Thank you lavonne1962, paulaa90, Kareth Schara, Shirosaki-Yuki, Mo, Galatea Black, siriusbarks, Mojojojo, Meghan, Ashley Ayoub, Passerculi, chrisevansgurl, lexicon63738, Belieber Twihard, .3, LunaiWolfWings and Guests... I'm continuing this story only for you guys... Love you lots... Please continue reviewing...

I do not own Harry Potter.

Hermione had been pacing her room for half an hour. She couldn't sleep.

She sat down on her bed and sighed. The room seemed gloomy due to it's dark and dirty setting. Grimauld's Place was not a cheerful one. Neither seemed the fate of the wizarding world. Voldemort was back and keeping a low profile along with infiltrating the Ministry. The Ministry of Magic were morons, their Minister being the troll-brained, ignorant Fudge. The Order members frequented the headquarters day in and day out. Harry was trapped in Privet Drive with no information whatsoever while the ones with information weren't allowed to tell him. And above all, HE was ignoring her.

They had not talked since the Yule ball. Well, not properly so to say. She had wanted to talk to him alone but the situation never seemed appropriate. Moreover, Mrs. Mother-hen Weasley kept watching the teens in the house like a hawk. No one could really blame her... They were all walking raging hormones cooped up under one roof.

But Hermione won't stand it anymore. She had to talk to him... Alone! If only she could manage to corner him and force him to come to her room. She would then lock the door and make him sit to talk. Just plain ol' conversation. Or maybe a bit of snogging... Gosh, that kiss just...

A knock on the door brought her back to reality. A flicker of hope swelled within her, only to be squashed when she opened the door. Her potions teacher stood at the door holding out a sheet of paper.

"Miss Granger, I sorry to disturb you at this hour..."

"It's alright Professor. I was awake anyway."

"The Headmaster has requested me to deliver this certificate to you. This being a safehouse cannot permit entry to any other ministry official. Hence, Kingsley Shaklebot has brought it here. I hope you'll not misuse this privilege."

She read the document which stated that she just turned 17 due to the use of her time turner during third year. She was of age. That meant that she could use magic outside Hogwarts! She wanted to jump and whoop but thought better.

"Thank you professor."

Snape just nodded and turned to walk away.

"Professor Snape..."

"Yes, Miss Granger?"

"Do you know where Sirius is?"

He made a face that could make an older man cry.

"No, I have no proclivity to keep track on strays. Good day Miss Granger. I suggest you make use of your newfound liberty instead of wasting your time on useless matters."

With that, the professor strode away and disappeared around the corner.

Hermione reread the certificate and was filled with delight. She couldn't wait to tell the Weasleys... And him...

Now that she was officially an adult in the Wizarding world, he shouldn't feel guilty regarding his feelings for her. If there were any...

Well, there was only one way to find out. But she couldn't exactly go and knock on his door now. It was almost midnight... Oh midnight! Hermione couldn't stand it anymore. She decided to leave her room and walk around. She could protect herself now from the different traps of the house.

She had just descended the stairs when the curtains of Mrs. Black's painting swung open. Before she could scream, Hermione spoke softly.

"I'm really sorry Mrs. Black. I didn't mean to disturb you. Please don't shout. I swear I was just passing and not trying to remove you from the wall."

Mrs. Black was flabbergasted. No one had talked to her like that for decades.

"Aren't you that Harry Potter's mudblood girlfriend?"

"I'm not his girlfriend. We're best friends..."

"You didn't protest when I called you a mudblood..."

It was a statement, not a question and Hermione had no idea what to say.

"Well... I... The term does not define who I am or what I'm capable of. As they say, sticks and stones can hurt my bones but words will not hurt me..."

"Hmmm... So, you're the one they call 'the brightest witch of her age' then?"

Hermione blushed like a rose, though it was hard to tell in the dark.

"I guess..."

"You need to learn to take a compliment girl."

"Umm... Well, Mrs. Black... I'll just get back to my room. Sorry again for disturbing you..."

Hermione turned around and was about to climb the stairs when she heard Mrs. Black calling her.

"Hey... Girl... Please don't go..."

"What?"

"You see, I haven't talked to anyone for a long time. And it's really boring to hear an elf proclaim repeatedly that he'll behead himself for me. You seem like a really nice girl and I would like to talk to you."

"I would love to but it's impossible to do so comfortably. I don't want to wake anyone and I don't want to block anyone's path. Is there a way I can move your portrait."

Mrs. Black looked hesitantly towards Hermione but nodded her head after a while. She took out her wand and waved it around the corners of her canvas.

"Now you'll be able to levitate my portrait."

Hermione pointed her wand towards the portrait and levitated it up the stairs. She reached her room and was about to open the door when Mrs. Black let out a sad sigh.

"I knew it was too good to be true. You're no different from the others. You're going to dump me in my old room."

"What do you mean? This is where I'm staying. I thought we could talk here. Do you want me to put you back?"

"Oh heavens no! I didn't know you're staying here. This used to be my room. What made you choose this one."

Hermione put the painting on the wall opposite her bed and sat down on a chair.

"I like the view out the window. I've always liked to watch the sunrise. And this ancient chandelier on the ceiling... I find it so elegant. I liked this room better than any other. Also, I didn't want to share a room. I'm the only child and not used to it. Other than that, this is a secluded part of the house. I like the peace and quiet it provides."

"Hmmm... Well, those were the exact reasons I chose this room but there's much more. First things first, drop that Mrs. Black. Call me Walburga."

"Ok Walburga, please call me Hermione."

"Well, Hermione, I think you deserve to see the full grandeur of my room."

Mrs. Black clapped twice and the whole room began to glow. The dust was gone and so were the cobwebs. The walls turned into a shade of light blue, the chandelier shone brightly like a collection of diamonds and a door appeared next to the portrait.

"If I've heard correctly, I think you'll enjoy what's on the other side of that door. Tap your wand three times on the door and say 'Raven'."

Hermione did just that and was shocked at the sight in front of her while Mrs. Black just smiled. Hermione entered the room along with Mrs. Black's portrait floating behind her and closed the door.

The clock struck midnight and a knock was heard at the door. There was another, more persistent knock after which the man on the other side of the door sighed and left.

Sirius Black didn't notice the absence of his mother's portrait on the way back to his room.

A/N: Don't worry... I swear they'll meet in the next chapter... Please review...