A large eagle owl swooped down towards Hermione at breakfast several days later.
"Why's Sirius writing to you?" Harry asked curiously.
Hermione shrugged, "I asked him a question about a problem I've been having." she replied vaguely. "He seemed the logical choice surprisingly. I imagine this is his response."
"What problem?"
"Nothing you need to worry about." she smiled placatingly, kicking herself for not coming up with a story beforehand. Briefly, she wondered when she had become this ridiculous, she had been known for always being prepared and she was slipping at the worst possible moment! Silently resolving to up her game immediately, she resumed her breakfast.
Harry lowered his voice, glancing around them quickly to ensure they couldn't be overhead. "Is this to do with your thing with Nott, Hermione?"
Hermione froze. "What?"
"Come on. You're my best friend, you didn't think I'd notice? And…if you had to speak to anyone about surviving disownment, Sirius makes sense."
"Oh my Gods." she breathed looking at him in stunned disbelief. "Who else knows?"
"What? No one! I figured you'd tell us when you were ready."
"Harry," she replied urgently. "You cannot mention this to anyone. His father….well let's just say his father would see me as a removable obstacle."
"Removable obstacle." Harry repeated faintly before understanding dawned "You mean he'd murder you?" He hissed, his face paling. "Merlin Hermione, what the fuck are you doing?"
"I can't talk about this here! Meet me in the room of requirement before dinner. And Harry. For fucks sake, keep your mouth shut until then!"
Harry blanched at her tone and unusual use of profanity, before nodding. Whatever this was it was serious.
Theo caught up with her before lunch, hauling her into an alcove when no one was looking.
"What happened with Potter at breakfast?"
Hermione closed her eyes and resigned herself to the inevitable. "We haven't been as discreet as we thought. Harry knows about us."
"What?" Theo yelped.
"You heard me. The most unobservant boy in Hogwarts knows. Fuck Theo what if other people know?" Her breath began coming in small pants as terror swept through her.
"Hey, hey. It's going to be alright. We just need to be more careful. If anyone else knew they'd have said something or my father would have said something. Maybe Potter is more observant than you give him credit for."
Hermione tried to breathe slowly, logic returning to her as she remembered the fucking map. She was going to murder Harry for scaring her like this. "Or he has a fucking map of the castle and its inhabitants." Hermione snarled, "How the fuck could I have forgotten the map?"
"Hermione, sweetling." Theo began hesitantly, "What map?"
"Gods I don't have time to explain this now, we need to get to lunch." she snapped, "I'm meeting him in the room of requirement before dinner. Meet us there, I'll make him explain. For fucks sake though, be discreet."
Theo nodded, wide-eyed, wondering what had happened to his usually composed girlfriend. He could only imagine the matching looks of astonishment on the twin's faces if they could hear their mother cursing. The thought almost made him smile.
"Right, Hermione, are you going to explain now?" Harry asked impatiently as Hermione paced.
"In a minute," she murmured, almost sagging with relief when Theo crept through the door.
"Nott!" Harry exclaimed, his face hard, "What the fuck is he doing here? Were we not just discussing how his father would fucking murder you at breakfast?"
Theo held up his hands placatingly. "As true as that probably is, we're working on a plan."
"With Sirius?"
"Hopefully." Hermione supplied, "You threw me off so much this morning that I haven't actually opened his letter."
"Well opening it now!" Harry demanded, "I'd feel better if someone was helping."
"Someone is helping," Hermione replied softly, "Professor Snape and Professor Dumbledore are aware and have agreed to help."
Harry slumped with relief. "Jesus Hermione, could you not have led with that and spared me the heart attack at the thought that my best friend was about to be fucking murdered?"
Hermione shrugged, "Perhaps don't blindside me in the Great Hall in future."
Harry glowered at her, ignoring him, she opened Sirius' letter. It was short, two lines long stating that he'd be arriving tomorrow at Hogwarts, bidding her to meet him in the Headmaster's office at two and asking her to request Albus open his floo.
"Well?"
"He's coming tomorrow," Hermione replied, her mind whirling as she considered how best to play their next move.
"I'll come with you," Harry stated as if daring them to argue. Theo shot her a panicked look.
"You can't," Hermione said softly, reaching out to squeeze his hand. "We would all be conspicuous in our absence."
"Less than if you two just disappeared on your own, they're hardly likely to accuse us of forming a triad."
Theo snorted. "You're very much not my type Potter. Although, he has a point sweetling."
Hermione's eyes flew to him. "What?"
"How much is Black going to push to include him regardless?"
Hermione hesitated. "What about Blaise?"
Theo frowned, "Blaise?" Hermione raised her eyebrows pointedly waiting until she saw comprehension dawning on Theo's face. "Snape's going to fucking murder us you know?" he groaned.
"We can't just leave out one."
Theo hesitated. "I think we need to sound out Draco. He'll have more of an idea of how he'll take it. It could put it all at risk."
"Is someone going to explain what the fucks going on?" Harry interjected. "What the fuck have Malfoy and Zabini got to do with anything?"
"It's…complicated." Hermione hedged. "Fine, sound out Draco. Perhaps there's someone else we need to speak to?"
It took Theo a moment before he nodded, "Tonight?"
Hermione hummed, "You, I think, rather than me."
"Now?" he sighed.
"I think it's best, don't you?"
"Very well. Meet me back here after dinner and hopefully, I'll have some answers."
Sighing Theo dropped an absentminded kiss on her forehead and left in search of Draco and Cassius.
"Right, so, you're going to explain that right?"
Hermione sighed, "Look, this thing is bigger than Theo and I and I can't currently give you answers until Theo has spoken to who he needs to speak to. I don't like lying to you but….if anything got back to the wrong person, a lot of people could get seriously hurt."
"Hermione?" Harry asked with concern, "How bad is this?"
Hermione let out a slightly hysterical little laugh, "Gods Harry, worse than anything you could ever imagine."
Harry reached for her as the tears started, pulling her to him and murmuring soothing nonsense. He loved this girl like a sister, the thought of anything happening to her sent jolts of fear through him like nothing he'd ever experienced. She was going to be alright. She had to be.