The owl returned shortly after her dinner, clutching a folded piece of parchment that it was more than happy to trade for the owl treats Hermione always kept on hand. She gently scratched the owl just below its beak before it flew to rejoin the other postal owls that the Leaky Cauldron employed for its guests.
Sirius' handwriting was surprisingly elegant, in direct contrast to his brash nature. Probably a byproduct of all that Pureblood upbringing, Hermione mused to herself. Some things you just carry with you, no matter how hard you try to get rid of it. She was so distracted by the beauty of his penmanship that she almost forgot to actually read what was on the paper before her.
Hermione,
I have to admit that I'm a little surprised to hear from you, especially to ask to stay at Grimmauld. Merlin knows, you must be quite desperate to want to willingly spend time in that hovel. Unless of course, you're just eager to see me? I can't say that I blame you, I certainly am quite the catch.
Hermione rolled her eyes, almost hearing the confident drawl of the Marauder's voice as he flirted shamelessly. He was like that with all the girls from the Order, even poor Mrs Weasley whose face often turned a bright red rivalling her signature Weasley hair whenever Sirius began one of his, uh, conversations.
As much as I would love to tell you that you're always welcome at that hellhole, unfortunately, we have all unofficially abandoned the place. With Dumbledore gone, the Fidelius is a little vulnerable, especially since that slimy git knows exactly where it is. We've temporarily moved all business to the Burrow.
As for me, I'm currently shacking up with our all-time favourite wolf at his house. I talked with him & he's more than happy to have you here as well. There's more than enough space here, & we'd be delighted to have some company that isn't quite as grey-haired.
If you're alright with hanging around these two old dogs, then just send an owl back. The house is Secret-Kept, so Moony can come to collect you from London around noon.
We look forward to spending time with our favourite witch. See you soon, Hermione.
Yours faithfully,
Your favourite Marauder
Hermione hadn't considered that Grimmauld could be compromised. Her stomach lurched as she thought of the black-clad Head of Slytherin they had all trusted with their lives. Hermione herself had defended Professor Snape on many occasions, fully believing that he was fully on their side. The image of Dumbledore's marble tomb flickered through her head as she thought of how wrong they had all been.
She pushed aside the lingering grief to focus on how to respond to Sirius' offer. Well, Remus' really. She wondered why she hadn't thought to ask him in the first place. Remus & she had become quite close friends after all, during all their research together.
She was a little reluctant to accept the offer, not wanting to impose on the sweet werewolf, but realised she had no other choice. She needed to be somewhere close to the Order, but if she went to the Burrow now, the Weasleys would drive her insane. Ginny had already written to tell her that Molly was micromanaging every aspect of the wedding, dragging each of her children into various tasks.
While Hermione loved Molly & the Weasleys as a whole, right now she needed to be somewhere she could have some peace. With her parents out of the picture, her heart ached at the thought of being around the happy family. It was why she hadn't told anyone what she had done yet either. She knew that once the news was out, she would be surrounded by all her friends smothering her, trying to make her feel better. She wasn't ready for that yet. At least with the two Marauders, they would leave her to her own devices for the most part.
So, Hermione picked up her quill to pen a short affirmative response to Sirius, then realised that she had already sent the owl back down. Not wanting to hunt down another owl this late in the evening, she decided to just send her letter a little earlier in the morning, to give Remus enough time to come down to meet her.
Her tasks done for the day, Hermione changed into her pyjamas, brushed her teeth, & climbed into the comfortable twin bed provided in her room. Exhausted as she was by the events of the day, it didn't take long for her to fall asleep. For once, she slept peacefully, dream-free, her mind finally taking a much-needed rest.
Author's note: I had to break this part up into 2 chapters to keep things at a consistent length. Plus, the story naturally trailed off here. I want to apologise for the inconsistent posting. I'm not the best at keeping to a schedule on the creative side. I promise to aim for a chapter a week, but I'm sorry in advance.