DISCLAIMER. None of the characters used are a creation of mine. They belong solely to JK Rowling.
Hermione had been sitting on her desk, penning down a letter to Lily during the middle of the summer holidays.
.. Of course if you'd prefer, I could ask Rabastan to accompany me to your home someday to erect some wards around the property. However that would require a prior meeting at the Ministry. We can't have them think that you've been performing underage magic.
But rest assured, leave the task entirely up to me. I shall do everything I can to help keep your family safe.
Forever true
Hermione
Lately, Lily had been quite unsettled at the prospect of losing her family. Attacks on muggles were so random and so often.
Hermione understood it all too well. She too, had felt the same fear for her family once very long ago. She had been so terrified that she had altered their memories and sent them so far away from her and yet.. they couldn't escape death. It had caught onto them and claimed their lives for itself. They had died thinking there was nobody left behind to miss them.. thinking they had no daughter.
She had no recollection of Harry ever confiding in her about the fate of his grandparents and so was completely at a loss of what was to happen to the Evans. But she would not take risks. She would do everything she could to ensure their safety for as long as it lasted. She owed it to Lily.
She owed it to Harry.
Her devotion to him had never wavered despite his absence for the last six years. In fact it had only strengthened. Nothing in this world could shake off Hermione's fierce dedication to her best friend. She would go down fighting for him. She would die before she let anything happen to him.
Nobody could ever count up to what Harry was to her. A friend. A brother.
Family.
Her training in the Dark Arts had continued and ended only a week before. She could say she knew curses that could make a man beg for death. Her expertise was in curses that aimed at prolonging torture. It almost made her shiver in fear for herself. After all that she had learned, she felt no ounce of regret in knowing that she would be putting these spells to use very often.
Papa had been quick to reassure her.
'It is always our freewill that dictates our path for us, child.' He had said, 'No amount of knowledge could ever sway you into the Dark if your heart remained pure.'
It truly terrified her some days. After having caused so much pain how could she have ever retained her innocence. She had killed. She had sinned against Nature.
She had been forced to grow up too fast. Her childhood had been taken away from her the very day the Fates had decided to put her with Harry and Ron. But never was there a moment when she regretted it. She never would. They were the best thing to have happened to her.
Hermione shook her head and let go of the memories that threatened to devour her. It wouldn't do well to fall prey to the most harrowing events of her life. They would draw her in and never let her come back out. It had taken her two full years to recuperate just enough to show any resemblance to normalcy the first time around.
To go through it again would be a hellish affair. Especially when a certain band of Marauders was going to be visiting the next day.
The visit was not less than impromptu. James had written to Papa seeking permission. He had mentioned something of grave importance that must be discussed among the friends immediately.
Hermione had laughed at his sense of propriety. He had decided to write to her grandfather instead of herself. It had left papa incredibly pleased and Rab a little too amused.
Hermione floated down the steps and entered the living room. She was currently alone at the manor. Papa and Rab were both away at work.
Rab had only just finished with his studies and had already taken off most of Papa's workload off of him. This had taken quite a few years off of Papa.
Hermione picked up the The Daily Prophet and browsed through the front page which sported an all too familiar sight of the Dark Mark looming overhead a small cottage that had belonged to the Blythe family. They had been half bloods and had invoked the wrath of Voldemort. She read through the article and found out their funeral would be held a week from now.
Hermione almost felt the walls around her crumple. It was so ominous of the times she had faced in the future.
Funeral after funeral. Each death more dreadful than the last. She had lost count only after having been to a twenty or so.
A tear traced the skin of her cheek and fell onto her fingertips that were white from holding the paper too tight.
He had crept upon them. He had twisted the little sense of safety they had felt and feasted upon their despair.
That vile, vile man.
Oh, how she wished to crush his skull by her bare hands. If only she could..
But before she could finish that train of thought, she was interrupted by a sudden green light in the fireplace as a very disgruntled Sirius Black stumbled out of it.
Hermione rushed to his side, 'I thought we were meeting tomorrow.'
Sirius shrugged, 'Things got a little ugly back home. I needed to.. leave for a while. I would have gone to James but the Potters are doing so much for me already and I just didn't want to impose. I am always at their place during Christmas and for Easter too. Sometimes I feel like such a burden. I have nowhere to go, 'Mi, so I just yelled the first place that came to my mind and I'm so sorry to have appeared out of the blue but..'
Hermione shushed him by waving a hand in front of him. 'Its okay. Papa did say you were always welcome. You can spend the night.'
She guided him towards the sofa and the two sat side by side as Blinky served them tea and biscuits.
She let him stay quiet for the longest time, understanding his need for silence. Sometimes it was the only thing that could mend things.
Only when the two Lestrange men returned in the evening did Sirius seem to shake himself out of the trance he was in.
He got up on his feet and bowed with the courtesy ingrained into him since childhood. As much as he acted like a spoiled kid, wearing leather jackets and perusing Muggle things nobody could ever deny the Pureblood in him.
It was in the very way he walked, the way he held himself. He oozed aristocracy and he could never change that about himself. No matter how much he tried he would always be the heir to the Noble House of Black.
Papa looked thrilled. He patted Sirius on his back and made small talk before retiring to his chambers for a while before dinner was served.
Rab commented, 'You look a little shaken up, Sirius. Perhaps, I should ask for a Proper Up potion to be brought. Would that be alright?'
Sirius looked gratefully at him and nodded. Gulping the potion down he ran a hand tiredly through his hair and let out a sigh.
'Rab, may I rest in my room for a bit?'
Rab nodded curtly and watched as Sirius bounded up the stairs to the room he had usually stayed in when he had been a child.
'I wonder what Walburga did this time. The poor boy.'
Hermione shrugged and decided to visit the kitchens.
'Blinky.. can you help me out a little, please?'
Blinky bowed her head so low that the tip of her nose almost touched the floor.
'But you can't tell anyone about it, okay?'
Blinky looked a little hesitant and threaded her fingers together, 'Missy Hermy, what is it?'
'Well.. can you get me a bottle of Firewhisky.. please?' Hermione begged.
Blinky really didn't want to but her nature demanded it of her and so acquiesced albeit very reluctantly.
'Remember, Blinky. You mustn't tell anyone.'
She left the kitchens and climbed up the stairs coming to a halt before the door to Sirius' room.
She rapped onto it lightly and waited. When Sirius didn't respond she knocked again but there was still no movement from within.
She sighed and muttered a quick, 'Alohomora!'
Entering the room she saw that the curtains had been draped across the large French windows and the room was drowning in darkness.
As her eyes adjusted to the dark, she found Sirius sprawled onto his bed, his head resting on his arms as he stared at the ceiling.
She moved to sit beside him.
Hermione squeezed his hand, 'You don't have to explain. We're family here. We understand.'
Sirius looked pleadingly at Hermione, 'He's always listened to you. Will you talk to him? Please? Reggie's .. he's getting so far away from me.'
Hermione leaned into his side, hugging him lightly, 'What happened?'
'Mother wants me to join him. That pathetic Dark Lord she keeps on preaching. Apparently he likes to herd the young lot. How ridiculous! I'd personally go for the wisened wizard, myself.'
He snorted, 'I know I've stuck for this long but I can't do this. This is.. unacceptable. I've tried to make things work but I cannot .. will not give up on my beliefs. If I'm going to be fighting this war I'll be fighting for the right side.'
Hermione looked at him, her eyes brimming with emotions Sirius couldn't name. Here he was, nothing more than a fifteen year old boy so excited at the prospect of war when one day he could very easily lose everything.
When one day he really had.
'But if I refuse.. the responsibility will fall in his hands. Bella made that very clear last night when she visited.' He whispered, broken. 'He's my little brother. I'm supposed to take care of him, not push him into such jarring situations.'
'You need to think about yourself too, Sirius. You'd be killing yourself if you signed up. You could never hurt an innocent soul. You don't have it in you.'
'And what about Reg?' He asked, propping himself on his elbows. 'Does he? If I run away from this.. she'll turn him. Once and for all. I can already sense the growing darkness in him. He's gotten so..'
'Your brother is strong. You can't make his choices. He will have to take his decisions for himself.'
'But he doesn't know right from the wrong! He's a child!' Sirius yelled.
'No more than you.' Hermione whispered. 'You are nothing more than a child yourself. You have to stop beating yourself for his actions. I understand your need to protect him. I know your loyalty knows no bounds but do you honestly have it in you to take the Dark Mark? Will you ever be able to live with yourself if you did?'
Sirius remained quiet, listening to the sounds of her breathing.
'Here, I got you this.' Hermione dropped the liquor onto his lap.
He smirked, 'Look at that, you've been tainted by the company you keep, Miss Lestrange,' he uncorked the bottle and gulped down huge amounts that Hermione could never even dream of attempting.
He slumped into the bedspread and laughed humourlessly. 'I hate them. I hate that sodding fellow. As soon as I get out of Hogwarts I'm signing up to be an Auror. I'll get as many of those pricks as I can. Turn them to Azkaban and see them getting their soul sucked.'
Hermione winced at the memory of a much older Sirius, with eyes so haunted it could make any man quiver in fear, lying half dead as a Dementor hovered over him, his soul a pearly white in the darkness.