friend and chuckled. "What about you is not?"

Hermione joined her laughter and let out a deep breath as Lily enveloped her into a hug, promising to keep the information regarding the Order to herself.

They returned to their friends and stayed at the pub for a while before they had to leave in order to make it back to the castle before midnight.

"Sorry to pull you from your flavour of the week, Marley," Mary said teasingly as they were walking towards the castle. "But the rest of us need their beauty sleep."

Marlene rolled her eyes at her friend. She had hooked up with some random guy, a couple of years older than them. He and Marlene had hit it off pretty quickly, and right before the girls had left, Mary had come across them at the restroom, where they had been entangled with each other in an unlocked booth, their clothes askew and some of them missing. While Marlene had told her friend to bugger off, Mary had merely smirked at the couple and told Marlene they'd be leaving in five.

As the girls were enjoying their night out in the village, the boys were playing a drinking game in their dorm. They were simultaneously planning their next prank, after Sirius had insisted that all great minds thought properly after a drink.

"You're up Moony," James quipped as he took a long swig from the Firewhiskey bottle.

Remus cleared his throat and seemed thoughtful for a moment. "Okay. Drunk or a kid? I, um…pissed into a trash bag instead of using the toilet in my own house."

Sirius barked a laugh and James and Peter chuckled, while Remus gave his friends a noncommittal shrug.

"Kid," James and Peter said in unison.

"Boring. I'll go with drunk." Sirius grinned.

"Well, it was after my cousins wedding. Which was last summer, and I was indeed quite pissed at the time." Remus said and chuckled as Sirius hit his fist in the air for triumph, while James and Peter took swigs from the bottle.

"Okay, mate. Your turn," Remus said to Sirius.

Sirius smirked at his friends. "True or false? Shagged a Hufflepuff on her house table one time."

James snorted. "In the Great Hall?"

Sirius merely waggled his brows.

Remus rolled his eyes. "You were supposed to ask us if you were drunk or kid. But I'll go with false. You would've gloated about it and we'd never heard the end of it."

James eyes him thoughtfully. "I dunno Moony. He just might be that smug to reveal it like this," he said and laughed. "I'll go with true."

"Me too," Peter quipped.

"Gents. I'm afraid it is…True." Sirius finally said with a self-satisfied look. Remus shook his head in disbelief and took a swig from the bottle.

"How in the Merlin's saggy balls didn't you get caught?" Remus asked incredulously from his friend, who gave an innocent shrug in reply.

"Okay. True or False? A bird from Ravenclaw flashed me." Peter said with a straight face.

"True." All boys said in unison.

Peter grinned. "Yeah, true. It was during the Halloween ball."

James smirked at him. "Was she hot?"

"Yeah, but…she was weird." Peter said with a frown.

"Hot trumps weird," Sirius said and winked at Peter. James and Remus nodded in agreement.

They all sniggered.

"Are we pranking only the Slytherins this time, or the entire school?" Peter asked after another round of their drinking game.

Sirius eyed his friends slyly. "I reckon the Slytherins deserve some attention, eh?"

James cracked a smile. "Okay, will do..."

"What if we transfigure their hair red?" Peter asked after a moment of silence.

"Too easy. And we did it in fifth year with the Colovaria Charm, remember Pete?" Remus said absently, his brow furrowed in concentration.

Sirius laughed before he became solemn. "Mates. I think it's time for us to trespass their dorms."

James eyed him with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "What are you thinking, Pads?"

"Have you two gone raving bonkers?" Remus said in bewilderment. When the two wizards merely shrugged at him, he continued, "I think it's a bad idea."

"Moony, my friend." Sirius said with a sigh and eyed him like he was going to talk to him with simple words. "There's no such thing as a bad idea, just poorly executed brilliant ones." He said and winked at the werewolf.

Remus narrowed his eyes as Sirius filled four shot glasses with Firewhiskey.

"I say we toast to the amazing idea, provided by yours truly," He smirked, gesturing the others to take their shots. James and Peter took their glasses while Remus eyed Sirius with an arched brow.

"C'mon, Moony, I can't drink all this by myself. I mean, I can…But if I do, somebody's getting naked." He grinned wolfishly as he gulped down the shot. James shook his head in amusement and he, Peter and eventually Remus followed suit.

The night went on as they planned their break-in into the Slytherin dorms, while continuing their drinking game until they all were on their way to be properly inebriated.

February 5th 1978 (Sunday)

"Hey. Can I sit with you?" Remus asked, looking slightly uncomfortable as he gestured the empty seat opposite to Hermione. She had come to the library after lunch, when James and Sirius had left for their Quidditch practice with Peter, Lily, Mary and Alice accompanying them, intending to watch the practice.

Hermione lifted her gaze from the book about wizarding history she was reading and smiled kindly to him. "Sure." She said with a nod.

Remus smiled back and sat down after going through his schoolbag and placing his books and parchments on the table. He studied her features as she turned her eyes back to the book she was holding.

"Hermione…" He said quietly, eyeing her carefully.

She turned to look at him, and frowned at his expression. "Yeah? Is everything okay, Remus?"

He huffed. "It's just that…I'm sorry." He said sincerely. "I'm sorry I haven't been a good friend to you, lately." He said anxiously.

"Remus, it's – "

"No, let me finish." He said and smiled at her. "I made a decision not to choose any sides when you and Sirius broke up. Because even though I've known him for several years now, and he is like a brother to me, I still think of you as my friend. And then I chose him anyway." He said and sighed. "Can you forgive me?"

Hermione gave him a small smile. "Of course. And I don't blame you. I know you are very close with Sirius and the others, and I didn't want to interfere with that. And I know you've been busy with your new girlfriend as well," She said, smiling slyly at the one particular word while Remus blushed a bit and nodded.

"How are you?" She asked as she closed the book and put it into her bag. "How are things with Mary?" She smiled. "I mean I've heard some rumours, but I'd like to hear your thoughts," She said and sniggered as Remus shook his head in embarrassment.

"Well…Everything is good, I guess. She's a lovely witch," He said shyly.

"And have you told her about…you-know-what?" She asked in a lowered voice.

He shook his head.

"How has that been going? The transformations?" She whispered the last word.

He shrugged. "Okay I guess." He muttered and shifted his gaze to his books.

"Remus…You can talk to me about it. If it's horrible. If you're upset. You can trust me. You know that." She said sincerely.

He looked at her and sighed. "I know, Hermione. It's just that…I haven't really talked with anyone about how it makes me feel, besides you." He muttered. "The guys know, but it's not like I pour my heart out to them." He said with a faint smirk.

Hermione nodded and waited for him to speak.

"I hate it. You know. The wolf." He said quietly. She could see vulnerability shining from his eyes. "It makes me weak, and it changes me, even when it's not full moon." He said exasperatedly. "And sometimes I'm afraid of myself, of how angry and uncontrollable it makes me."

Hermione gave him a sad smile. "I'm sorry Remus. It must be terrible..." She said with a frown. She remembered again that she had decided to look into the Wolfsbane potion she knew the future Remus took, but had completely forgotten about it. At that moment, she decided to do better.

"On the bright side, I reckon Mary doesn't object…the uncontrollableness." She said with a teasing grin.

Remus paled. "She told you about it?" He asked weakly.

Hermione chuckled. "Oh, yes, she did. She described that you were quite…physical." she said through her laughter.

He groaned and laid his head against his arms which were folded over the table. "It was an oversight on my part. Engaging in anything so close to the full moon." He mumbled with a muffled voice.

"You don't have to explain, I'm not judging you, you know," Hermione said, and continued to laugh heartily.

When the girls had been in the village to celebrate Lily's birthday, they had gotten Mary to fess up details about her and Remus's relationship.

He eventually lifted his head to look at her. "And you?" He asked with a frown. "How are you doing?"

Hermione shrugged. "I'm okay, I think. It's easier now, when Sirius and James are not complete arseholes towards me," She said with a dry laugh. She gave another shrug.

"Do you miss him?" Remus asked carefully.

"Sirius? …Yes, I suppose…But it's not like I'm waiting for him to come around or anything…" She said and frowned. And then there was Regulus… Remus nodded understandingly.

She decided to change the subject, as she really didn't care to talk about her feelings towards Sirius. "So…what are you going to do after graduation?" She asked. She briefly wondered what Remus had actually done in her past, after his schoolyears, as she was quite sure it had never come up.

He gave her a mirthless laugh. "Now that you know what I am, you probably know that I don't have any grand future career plans prepared for myself?"

"Well, what would you want to do? If you could?" She asked kindly.

He was thoughtful for a while. "Dunno…perhaps…writing?" He said cringing. Hermione lifted her brows in surprise.

"What would you write?" She asked, intrigued.

He eyed her hesitantly. "Poetry," he said quietly.

"Okay. So…Why don't you do it?" She asked.

"Well, it doesn't bring me any galleons, and I don't know if I'm good enough to, you know, make a living with it." He said with a shrug.

"Have you thought about university? You know, to study English?" Hermione asked thoughtfully.

He grimaced. "With what money?" He said and shook his head. "I'm afraid that's not an option for me, Hermione."

"What about you?" He asked after a moment.

"What about me?" She asked. "Have I thought about studying at a university?"

"No. Well, that too, but you know, what do you want to do after you graduate?" He asked curiously.

Hermione frowned. She hadn't really given it much thought because her focus had been directed on more important things. "I don't know." She said and bit her lip. "I guess I used to think that I wanted to work at the Ministry in the Magical law department," She said, and quickly added, "You know, in Australia."

"But…I don't know anymore." Hermione continued thoughtfully. Perhaps it was time to look into that as well…

They continued their talk for a while until they started their Transfiguration assignments, sharing comments while they worked.

February 11th 1978 (Saturday)

It was the first Hogsmeade weekend of February, and Lily had asked Hermione to walk with her to the village, as there was something she wanted to talk about with her. They left a bit later than everyone else, and walked slowly along the path towards the village. The sky was heavy with falling snow, and the trees and the ground were already covered with several inches of glistening snow. Hermione blinked at the sight ahead of her, remembering all the times she had come to the village with Harry and Ron, engaging into a snowball fight, or running to the Three Broomsticks for a hot cup of tea.

"Hermione…About what you said last week…About, you know. The Order," Lily started hesitantly, whispering the last words after glancing around them to be sure no one was close.

Hermione turned to look at her. "Yes. What do you want to know?" She asked, eyeing her friend closely.

Lily's brows lifted in surprise.

"What?" Hermione asked with a hint of amusement.

"Oh…Well. I suppose I thought you weren't going to talk about it, even if I asked," She replied with a shrug.

Hermione smiled. "Although I can't get into much detail, there are some things I can share with you." She said and eyed her friend expectantly.

Lily nodded and looked thoughtful. "Why are you a part of it? I mean, you are a student…Shouldn't you focus on your education first, before rushing into danger?" She asked, her voice laced with worry.

Hermione shrugged. "I'm not really participating in any danger, just…you know, mostly doing some research for them." That wasn't exactly the truth, but she knew Lily wouldn't let it go if she knew the truth and the dangers she would have to face. Not to mention the dangers she had already been through. Hermione took a deep breath before she continued, "The reason I'm with them, is that…" She worried her lip. She wanted to tell Lily the truth. Or some parts of it at least.

"I'm a Muggleborn," Hermione said quietly. Lily stopped dead in her tracks, and whirled towards her, staring at her in shock.

"I-I'm sorry, what?!" Lily shrieked.

Hermione shot her friend a stern look and glanced around them. They hadn't yet reached the village, and no one was around. Still, she didn't exactly want her secrets to be cried out for anyone who was listening to hear.

Lily stared at her with a stubborn look edged on her face.

"I'm sorry I haven't told you, Lils," Hermione said sheepishly. "But…Ab adopted me." She gave a helpless shrug. "I was attacked by a bunch of Death Eaters, here in Britain. I managed to escape but I lost everyone I knew. My family. My friends," She said, clenching her jaw and trying not to think of the circumstances from where she left. "Dumbledore helped me when I had no one, and he arranged for his brother to take me in…" she continued with a shaky voice.

Lily gaped at her, her eyes filling up with tears. "Godric," She finally whispered, looking horrified. "Hermione, I'm…I'm so sorry!" She squeaked and threw her arms around her friend, enveloping Hermione in a crushing hug, sniffling against her.

"Can you forgive me?" Hermione whispered to her ear, not really surprised by Lily's emotional reaction.

"W-What? Of course! Oh, Mione…I'm just so…shocked! I'm so sorry! It must've been terrible…I wish I'd known sooner…" Lily babbled, tears escaping from the corners of her eyes.

They hugged each other for a while, until they broke off and slowly continued their walk towards the village.

"What…What if they come back? You know, the ones who attacked you…" Lily said and gave her friend a troubled look.

Hermione frowned. "I, um…I'm safe at Hogwarts. I have Dumbledore. And Ab." She said and gave Lily a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Lils." Oh gods how she hated lying…

Lily nodded but Hermione could see she wasn't entirely convinced. They had finally reached the village and Hermione decided to change the subject as they begun visiting the shops.

February 13th 1978 (Monday)

"This is fucking insane," Remus muttered as they stared at the spot in the dungeons they knew was the entrance to the Slytherin common room.

"Oh Moony, ever the poet," Sirius smirked next to him. They were waiting in an alcove while Peter had gone in to check if the Slytherin Dungeon was empty. They had agreed it was safer to make sure, even though the Map clearly showed no one was inside.

"Yeah, Moony, relax," James said with an amused voice, staring at the entrance intently. "Nothing bad is going to happen. We have the Map, and we'll know if someone comes to this direction. And we've sent Pete to double check that the Dungeons are empty."

Remus sighed. "Even so…I don't like this. And if they figure out it was us, they'll make us pay for it."

James snorted. "Oh, they'll know alright." He said and shared a devilish grin with Sirius.

"Guys…What are you not telling me?" Remus asked warningly, narrowing his eyes at his friends. "You know I hate it when you don't tell me stuff."

Sirius and James sniggered. "Just that…We intend leaving a little message on their common room wall for them." Sirius explained with a wicked grin.

Remus grumbled. "I don't even want to know how you managed to come up with an idea that stupid."

"Well, it came to me in a dream. I was naked. You would've loved it, Moony," Sirius said and winked at Remus while James snorted.

Remus rolled his eyes at his friends and finally they saw a familiar rat scurrying out from a hole in the wall, approaching them. Peter transformed back after James threw the invisibility cloak over him.

"It's empty! I did the Homenum Revelio charm; they must all be at dinner." Peter whispered urgently under the cloak. The boys grinned mischievously and disillusioned themselves before stepping out from the shadows.

"Shall we?" James asked with glee in his voice.

Sirius chuckled. "We shall."

February 14th 1978 (Tuesday)

It was Valentine's Day and Hermione was having breakfast in the Great Hall with her housemates. At the end of their meal, the owls flew into the hall, carrying an assortment of envelopes, boxes and packages. Everyone in their table received letters, cards and small rectangular boxes, most of which were pink or red. Hermione glanced at Sirius, who was quickly going through the dozens of letters and boxes the owls had dropped in front of him on the table. He pushed the boxes of chocolate to Remus, who graciously accepted them, and after opening some of the letters he stuffed them into his schoolbag and finished his breakfast.

Of course, he would receive that many Valentine's greetings. He was the most popular boy in the school after all…Hermione thought and rolled her eyes before moving her eyes back to her plate.

There were three letters, and she opened the first one with interest. It was from Lily. Hermione chuckled at the note, which said 'Sod the February 14th. I love you every day. – Lily'.

The next one was from Remus, and he had attached a poem in it. It was very good, from what she understood of poetry and was a bit moved by the gesture.

The last one had a Latin phrase written in it.

'Notitiam primosque gradus vicinia fecit, tempore crevit amor'

She smiled at the text, which was from Ovid's Metamorphoses, and was translated as following;

Proximity caused acquaintance and first approaches, love grew with time.

The story described Pyramus and Thisbe, a pair of lovers who occupy connected houses, forbidden by their parents to be wed, because of their parents' rivalry. Through a crack in one of the walls, they whisper their love for each other, and later on arrange to meet and state their feelings for each other. They never end up meeting each other though, and in the end, they die by their own hand.

She smiled at the near parallels of their secret affair and snuck a glance at the Slytherin table. Regulus was there, staring at her with a subtle quirk on his lips. Hermione couldn't help but smile at him widely when she saw him supressing a grin and schooling his features to neutral.

"You coming to Professor Slughorn's Valentine's day get-together, Hermione?" Lily asked, her eyes narrowing at her friend.

Hermione quickly teared her eyes away from Regulus and smiled at her friend sheepishly. "Um, sorry, what?"

Lily rolled her eyes. "Slughorn. Valentine's party. Friday." she said with an exasperated tone. Their friends around them turned to listen to the conversation.

Hermione groaned. "I guess I have to…" She grumbled.

Mary chuckled. "I can't be that bad, Mione…" She said, sounding amused before she exchanged a sly smile with Alice.

Oh, they knew exactly how bad it was.

"Last time Slughorn made me sing Christmas carols. In front of everyone." Hermione growled, narrowing her eyes at the girls, Remus and Peter who were all sniggering. Even James snorted and she could also see a faint smirk tugging Sirius's lips.

Oh, jolly, how everyone found her embarrassment hilarious…

Lily tried to school her expression. "I admit it was quite funny, but I'm sure it was a one-off. He was rather out of his tree then…" She said with a small grimace.

Sirius laughed. "Old Sluggie properly sozzled? That's something I'd like to witness."

Lily pursed her lips to him. "Well, if it is an occurring event, you can ask James to describe it to you. He's coming with me."

"I am?" James asked in bewilderment.

Lily scowled at him. "You can't be serious. We talked about this last month!"

James smirked at her, evidently thinking of a witty remark for her choice of words. "Well, I'm actually J– "

"Shut it, James!" Lily warned him. Everyone around them either grinned or tried not to.

During their lessons and mealtimes that day, Hermione and the others couldn't help but notice how nearly every Slytherin was either yawning and dozing off, or bitterly glaring at the Gryffindors. When Hermione pointed it out to Mary during their dinner, her friend chuckled back.

"Some people we know broke into their quarters yesterday, and spelled their dorm doors to open only when one would utter a password." Mary said amusedly.

Hermione rolled her eyes as she glanced at the sniggering Marauders who had their eyes trained at the Slytherin table. "Could they be any more obvious?" Hermione sighed exasperatedly.

"Oh, the Slytherins know it was them. They wrote the password on their common room wall. It's just that…no one will use it." Mary explained with laughter in her voice.

Hermione lifted her brows. "Oh?"

"And because of that, every single student slept on their common room floor last night." James said with a bright grin as he heard their conversation.

Lily narrowed her eyes at him but said nothing. Hermione guessed they'd had a conversation or two about it already.

"And how long is that spell in place?" Hermione asked curiously from James. Sirius and James had identical smirks on their faces.

"As long as it takes for someone to admit they love Gryffindor…or when they go to old Sluggie and admit they were bested by one," James said innocently, and the boys shared a laugh.

Hermione shook her head in disbelief and returned to her meal. When she was finished, she excused herself while the others stayed in the Great Hall. She walked to the seventh floor, and after making sure that no one saw her by checking the Map, she entered through the door that had appeared in front of her. She knew Regulus was already inside, since she hadn't seen him at dinner.

They had discovered that if the room was given the correct description, they could enter the same place even though one of them was already inside.

"Hey," Hermione said softly as she walked through the library of Grimmauld Place, towards the sofa where Regulus was stretched on.

"Didn't catch any sleep last night?" Hermione asked with slight amusement in her voice as she approached him.

He merely groaned in response. His eyes were closed and he moved his legs when she nudged him to move over.

"Bloody Gryffindors." He muttered, yawning as he rose to lean on his elbows and smirked at her. "No offence."

Hermione chuckled. "None taken. Although, I'm surprised you didn't come here to sleep last night." She said thoughtfully.

He shrugged. "Thought it would've been a bit suspicious if I'd left in the middle of the night to wander through the halls."

"Fair enough." She said with a smile. "Thank you for the Valentine's Day note," She said quietly, a small blush rising to her cheeks.

A smile tugged his lips. "I'm glad you liked it." Regulus said, his eyes dark as he gave her a once over. Hermione tried to remember to breathe, as his mere stare made her heart flutter in her chest.

"Come here." He muttered, taking her hand and tugging her towards him. She complied, eagerly, laying herself on top of him, as he studied her features and traced his fingers against her jawline.

Regulus's hand slid around to her nape, his fingers caressing the skin under her hairline, making her shiver in anticipation. He then pulled her down to meet his lips, and as he kissed her softly, his fingers moved into her soft ringlets, holding her in place so he could devour her mouth in the pace he desired.

Hermione let her hand slip under his shirt, making contact with bare skin, while the other gripped his shoulder for support. She felt his muscles tighten under her hand as she explored his chest and abdomen, drifting slowly lower, nearing the waistband of his slacks as he leisurely continued caressing her mouth with his lips. As the tips of her fingers slipped under the waistband, she felt him shudder and breathe heavily into her mouth. She deepened the kiss, slipping her tongue between his lips and drawing a groan from his mouth while her fingers edged further inside his slacks. With a loud gasp, he stilled her hand with his and broke their kiss. They both breathed heavily, their eyes hooded with desire.

"As much as I'd love to continue this, love, I'm afraid I'd fall asleep before I'd leave you sated." Regulus said, raising up to give a chaste kiss on her lips and resting back against the cushion, soothing his hands on her back and eyeing her sleepily.

Hermione blushed slightly at her wantonness. "What if we just slept?" She asked with a small smile as he kept caressing her.

He hummed in agreement, squeezing her tight against him as she lay her head upon his chest. They stayed in place for some time, and eventually Hermione stood up to let him sleep in peace while she wandered around in the library.

She eventually grabbed the book she had browsed the other week, about magical objects in wizarding history, and sat in an armchair next to Regulus, who was now sleeping soundly, curled her legs under her and let herself be absorbed in the book.

February 17th 1978 (Friday)

"Well, this isn't that bad, is it?" Lily asked as she came to stand next to Hermione in the corner. They were in Professor Slughorn's office, which was evidently enlarged with an extension charm, at a Valentine's party hosted by Professor Slughorn for his selected students and their dates, as well as some of his associates and former Slug Club members.

Hermione cringed. "I wouldn't be so sure of that," She said as she saw Slughorn eye around him in order to introduce one of his club members to Tiberius Ogden, a member of the Wizengamot. She let out a sigh of relief when Slughorn managed to catch Regulus for the purpose, and supressed a smile when she saw the young Slytherin greet the older man rather stiffly. It wasn't that their Professor's intentions were bad in any way, because his students could derive a benefit from the connections they made at his parties, but since Hermione tried to avoid any attention, she was glad that Slughorn was focusing on someone else. Also, she hadn't still quite recovered from the last party, where she had been at the centre of his attention for the most part of the night.

Lily huffed as she saw James gulp down a glass of Firewhiskey. "He's had far too many of those. I already had to stop him from advancing Severus. Who knows what he'll do next…" She grumbled next to Hermione, her eyes narrowed at her boyfriend who was busy filling his glass at the drinks table.

"How did he take it, by the way?" Hermione asked, her eyes still glued on Regulus. He gave her subtle but heated glances at her every now and then, and she felt her pulse quicken.

Luckily Lily didn't notice. "Take what?"

Hermione cleared her throat and turned to Lily. "That you're friends with Snape?" She asked pointedly.

Lily blushed. "I'm not friends with him. We only met once in the library, where you and your…boytoy left us to survive by ourselves. You know, when you went to make out with him behind the bookshelves," She said with a knowing smirk.

It was Hermione's time to blush.

"No, James doesn't know. But if I will see Sev again, or spend time with him, I will tell James." Lily said simply. "Now…if you would excuse me, I have to go restrain my boyfriend before he's completely inebriated and makes an arse of himself," Lily said tightly and strolled towards James with a stern look in her eyes.

Hermione was about to make her way towards the drinks table to fill her goblet with elderflower wine, but just as she was walking across the room, she heard Slughorn hiccupping happily from the other side of the room and wondering loudly 'where the young Miss Dumbledore had run off'. With a wince, she quickly slipped behind the emerald green and golden drapes that hung from the ceiling, creating small alcoves or private nooks in the corners. She peeked through the curtains, and to her relief, their Professor had found another student to present to his guests.

"Should I announce that you're hiding back here?" A voice murmured behind her.

She jolted with surprise and turned around. "Don't sneak up on me like that!" She hissed, but her expression softened when Regulus pulled her against him, eyeing her with hunger.

Her insides clenched deliciously as his fingers traced her hips. Regulus leaned in to close his mouth over hers in a heated kiss. She sighed into his mouth, and his fingers rubbed her waist, her hips, and continued to knead her bum. There was something barely contained in his touch, as if any minute he might somehow lose control of himself. His kisses were gentle and soft, but hard and demanding at the same time. Hermione thought briefly that she could very easily get lost in him.

"Circe…" He gasped, breaking their kiss and moving his lips against her neck. "I want you…I want you so fucking much…" He whispered, his breath hitting her neck in warm puffs.

Hermione squirmed at his words and rolled her hips against him, drawing out a strained groan from his mouth. Safe to say the feeling was mutual.

"I want you too," She whispered, her one hand tangled in his hair, and the other slowly making its way downwards, towards the bulging in his slacks. The party was in a full swing behind them, and occasionally they could hear a burst of laughter, or clinking of goblets.

"Ah…" Regulus breathed as her fingers gently squeezed his hardness. He nipped her neck, and Hermione let out an embarrassingly loud whimper.

She quickly broke off their embrace, blushing furiously. "W-We're in the middle of a party," She stammered, shocked by her own behaviour.

Regulus smirked, his cheeks flushed and his eyes dark. "So it seems."

Hermione huffed. "Don't look at me like that," She said breathlessly. His gaze was so intense, so filled with need, that she wanted nothing more than to undress him and jump on him.

"Like what?" He asked innocently and took a step closer. His lips pressed against hers as his fingers brushed her breasts. Hermione arched into him, letting out a breathy sigh.

"Let's go somewhere…okay?" She whispered against his neck as his hands continued palming her breasts.

"Where?" He asked hoarsely.

"Your library…Your bedroom…" She breathed, biting her lip in hesitation.

Regulus pulled her slightly away from him and stared into her eyes. "You sure?" He asked with a careful look.

Hermione nodded.

"Okay then. Let's get the fuck out of here," He said harshly and pulled her with him.

Hermione stopped in her tracks. "Wait! We can't just leave, everyone will see! And if someone sees us wandering through the halls, we're probably going to receive detention!" She hissed to him.

She took her beaded bag and rifled through it for a moment. Regulus stared at her with interest but said nothing as she pulled a silky material from it.

"What is it?"

"Something you're going to forget you ever saw," She said and gave him a stern look.

His mouth curved up. "Okay."

She threw the invisibility cloak over them and they made their way towards the seventh floor.

After entering the room, which was morphed into the Grimmauld Place library, Hermione stood next to Regulus, feeling nervous as she didn't quite know how to proceed now.

"Hermione…" Regulus muttered quietly while his eyes looked at her searchingly, hungrily. He took her hand and tugged her closer to him.

She placed her palms flat against his chest as his hands slid over her hips.

Regulus leaned forward and pressed his lips against her mouth, parting them with his tongue, tasting her. Hermione let out a breathy sigh as his hands moved to pull up the hem of her dress and caress the backs of her thighs, his fingers skimming over her knickers. He pressed her closer to him, and Hermione could feel him hard against her hip. He groaned as he involuntarily thrusted against her, earning a gasp from her lips before she slid her fingers up his chest, around his neck and through his silky black locks. Hermione curled her fingers around his hair, fisting it when he squeezed her bum, and drawing out a low groan from his mouth.

He kissed her harder, each sweep of his tongue and touch of his lips with a growing desire. His hands came to her front, reaching under the hem of her dress. His knuckles grazed over the bare skin of her belly and his fingers tickled their way up. Hermione shivered at his touch, moaned when he cupped her breasts and caressed them through her bra. Then he pulled her dress off with a swift move and opened her bra while he leaned in to suck her bottom lip, occasionally sweeping his tongue against hers. She was breathless, her head was spinning, and she tried to hold on as he slowly but surely made her skin sing and her heart race.

Regulus broke the kiss and slowly stripped her loosely hanging bra off. He sucked in a breath as his gaze dropped on her breasts, his mouth curving a bit. Hermione blushed under his gaze and swallowed deeply before she reached for his shirt. He gave her a quick smile before he hastily rid himself off from his clothes. She didn't have time to admire his naked body before he dropped his head on her chest and closed his lips around her aching nipple while plucking and pinching the other one with his fingers. With each flick of his tongue or a brush of his fingers on her breasts, she felt herself wound tighter, and the heat pool low in her belly, making her shake with need.

"Oh gods…" She moaned with a breathy voice.

He hummed against her breasts, lowering his other hand between her thighs. She instinctively spread her legs for him, giving him access. As he slowly caressed her thighs and her core through her knickers, he lifted his mouth up to hover against hers, his eyes hooded with need, his lips swollen from kissing her.

"Make love to me." She whispered against his mouth, summoning all the courage she had in her.

He gave a yearning sigh. "Are you sure?" He murmured, his eyes examining hers.

"Yes." She breathed. "More sure than I have ever been."

February 18th 1978 (Saturday)

Hermione woke up the next morning, stretching her body and feeling a slight soreness in the junction of her thighs. Other than that, she felt quite sated, like something was fulfilled. Someone was embracing her from her back, and a delicious feeling was starting to grow under her waist as the hands that were wound around her started leisurely caressing her, the fingertips skimming the nest of curls below her belly. Images from last night began to flood into her mind. Her eyes slammed open as she heard Regulus let out a small groan against her neck.

"Reg?" She asked anxiously.

"Mmmhmm?" He voiced against her, his hands dipping lower against her naked body.

"Regulus!"

"Yes, love?" He mumbled with a sleepy voice. She could feel him hard against her bum. A delightful shiver ran through her, but she shook the feeling off quickly.

"It's morning. We've slept through the night," She said impatiently as she took his hands in hers, stopping his ministrations.

"W-what?" He mumbled. "Fuck." He said with a clearer voice, prodding himself quickly up with one arm and looking down at her with a startled look.

She turned on her back to look back at him, chewing her lip with worry. "Where's my wand?" She muttered and searched it with her gaze around the room. She spotted it on the nightstand and grabbed it, quickly casting the tempus spell.

"Godric…It's eight in the morning!" She winced. "…Everyone will notice I haven't slept in my bed." She said with a slight panic in her voice, looking back at Regulus helplessly. "What will we do?" She cried in panic.

He smiled and looked at Hermione with his eyes sleepy and his hair tousled. Hermione couldn't help but think how incredibly adorable he looked right in that moment.

"Calm down, love. Let's just go to breakfast, yeah?" He said and tucked a curl behind her ear. When she didn't give any signs of relaxing, he continued. "Just go to the Great Hall and tell your friends that you stopped by the library on your way back from Slughorn's party and accidentally fell asleep in there," He said with a shrug. "I mean…It's almost the truth," He said and smirked as he looked back to the Grimmauld Place library from the open door of his bedroom.

"We can't just go there together," She said incredulously, looking at him like he was out of his mind.

"We're not. I'll go after you." He smiled and leaned to kiss her mouth.

After a quick shower and a change of clothes, Hermione walked down from the Gryffindor Tower, and into the Great Hall. The room was filled with delicious smells of breakfast, and the cheerful chatter of students who were waiting eagerly for the upcoming Quidditch match was blaring throughout the large room. Hermione slipped into an empty seat, trying to be subtle and sit as far away from Sirius and Remus as possible, as she knew they'd probably smell the last night's activities on her right away, regardless that she had showered and changed clothes. Bloody heightened sense of smell. At least she wasn't going to take any risks.

"Where've you been, Hermione? We were really worried!" Lily said with a mix of concern and scold in her voice as she saw Hermione take a seat next to a couple of fourth year girls who were sitting near their group. "Come here, we'll make room for you," She said and gestured for the boys to move.

Great. Hermione thought wryly as she stood up and took a seat between Peter and Remus. Hermione tried to keep a convincing smile on her face as she sat down and looked at everyone.

"I just woke up in the library!" She said quickly, before any of her friends had time to open their mouths, trying to sound and look embarrassed but convincing. "I left the party early yesterday and, on my way back to the tower, I just had to check something from a book in the library, so I went there and I don't know…I must've fallen asleep." She wondered aloud while the others stared at her in a mix of amusement and surprise, chuckling at her misstep.

James snickered at her from opposite to her. "You really ought to learn how to take a breather every now and then, Hermione," He said and smirked at her dishevelled appearance. She hadn't had the time to wash her hair, and reckoned it probably resembled an eagle's nest. Hermione briefly narrowed her eyes at James but turned soon to look at her plate.

Remus turned sharply towards her, his nostrils flaring a bit, with an alarmed look on his face. Hermione glanced at him and grimaced inwardly. Oh, merlin…he knows.

"Who were you with?" Remus asked nonchalantly as he poured her tea. Sirius and James watched her carefully.

"Thank you. Oh. No one. Just me." She said with a tight smile. Remus lifted his brows at her a bit, but said nothing and turned back to the conversation that had been flowing before Hermione sat with them. The boys were placing small bets on who would win today's match.

"Well, I think it's quite obvious. Hufflepuff's gonna win this time." Sirius stated beside James. "Ravenclaw's team is shite."

"Yeah, Pads, but their Seeker is faster than Hufflepuff's." Remus argued as he took another toast from the large tray. Sirius looked at Remus and contemplated the fact for a while before glancing at Hermione and frowning.

After a moment his focus was back on his friend and he shrugged. "I guess we'll see Moony," He said with a smirk.

As the boys left towards the Quidditch pitch, Hermione glanced at the Slytherin table, where Regulus was sitting. His hair and clothing were neatly fixed up, as usual, and the only telling fact, what differed from his everyday appearance, was the subtle rose on his cheeks. She could only hope no one managed to put two and two together.

"And the Quaffle is in possession of Annie Jones of Ravenclaw, and she's moving really fast towards the Hufflepuff goal posts," Jackson Abbott, a sixth year Hufflepuff and the Quidditch commentator yelled to the magical megaphone.

"Neat pass to Mark McAdams, back to Jones and – no, Hufflepuff has taken the Quaffle, Hufflepuff Chaser Jordan Barnett gains the Quaffle and off he goes – he's going to score – aaand HUFFLEPUFF SCORES!"

Hufflepuff cheers filled the cold February air, along with the booing sounds made by the Ravenclaw supporters.

Hermione sat with her housemates on one of the Quidditch stands with James, Sirius, Remus and Peter on the front row, and the girls behind them on the second row. Lily glanced at her direction every now and then more than once from the corner of her eye, but said nothing. When the redhead looked at her for what must have been the fifth time, Hermione rolled her eyes and turned towards her.

"What is it, Lils?" She asked quietly. Hermione sat next to the aisle, on the last seat, with only Lily beside her.

Lily arched a brow at her. "You weren't at the library, right?" She said with a knowing voice.

Hermione blushed slightly. "No. But don't tell anyone, okay?" She whispered hastily.

Lily merely smirked at her and nodded, turning her eyes ahead when James turned to look at them.

"Oi, less talking and more focusing on what's important," He quipped before he turned back to watch the game.

Hermione heaved a sigh and her gaze wandered over the stands. She spotted Regulus on the next stand, not far from them. His head was turned slightly towards her, and his eyed fixed at her. She instantly felt herself flush red as the memories from last night started to play loop in her head. He gave her a heated look and she could only guess he probably thought the same things she did.

"Ravenclaw in possession," The commentator spoke, and Hermione turned back to the game, but not before she saw Sirius's eyes settling over where she had just looked. He moved his gaze to Hermione, and eyed her – she saw revelation in his eyes.

Shit. She thought as she averted her eyes from Sirius's, frowning at the pitch but not really noticing the game going on in there.

"Barnett dodges a Bludger and speeds towards the Ravenclaw goal posts,"

"Aaand HUFFLEPUFFS SCORE AGAIN! The game is now 100 to 30, for Hufflepuff," The commentator declared, while Hufflepuff supporters cheered wildly.

She was so lost in her thoughts, that she missed it when the Snitch was caught by the Ravenclaw Seeker, making the points turn in their favour. As Ravenclaw supporters cheered and screamed throughout the pitch, Hermione only hoped she could leave as quickly as possible.

Ravenclaw Quidditch team had decided to set up a party in their common room, and all houses were invited. Hermione found herself standing next to the bar, eyeing the people around her and sipping her Butterbeer. There were many students from every house, sans Slytherin of course, and everyone was having fun with each other, regardless of the rather intense Quidditch game between the two opponents.

She saw Mary and Alice on the makeshift dancefloor with a couple of Ravenclaw girls from their year, as well as a group of boys who were watching their dancing appreciatively. Hermione bit back a grin as she saw Mary rolling her eyes and pulling Alice closer to her on the dancefloor. Lily and Marlene were laughing with James and Remus near the fireplace, along with a number of Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. On another set of armchairs near the entrance, a slightly raunchy version of the game spin the bottle took place between some Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors. Hermione pursed her lips in distaste and turned her eyes elsewhere.

There had to be a charm to expand the common room set up in order to accumulate all of them, as she knew it couldn't have been this large normally. There were several sitting areas, a large dancefloor and several secluded reading nooks behind large bookshelves, not to mention the drinks table, which was actually an imitation of a bar, with barstools and everything. She was quite impressed by the spellwork but reckoned that the Ravenclaws knew their business.

"So…where's my brother?" Sirius asked as he took a drink from the table and came to stand next to her, his eyes trained on the dancefloor.

Hermione tensed as she hadn't seen him approach her, and turned to look at him.

"I…I don't know," She said with a hint of hesitation.

He merely lifted a brow at her. "Don't play vague with me." He said and eyed her with a grim look.

She looked away and frowned at the awkwardness of the situation.

"Are you a couple now?" He asked while still staring at her with an inscrutable expression.

"No." Hermione said quickly, turning to him again. She bit her lip. "But there…there is something between us." She said uneasily. She saw him narrow his eyes only slightly, the stony expression almost intact.

"Figured. You having sex with him?" He asked harshly, his eyes hard.

Hermione flinched.

"I see how it is," He muttered, downing the shot of Firewhiskey he had in his hands.

"Sirius, I – "

"Don't, Hermione." He said quietly, shaking his head. She could see a hint of regret in his eyes. He put the empty glass on the table and turned to her. "You know, the past month…It's been killing me. I don't want us to be in bad terms." He said, looking at her with an contemplative expression.

Hermione nodded to him.

"Can we get along?" He asked while he studied her features with a small frown.

"You tell me. I've been only honest with you." Hermione said weakly.

Sirius lifted his brows a bit. "So, sneaking behind everyone's backs with your new boyfriend is the honesty you are speaking about?" He said dryly.

Hermione pressed her lips together. "Is it just because he's your brother that makes you bothered? Because if it's not, then… If I remember correctly, you were the one who moved on to a new girlfriend. Or several if the rumours are true…" She said sharply. She had seen and heard enough of his adventures after the school had started to know what she was talking about. Hermione suspected that some of it was probably because of her. A small part of her was bothered by his behaviour, and slightly hurt. But mostly she knew that it wasn't her business. Not anymore.

"Really? You're going to play morality police with me?" He asked with an arched brow. Hermione blushed.

"Thought so." He gave a faint smirk. "Well? Friends?"

"Yeah, I'd like that," Hermione said sincerely.

He nodded.

It was quite awkward, being with him, talking with him, even though they'd agreed to get along. Or so Hermione reckoned. Luckily Lily soon came over to save her, dragging her onto the dancefloor with her. While she wasn't the dancing kind of partier, she ended up having fun dancing with the girls.

As the girls had to eventually take a break from all the physical efforts, they retreated towards a set of vacant sofas near the spiral staircase that led up to the Ravenclaw dormitories.

"Who do you reckon that is?" Alice wondered after plopping down on the sofa and eyeing at the marble statue near on their left.

The others looked at the direction she was staring.

"That's Rowena Ravenclaw." Hermione said matter-of-factly, eyeing the statue of a beautiful, albeit strict looking witch. "What? I read it somewhere," She said innocently, as the others looked at her with their brows lifted. "You can identify her from the Diadem, as well as the fact that the statue is situated at the Ravenclaw common room," Hermione said with a shrug.

Lily giggled. "A Diadem."

Hermione rolled her eyes as Mary and Alice snickered with Lily. Obviously, the girls had had several drinks more than she'd had, based on how they were acting like a group of ten-year-olds.

"What is a Diadem?" Mary asked with an amused frown, her words slurring a bit.

Lily snorted next to Hermione.

"It's like a tiara." Hermione said, eyeing the girls with an arched brow. "The legend says it is the Lost Diadem of the Ravenclaw," Hermione said, quoting it from the Hogwarts, A History. Then something hit her. The Lost Diadem of Ravenclaw. Bloody hell…As in, a lost relic. A powerful magical artefact.

Why hadn't she thought of it sooner? What if the Diadem was one of the Horcruxes? After all, Voldemort had already acquired something from Slytherin, as well as from Hufflepuff. What if she had just identified the final Horcrux? A shiver ran through her as she stared at the statue in a mix of wonder and shock.

"You read too much, Mione." Mary said with a grunt as she lifted her legs on the table in front of them.

Alice nodded in agreement beside her. "Even Lily isn't that bad." She quipped.

Lily narrowed her eyes. "Hey? I'm right here," She snapped, looking annoyed. Mary and Alice chuckled. Hermione frowned as she was trying to think of an excuse to leave the party early, so that she could go to Dumbledore and tell him about her revelation.

"And I'm not the one who's sleeping in the library to be the first one there in the morning," Lily said with a teasing grin, eyeing Hermione who blanched.

"I was not sleeping there on purpose." She grumbled.

Lily arched a brow at her. "Oh? Did you wake up sore?" She smirked as Hermione paled.

Oh, she had to hand it to her. She was good...

"I mean, those library chairs can be quite uncomfortable," Lily continuedwith a snicker, while Mary and Alice seemed oblivious to what she was really talking about.

Hermione rolled her eyes at Lily's words. She needed to make an excuse, now. "I need a drink," She muttered, standing up and heading towards the drinks table.

Only she didn't grab a drink, but made her way towards the entrance of the Ravenclaw common room.

"Hermione! Where d'ya think you're goin'?" James voiced and grabbed her hand before she had a chance to exit, whirling her back to him.

Hermione narrowed her eyes to him. "What are you doing?" She asked coldly.

James cringed slightly. "Okay, I deserve that…Look. I'm sorry…I've been a dickhead, and I'd like to be friends again." He said with a slightly slurred voice. "Will you forgive me?" He said, giving her a puppy eyed look.

Hermione's brows lifted. "This is the second time this night one of you comes to befriend me." She eyed him suspiciously. "Did Remus put you up to this?"

James gave her a sheepish look. "Yeah, well…we might've had a talk," He said with a small smirk.

Hermione nodded.

"So? Bygones be bygones?" He asked with a slowly widening grin, his eyes still resembling the eyes of a golden retriever puppy.

Hermione grumbled. "Okay, fine. I'll forgive you." She said with a tight smile.

"YESSSS!" James exclaimed, crushing her into a hug, giving her a kiss on the cheek and lifting her up. He spun her around once. Hermione screamed bloody murder, which gathered amused looks from the others, and with a chuckle he put her down.

"We have to celebrate this, come on," He said and started to drag her towards the drinks table, stumbling a little as he led them there through a group of Hufflepuffs.

Hermione muttered her protests and told him that she'd been about to leave the party.

James blanched. "No way," He said loudly in a mix of shock and amusement. "As I said before, Mione. If you wanna be a true Marauder, you'll need to lay back a bit." he said with a drunken grin, pouring two shots of Firewhiskey for them.

"But I don't want to be a Marauder." She said incredulously, while James ignored her protests and shoved the shot into her hands, grinning widely.

"Bottoms up," He said and waggled his brows and downed his shot.

Hermione rolled her eyes inwardly. This was not what she'd had in mind, damnit. With a sigh, she tipped the shot down her throat and put the empty glass down. James was smirking at her.

"Better?"

Hermione stared at him blankly. "Yeah, I guess." She said, even though she didn't quite catch his meaning.

"Okay then, one more. Then we dance, yeah?" He grinned. Hermione stared at him incredulously. Why was he bothering her like this? And how was she supposed to leave the party and go to the Headmaster if she reeked of Firewhiskey? She thought briefly and groaned inwardly as he tucked another shot into her hand, the liquid in his own glass sloshing a bit as he raised it towards her before tossing it down.

She knew she wasn't going to shake him before he was pleased, so she downed the shot, cursing James in her mind for screwing up her plans.

"Happy?" She snapped.

"Very," He laughed. "Now. Dancing." He said, putting their glasses away and pulling her to the dancefloor.

All the seventh year Gryffindors were there, along with several other partiers, and even if Hermione was annoyed that her plans had gone awry, she was slowly starting to enjoy herself. Perhaps it was the alcohol…Or the fact that she was surrounded by her friends, who all were having fun. Either way, she reckoned there was always the next day.

The rest of the evening went by quickly, and Hermione ended up stumbling back towards the Gryffindor tower long after curfew, at ungodly hours. Only Marlene had suspiciously disappeared on some point during the party, presumably not alone.

"Who do you reckon Marley was hooking up with this time?" James asked as they were walking up the staircase, Remus leading the group with a piece of parchment - their Map. The girls all had tried to have a look at it, to see what it was, but the boys maintained that if the girls wanted to gain something, they had to lose something. Which was their clothing. The girls had made disgusted noises, and Lily and Mary had both sent a pair of angry glares towards their boyfriends, who had merely shrugged innocently. In the end, the parchment and the boys' secrets were left with Remus, while the others followed obediently behind him.

"Dunno mate, probably some misguided Hufflepuff, as usual," Sirius said with laughter in his voice.

Lily narrowed her eyes to him. "That's our friend, who you are talking about," she said warningly. "And well…she dated you." She said pointedly.

"Ouch," Sirius said with a chuckle. "But since we are being truthful here, I reckon one would have a hard time finding someone as brilliant as me," He said and winked at Lily, who rolled her eyes at him.

James shook his head in amusement while Peter was walking sluggishly behind everyone, stumbling on the steps every now and then.

"Oh, I doubt that, Black." Lily scoffed.

"Really?" Sirius challenged, glancing at Hermione's direction, as if to point out she hadn't gotten further than his brother. Hermione was getting uncomfortable by the minute. She really didn't want to be involved to the conversation.

Luckily Sirius merely shrugged as they neared the portrait hole to the Gryffindor Tower. After entering their dark and empty common room, they bid each other good night before disappearing to their respective dorms.