Hermione walked down the path towards Hogsmeade. It was Valentine's Day weekend which saw much of the student body coupled up on the brisk mid-winter holiday. She had to suppress rolling her eyes at a giggling Lavender Brown who walked ahead of her, hanging on the arm of some seventh year Ravenclaw boy. The flirty girl had spent a full hour and a half getting ready only to don a thick coat, complete with a Gryffindor scarf and gloves.
For once Hermione was alone. Her usual companions had other engagements that kept them separated for the time being. Ron had Quidditch practice for the upcoming game against Hufflepuff so he was staying behind at the castle; Harry – who had been banned from quidditch by Umbridge after an explosive moment involving Malfoy and the twins – was on a date with Cho; and Hermione wasn't the kind of girl who boys asked out on dates, especially Valentine's day dates. So, she was left to her own devices until it was time to meet up with Luna and Harry at the Three Broomsticks in a few hours for the interview, but until then she had to figure a way to occupy herself.
She never did end up getting a response from Sirius about coming down to visit them in the village. Much to her disappointment, she had to assume that he wasn't going to come today. Logically, it made sense. Even with the most thought out and carefully executed plan, it was still far more dangerous for him to leave the protections of Grimmauld Place than to sit tight where he was. But, she couldn't help but feel that it was a shame. She wanted to see him, and she wanted to get him out of the house and in the sun for a while. It hurt to think of him cooped up in that dusty old house, relying on others to stop by just to break up the day. She could see the strain of the isolation and cabin fever settling in on his face during their mirror nights, despite his best efforts to hide it from her.
There were also her less altruistic motives for wanting him to visit. She missed him, and she missed the safety she only seemed to feel when he was near her. He had, strangely, become her closest confidant. Someone she had shared fears and information that she dared not tell anyone else, not even Harry or Ron. Now there was a desperate desire in her heart to hold him close for a moment, and let herself have a second of reprieve from her inquietude.
After a while she made it to the village square. She stood there at the thawing fountain regretting that she had forgotten her own mittens, as the couples and groups ventured off to various pubs, cafés, and shops. A few even went down to the Shrieking Shack, to her amusement. She watched as a boy slid his arm around the shoulders of a nervous looking girl as they trekked down the path to the "haunted" house.
A few moments of contemplation was all she needed to decide to head to Tomes and Scrolls. Predictable for her but she realized that it was a golden opportunity to spend as much time in the bookstore as she liked, without having Ron or Harry getting bored and rushing her out to go to Zonko's.
She couldn't help but smile up at the hanging sign shaped like an open book outside the shop, as she entered into the quiet and nearly empty space. The old bell above the door chimed merrily, clashing with the quiet hush that naturally inhabited places like this.
"Hello. Are you looking for something I can help you find?" Asked a creaky voice.
Hermione started and looked around for the voice. Eventually she spotted graying, dirty blonde hair poking out from behind a pile of books over by the checkout desk. Although she craned her neck she couldn't find a good enough gap in the stacks to see more of the man.
"No, thank you. I'm just browsing," she said towards the desk.
A middle-aged man leaned around an elusive gap in the books on a wheeled, wooden desk chair, and looked her up and down over his glasses and seemingly came to some conclusion about her. He nodded to himself. "Let me know if you need help, dear," he said retreating behind his fort of thick dusty tomes.
She l went about perusing the books, starting in the front of the store – where new releases and consistently popular books were stored – and working her way towards the back containing increasingly niche subjects. She almost never got past the front room of the store and only occasionally was able to venture into the second room before her two best friends would grow restless after they exhausted all of the quidditch books.
Eventually she paused on a section on ornithology. She was pleasantly surprised to see a mix of texts on the subject of magical and non-magical birds including a few that overviewed both. It never ceased to amaze her how many fields of study there were, outside of the realm of Hogwarts' general academia.
She pulled a book at random and started scanning the pages, sinking down to sit on the floor. She didn't know how long she sat there reading, but eventually she was interrupted by someone clearing their throat. Somewhat startled, Hermione looked up to see the shopkeeper standing over her holding two mugs of something steaming. He looked at her a little awkwardly, shifting his weight from foot to foot.
"You've been sitting there for a while. So, I thought you'd like something to drink," he said handing her the mug.
"Oh! Thank you," she said, taking the mug from him. She couldn't help but be surprised. She had been in the store a number of times but had never exchanged more than common pleasantries with the proprietor, or seen him out from his fortress of books. He turned out to be a surprisingly tall man, though relatively thin, with a slightly hunched back – most likely from spending all of his time huddled over texts. He didn't wear robes like most of the people living in the village, but instead wore a pair of ink stained khakis, a collared shirt, and a brown, argyle, knit vest.
Glancing down at the cup in her hands she found cocoa with little marshmallows floating in it. She took a sip and enjoyed the warmth and sweetness resting on her tongue.
"It's very good," she complimented as the man awkwardly hovered over her.
"I didn't peg you as someone interested in birds," he said quietly, taking a sip of his own drink.
"I don't really have any special interest in birds," she replied as he crouched to look closer at the title. She closed it for him to see the cover, using a finger toward her place. "It just piqued my interest as I was looking through the shelves."
"Hm…" He hummed as he turned towards the shelf, his back hunched further over his knees as he poked a finger along the spines. After a moment he made a small noise of victory as he pulled a relatively slim book out of the shelf. "Here," he said handing her the book. "You seem the type to enjoy learning practical things."
She took the book and glanced at the cover. Spells, Falconry, and Other Fowl Magicks by Robin Faulkner. She opened the book to the table of contents and scanned the chapter titles. It seemed to have a general compendium over raptors – magical and non-magical – and applicable information on useful spells involving birds, and training techniques for hawking.
Although the spells certainly would be interesting to learn, she didn't see how they would be particularly functional. Granted, not everything in the curriculum at Hogwarts was practical, particularly under Umbridge's thumb, but overall nothing they were learning was quite so specialized. Should she really spend the time practicing such spells?
Something in her face must have clued the elder man in on her thoughts because he sat back on his haunches and peered at her down the bridge of his nose, through the glasses that were perched there. "It might seem a bit esoteric, but you might be surprised. The best form of defense is one your opponent doesn't see coming," he said, a little too nonchalantly.
Although she was nonplussed by the comment, Hermione didn't get a chance to ask the shopkeeper about it as the bell at the front jingled. He got up quickly to meet the new customer. Muffled voices reached her ears as she flipped through the book scanning a few passages here and there.
Falx [ falks, fawlks ]:
A spell used to summon a falcon. Usually a local variety near to the spell caster. Used alongside a command spell, it can compel the falcon into an action of the caster's choosing. Usually used for reproduction with a prized bird, or for short-distance emergency messages. For the falconer who wishes to expedite training, this is not an adequate replacement for proper practice, but can be used as a way of developing a rapport with the local raptor population.
Many falconers adept at using this spell have developed a talent for summoning the same bird, usually so long as they are within the same area as the falcon's habitat –although there have been exceptions. For instance, Ibis Kidd could reportedly summon the same falcon no matter the region he occupied.
An alarmed voice cut through her concentration and before she could look up to see what was going on Hermione was bowled over by a mass of black fur. It took a couple of seconds for her to process the snuffling nose in her hair and the rhythmic thumping of a tail hitting the bookshelf that had been her backrest.
"Siri-!" She cut herself off quickly just before the shopkeeper came into view in a hurry with two familiar figures tailing him in a hurry.
Tonks' outrageous pink pixie cut, brighter even more along with the amused grin that lit her face as she took in the scene. "Wotcher, Hermione! I see Snuffles found you," she greeted, a laugh coloring her voice.
Professor Lupin trailed behind looking flustered and a bit exasperated as he received – what could only be described as – a triumphant look upon Padfoot's canine face as he rolled over to expose his belly for scratches. The leash that he had been dragging behind him tangled around his body.
"Tonks! Professor! I didn't expect to see you here," Hermione said, surprised. No one had told her to look out for them.
"We thought we ought to surprise you!" Tonks grinned as she watched Hermione hit the spot and Padfoot's hind leg kicked out rapidly.
Hermione grinned back, laughing as Padfoot licked the underside of her chin.
"Is that the stray that wandered around these parts a couple of years ago?" Asked the older man. He squinted down at the pair.
"I adopted him!" Tonks exclaimed, looking excited. "He's a totally spoiled house dog now."
"We're sorry for the disturbance," Lupin cut in hastily, stepping forward and reaching for the lead. Padfoot wriggled closer to Hermione, his eyes watching his friend's extended hand disdainfully.
"No harm done. I quite liked the mutt, I was quite sorry when he disappeared," shrugged the older man.
"Thank you for your understanding," said Lupin as untangled the leash and, with some difficulty, pulled Padfoot upright so Hermione could stand and gather her things. They walked back to the front of the store together, Padfoot leaned against Hermione's hip as she walked.
"I'd like to pay for this," she said as she set the book on the counter and reached into her coat pocket for her coin pouch.
"Ah, thank you for your patronage, Miss Hermione," the owner said as he took her change. He glanced at their group with a curious eye, lingering a moment longer on Lupin and Padfoot. "Please come again."
They stepped out into the nearly empty street. It was around lunchtime and most people had retreated to the pubs and cafés. They walked towards an even more secluded area across the courtyard where a copse of evergreens stood at the foot of a hill with low, snow laden branches. There they found a bench resting against a short stone wall that cut into the hill. Hermione turned to look at Lupin and Tonks, not missing the somewhat awkward air that drifted between the two adults.
"Not that I'm not glad to see you, but why didn't you respond to let me know you were coming?" She asked them, trying and failing to ignore Padfoot tugging gently on the hem of her coat.
"I would have preferred to owl you back but someone decided he'd prefer to surprise you," Lupin answered with a pointed look at the animagus.
Padfoot chuffed happily ignoring his handlers as he tripped Hermione into sitting on the bench with a particularly forceful tug. She inhaled sharply as her orientation changed but relaxed easily when he nestled his head on her lap and looked up at her with puppy eyes, ears perked.
Hermione rolled her eyes but returned the gaze fondly as she reached out her hand to scratch the back of his neck. The warmth from his fur was welcome against the prickling cold invading her bare fingers.
"How are things in the castle, Hermione?" Lupin asked, leaning against the stone wall. He looked tired, but better than she had seen him last. Hermione knew that Sirius had been endeavoring to make him a permanent space to live at Grimmauld, and it seemed that he had all but moved in. Having a stable place to sleep and eat was surely improving his overall health. Tonks hopped up to sit on the wall next to him, closing the height gap between them by a few inches.
"I'm sure you are already well informed of the current situation," Hermione sighed, thinking that the climate in the castle had begun giving her tension headaches.
"Minerva and the others are only able to give us details about what they see. The new 'Educational Decree' –" Tonks sneered as she said the words, quoting with her fingers "– has tied their hands. It seems that even the heads of house are being reprimanded for counseling their own students or even stepping-in in the event of bullying."
"That's right. The school is mostly being policed by Umbridge and her Inquisition Squad. Dumbledore seems to be holing himself up in his tower as I haven't seen him take any action to counter her." Hermione kept her eyes on Padfoot's gray mournful gaze as his head tilted into her hands. "She primarily targets anyone who is in support of either Dumbledore or Harry. Her secondary targets are anyone she deems inferior, though she tolerates half-bloods it seems."
"Probably because she's half-blood herself. Though, that hasn't stopped others from that particular hypocrisy," Lupin surmised, with a joyless smile. Umbridge's discrimination had a longer reach than just the presence of the school. Her central position was as the senior undersecretary to the minister and she used her position to her advantage to make the lives of those she deemed unworthy unbearable.
"She's half-blood? Really?" Hermione asked incredulously. Umbridge's behavior reminded her of Malfoy's superiority complex.
"Yeah. The pureblood population is going extinct, so it's been a practice to breed with muggles or muggle-borns to keep the bloodlines going," Tonks explained bluntly, crossing her legs and tapping her foot in the air.
"But, if they have to marry muggles and muggle-borns then why do they hate us so much," Hermione asked bewildered.
"They don't marry them, they get what they need from them and discard them afterwards," growled out a voice next to her.
A shudder of shock zipped up her spine as she whipped around to see Sirius. She grinned at him even as she scanned her eyes around their surroundings, concerned someone might have spotted them.
"Sirius! You shouldn't transform out in the open like this," she hissed at him, leaning around him to check behind him for onlookers.
"It's alright, Kitten. I made sure no one was watching," he said placatingly, grabbing her arm and guiding her back to lean against the bench.
Lupin sighed once more in exasperation, lifting his wand and casting concealment charms around the alcove. "You aren't omnipresent, Sirius. You never know who could look out a window at the exact right angle at the exact right time."
"Loosen up, Moony," Sirius said with a pout as he slung his arm over the back of the bench. His fingers seemed to instinctively coil into the curls at the base of Hermione's skull. His hands were, somehow, still warm making her eyelids want to shut. She had to resist the urge to lean back to chase that heat.
"I'll loosen up when you aren't two steps from getting caught," Lupin countered. "What do you think would happen to Hermione if she was seen chatting with you?"
The hand in her hair tightened. Her eyes shot to look at Sirius to see a flat dangerous glare on his face. He didn't seem to realize that he was pulling her closer to him.
"I get it. You made your point," he growled out. His finger contracting again in aggravation. "Shouldn't you go and patrol the village now, or something?" He waved them off dismissively.
Lupin rolled his eyes at his best friend's behavior and reached out a hand to help Tonks down from the wall as he continued to lecture Sirius. "Make sure to stay out of sight and if you do need to go out in the general population make sure Hermione has the leash," he nagged not noticing the metamorphmagus blushing and her hair going coily when he wrapped a hand around her waist to steady her when she stumbled hopping down from the wall.
Hermione covered her mouth and coughed, hiding a laugh at the obviously smitten pair.
"We'll come find you when we need to go, Siri! Don't get into any trouble," said Tonks over her shoulder as Lupin led her away by the hand.
"How long do you think it'll be before he realizes he's still holding her hand?" Hermione asked, turning to grin up at Sirius.
He flashed a cockeyed grin at her before springing up from the bench, letting her get a proper look at him. Half of his hair was tied back in a mess that could only be described as 'artfully messy,' making his small gold hoops glitter in his ears. He wore a vintage Gryffindor sweater covered by his leather jacket – it was the first time he had a chance to properly wear it since they found it together, Hermione realized – and dark, well fitted jeans were tucked over his dragon hide boots.
He was always a striking figure, but seeing him standing outside in the afternoon light, his breath condensing in the air, Hermione couldn't help but think he had to have been touched with something divine. She was dazed for a moment before she shrieked as he bent and lifted her by the waist, her hands automatically found perches on his shoulders as he set her on the wall. There was a swooping sensation in her stomach and her heart beat double time as she looked at his crinkled, mischievous, grinning eyes that were glowing pale silver in the sun. He hopped up next to her and helped her to her feet.
"What are we doing?" She asked, feeling a little breathless. He seemed to have lifted her like she weighed nothing, but anxiety mingled with admiration. She could still feel the weight of his hands around her making her feel flustered.
"I packed up a lunch and stashed it in the woods. Since I doubt we'd be able to eat by visiting a pub, you know, what with people trying to call the aurors on me and all!" He seemed jovial, but his joke seemed a little flat. It was no wonder, given that he wasn't free to move about in life the way he should.
He took her hand and guided her up the foothill, helping her climb over large rocks and fallen trees. By the time they were cresting the hill, Hermione's legs were burning and she was breathing heavy, but when Sirius turned to look at her grinning happily she couldn't bring herself to complain.
He led her to a log where a basket was tucked away. He cleared away the snow and cast a warming charm over her before sitting down and rummaging through the basket. He produced a container full of sandwiches and some water bottles triumphantly.
"Thanks, Sirius," she said as he handed her her portion.
"Of course. I can't have my Kitten going hungry," he said cheerily
Hermione smiled, feeling a little bashful. Although she was comfortable with Sirius, she wasn't used to seeing outside of Grimmauld Place and it made her feel oddly self conscious. Seeing him outside was like having a favorite character walking out of the confines of the pages he was written on. It wasn't so much that he was odd, but more that she felt flawed and subpar in comparison. She shook it off, knowing that her feelings were nonsense, that Sirius wasn't a storybook character and he had always seen her as she was, and that he cared for her regardless.
As though to confirm this, Sirius slung an arm over her shoulder and tilted her to lean against him. She glanced up at him, looking through the curls that escaped being crushed against the side of his chest.
"Still a bit nippy despite the warming charm," he answered her unspoken question as he took a bite of his sandwich.
Hermione huffed out a laugh and tucked into her meal and let herself enjoy being cozied up against him. He seemed content with sitting there with her. Every time she glanced up he was looking off into the horizon or occasionally meeting her gaze as he ate, the hand around her lazily stroking the length of her arm.
"I don't get it," she said after a while. The silence allowed her to ruminate through her thoughts.
Sirius paused in taking a sip of water to look down at her quizzically.
"It's just, how do purebloods get away with using muggles and muggle-borns to keep their population up? I mean, I wouldn't…involve myself with someone who hated my very existence," she reasoned chewing on her lower lip in thought. "And I'm sure there are laws and protections in place to keep purebloods from just doing whatever."
Sirius' expression soured at the question. "Not as many protections as you would hope," he said with a scowl. He squeezed her closer to him. "There are too many loopholes and too many self serving bureaucrats. The ministry is mostly run by purebloods. If someone was caught taking advantage of a muggle or muggle-born they likely would get a light slap on the wrist at the same time they would be passing cigars around, and then the victim would be put under strong memory charm. Poof, it never happened."
Hermione shivered, a chill spread through her spine at his biting tone of voice. Leaning back to look at him she could see unconcealed rage on his face.
"Are you okay?" She asked him, reaching up to press a thumb against the scowl line between his eyes. His face relaxed and his eyes softened when they met hers.
"'m fine, Love. Just talking about this makes me worried," he replied. "More than worried, it scares the shit out of me. Outside of school you have no magical guardian to look out for you and you are under the trace, and that castle is not much better than a prison. They've stripped you of your defenses and monitor your movements." He picked up her hand and thumbed over the lost faded words that had been etched into her skin.
"I wouldn't be too worried about Hogwarts in that regard. Even if I didn't repel seemingly every boy I've ever came into contact with, I've never heard of anyone ever getting pregnant at school," she reasoned, trying to put him at ease. "And while yes, I'm unable to use magic outside of school until next September and I don't have a legal magical guardian, I hardly go into the magical side of London unless I'm with the Weasley's or someone from the Order. So, unless someone is bound and determined, I'm unlikely to encounter that particular danger."
He gave her a funny look. He opened his mouth and closed it again and his eyebrows furrowed. "First of all Hogwarts has a blanket birth control spell cast over the entire premise."
"What? Really?" Hermione interrupted, unable to hide her surprise. "That wasn't in Hogwarts: A History!" She'd read the book cover to cover multiple times and had never come across such a thing.
A crack appeared in Sirius' stressed and sullen expression. "Not everything is in Hogwarts: A History, Darling," he laughed in amusement. His grip on her loosened a little. "The spell was something Dumbledore added when he became Headmaster. Otherwise I'm sure there would be at least a few teenage pregnancies cropping up over the years."
"That makes a lot of sense. I'd never given it much thought before," she said, before suddenly flushing bright pink. "Oh!"
Sirius' eyebrows shot up and a coy smile stretched his face. "What did you just think of to put that fantastic color on your pretty face, Sweetling?"
Hermione covered her face with her hands. In her embarrassment the compliment went straight over her head. "I just never considered the fact that people were having sex at school!"
Sirius bellowed out a laugh. A flock of birds flew out from the trees, startled by the sudden loud noise. He wrapped both arms around her and tugged her into a tight hug. He continued to laugh into her hair, patting her back consolingly.
"Never change, Kitten," he said after calming himself. He didn't let her go and Hermione didn't push to be let out of his arms. She felt safer than she had in weeks as his hand reached up into her hair.
"You said 'First of all…'" she commented into his shoulder.
"Hm?" His chest vibrated against her's. "Oh, right," he said after a moment of thought. "Secondly; you aren't just a nameless muggle-born to Voldemort sympathizers. You are Harry Potter's best friend. On top of that you are as smart as a whip and have gotten him out of more than one dangerous scrape. You are a bigger player in this war than I wish you were. It's terrifying to think that you might be targeted," he spoke into her hair. "Ever since I heard about the Azkaban break out, I've worried about you heading home in June."
Hermione felt her heart sting a little. Although what he said scared her, she felt the ache of his concern. She wished that times were better and that he was free to protect his loved ones.
"I'm okay, Sirius," was all she could think to say.
She pulled away from him and checked her watch. Sighing a little despondently, she stood up. "I have to go down. I have a meeting at the Three Broomsticks that I cannot miss."
Sirius pouted a little bit, but followed her example and stood. With a swishing wave of his ebony wand, he vanished the evidence of their picnic. He grabbed her hand to help steady her on their descent down the rocky hill.
"I hope this meeting means I get to see my godson before I have to go back," he said, inferring his question.
"As long as he remembers, he'll be there," she answered. "But he's with Cho and you didn't tell us you were coming so knowing Harry he's going to at least run a bit late."
Sirius snorted. "Is he that predictable?"
"We'll, he –" she cut off as she slipped on a rock. Sirius caught her around the waist and set her right. "Thank you," she said after taking a couple of breaths to calm her hammering heart. "As I was saying; Harry's had a thing for Cho since third year, and he can have a bit of tunnel vision when it comes to certain things."
"Just like his dad," Sirius commented.
As they drew closer to the village proper Sirius paused and heaved a great sigh. He tugged Hermione closer and embraced her for a long minute.
"Hopefully I'll get a chance to talk with Harry before it's time to go, but just in case could you let him know I came across some defense spells that might be good to practice with the DA?" He asked her after stepping away.
"Yes, of course."
"Thanks, Kitten."
He smiled his most charming cockeyed smile at her, making her stomach flip and pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead. Hermione felt her eyes shut for a moment. She opened them again when the feeling of his lips disappeared. Padfoot stood in front of her, his mouth around his leash.