The Second Sixth Year of Sirius Black Chapter 11, a harry potter fanfic

They finished the trek back into Hogwarts and walked a little while in silence until Remus appeared near the top of a staircase and hailed them. Hermione smiled a tense smile as he came down to meet them.

"Hello you lot," he greeted kindly, mindful of the few students around them. "How was Hogsmeade?"

"Fine," Harry ground out, pushing the wheelchair on.

"All right, Hermione?" Remus asked, falling into step beside her as she reluctantly kept up with Harry's pace.

She shook her head but said, "It's fine. We had a good time, got some things on our lists, you know. The usual."

She knew Remus wouldn't take that for an answer, and of course, he didn't.

"Why don't we come in here and chat for a bit?" He suggested, gesturing to an empty classroom in the Transfiguration corridor.

Remus walked inside, holding the door open pointedly. Hermione waited, holding her breath, until Harry grudgingly turned the wheelchair and entered the room. Hermione followed close behind with Ron tailing her.

They walked in and found places to settle down. Hermione followed Harry until he rolled Sirius all the way to the front of the room and turned him around. After he kicked the lock into place, he stalked away to stand off to the side of the room. Ron, too, went to the side of the room, albeit the one opposite Harry. He refused to look at anyone as Remus locked the door and placed a silencing charm on the room.

Remus stood in front of the door and looked around, eyes narrowed. When everyone, even Sirius, remained silent, he sighed heavily.

"Would anyone like to tell me what's going on?" He asked, looking pointedly in Sirius and Hermione's direction.

Hermione looked at Sirius, who returned her gaze and nodded at her. Feeling irritated that–once again–she would have to be the one to start the conversation, she drew in a breath and prepared to explain what had happened.

"What's got into you, Ron?" Harry asked, eyes flinty.

She closed her mouth abruptly. Hermione stared first at Harry and then at Ron. Harry was glaring across the room at Ron, but he still refused to meet anyone's gazes and was scuffing his shoe on the floor.

Harry didn't like being ignored. He continued, "Seriously, mate, what happened with Lavender? I thought you were on a date."

Hermione looked up at him askance and felt Sirius do the same. She was totally confused. What was Harry getting at?

"Nothing," Ron grumbled angrily. "I just had to leave early."

"You looked pissed about it," Harry replied mildly. "Did she do something again? Call you 'Won-Won' too many times? What was it?"

"Harry!" Hermione chided. She looked at him as if he'd grown two heads. "What are you doing?"

He turned his glare on her now and retorted, "I just want to know what happened with Lavender. Something obviously went down, and he came back to join us all pouty about it." Turning back to Ron, he asked again, "So? What was it?"

Ron's face had been slowly reddening over the course of the conversation, and now it was that perfect shade of Weasley red that Hermione knew signaled an explosion about to erupt. She steeled herself, placing a hand on the handlebar of the wheelchair and waiting for the eruption to occur. She didn't even realize it when Sirius reached back and placed a steadying hand on top of hers for a brief moment, even though the familiar comfort washed through her.

"Fine," Ron snarled. "You really want to know? I'll tell you. But it's none of your business, Harry." He racked a hand through his hair in agitation and continued, "Lavender said she wanted to take a break. There. You happy now?"

Hermione stared in surprise at her friend. There was no way she'd even possibly seen that coming.

"But why?" She asked, unable to help herself. She felt Sirius tense at her side, and she wondered if he was afraid she'd opened herself to Ron's anger.

Ron turned to face her, face still flushed but eyes no longer flashing. He ran both hands over his face briefly and then gave a loud sigh. When he opened his eyes again, they filled with a mix of frustration and regret that Hermione hadn't expected to see.

"We had a row," Ron admitted tiredly. "She said she wished I was more of a romantic type, whatever that means. Said she likes men who want to woo their women. What a stupid word. Woo. Where does she even get that tripe?"

Hermione stifled a grin as she replied easily, "Romance novels, I'm afraid."

Ron groaned. "Yeah," he said, "I think you're right, Hermione. Anyway, I told her to lay off the 'Won-Won' business, and she lost it. Told me I just don't understand the importance of having pet names in a relationship and I should be glad she cares about me enough to give me one. And then, before I could even get up, she stood up and said we needed to go on a break so we could 'reevaluate the nature of what we each want in a relationship.'" His voice had turned slightly mocking on that last note, and he snorted derisively.

Harry, who had remained mostly quiet during this recital, finally spoke. "I'm sorry, mate," he said, voice quiet. "I didn't know."

"Yeah, well," Ron grumbled, "now you do." He looked Harry in the eyes and said, "You're too stuck on Malfoy, mate."

Harry tensed instantly and his eyes hardened.

"I think Ron's right," Sirius said before Harry could speak. "I don't know what you think Malfoy is up to, but I can guarantee there's nothing he's doing that could possibly lead back to You Know Who."

"There is," Harry replied resolutely, "and I'm going to prove it, even if I have to force him to tell me himself." He glared at Ron and Hermione in turn. "You guys know I'm right. He's up to something, and I need to figure out what it is before he finishes whatever it is he's doing."

Harry took a step toward her and looked at her earnestly. "Didn't you ask me about Montague at the beginning of school? And what about what happened in Borgin and Burkes? Don't tell me that wasn't suspicious because we both know it was."

"Borgin and Burkes?" Sirius asked, looking up at her in surprise. "Didn't know you were one to patronize that store, Hermione."

It was said in sarcasm, but she smacked his shoulder lightly as she said, "I didn't go there on purpose. I wound up in the floo there when I sneezed trying to go to Diagon Alley. And it just happened that Malfoy was there, too."

"Arthur has told me about the conversation you overheard, Hermione," Remus interjected now, raising his hands, "but he and I agree there's nothing concrete to link Malfoy to anything dangerous based on a single conversation."

"Oh come on, Remus!" Harry's voice rose in exasperation. "He's trying to fix a Vanishing Cabinet. Isn't that what he asked about, Hermione?" He glared at her, and she nodded mutely. "And where do we know there's a Vanishing Cabinet?" No one responded, and he scowled. "Hogwarts! So what could he be planning to do?"

"Harry, you still need to have two Vanishing Cabinets in order to get them to work," Remus replied evenly. "Arthur and his team have performed two separate raids on Malfoy Manor, and no such Vanishing Cabinet has turned up. Even if he found one here and was working on repairing it, there's no mate in his possession. I think it would all be an exercise in futility."

"Why won't you admit that he's up to something?" Harry asked, looking around the room at large. "Maybe–maybe–he's not a Death Eater yet, but I'm certain he's just a few steps away from taking the Mark. He's probably doing some stupid initiation mission, and that's why he keeps disappearing from the map and why Katie got cursed–"

"Oh!" Remus said suddenly, halting his tirade. Harry looked at their professor curiously. "I almost forgot! Miss Bell has been released from St. Mungo's. Minerva told me she'd be back before dinner tonight to finish the term."

"Really?" Harry asked, his eyes lighting up. He made a move towards the door eagerly. "I'm going to go see if she's back. I need to talk to her."

"Don't badger her, Harry," Hermione said as gently as she could. He turned a hard gaze at her, and she held her hands up in supplication. "She's been out for a while and probably had to deal with a lot while she healed up. She might not remember anything. All I'm saying is, be nice to her, okay?"

Harry nodded, sighing. "Of course I'll be nice to her, Hermione," he told her. "She's my teammate and my friend. I want her to get better. I just…thought maybe talking through it could help her."

Hermione rolled her eyes at the lame excuse but let it slide.

"Coming, Ron?" Harry asked.

Ron exchanged a glance with Hermione and sighed deeply. "Yeah, alright," he said. "I need to put this up, anyway." He held up his bags from Zonko's and the sweets shop.

Remus stepped aside and allowed them to pass through the doors to the room into the hallway. He softly closed the door back after the boys left and turned to Hermione and Sirius, looking concerned.

"Just what exactly happened today?" He asked. "I know there's something else going on, and I've never seen Harry so passionate about someone before."

Hermione sighed and prepared herself to tell the story. Once more she was stopped by Sirius who quickly gave an abbreviated version of the scene they'd come upon in the forested path by the old house. He briefly told Remus about the conversation the Slytherins had had and the way Malfoy reacted to the slight on his father.

"Hmm," Remus mused, placing his hand under his chin in thought, "isn't it possible Harry's putting too much stock in what Malfoy's saying? I mean, it sounds like Malfoy might just be trying to make himself look better to his Slytherin housemates with a lot of big talk."

"Yeah, Moony," Sirius agreed. "He's probably trying to save face after what went down with good old Lucius in the Hall of Prophecies last year."

Remus nodded and said, "Exactly. It probably cost him a lot of respect in Slytherin house, and it's a well known fact that the Slytherins might be a loyal lot, but they're also quick to cut down their own when danger strikes. His house mates all had a scare last year when the attack was made known. To have one of their own mates lose their father to Azkaban on top of that? Well, they've always been a close knit lot, but they likely closed ranks after that and Draco's struggling to keep his position."

"Ridiculous, pathetic little Death Eater wannabes," Sirius grumbled. "I can't understand why Harry would actually believe that little idiot anyway. He should know Malfoys always talk big but never mean anything by it."

"You weren't around for his younger years," Remus began kindly, "but I think Malfoy has always been a source of friction for Harry."

Sirius scowled at the reminder, but Hermione jumped in. "Yes," she said, "he has been since we were first years. But…" she paused, and the two men looked at her, "I actually think Harry might be right."

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I write for entertainment purposes only.

Author's Note: My apologies for disappearing again. I can only say that thus far I have not abandoned this story, nor do I intend to. In fact, I've got the story completed at this point and am partially into part three of this series, so I have every intention of finishing this story and getting it posted. That said, I am sorry for taking so long between posts. I can't guarantee it won't happen again, but I can only say I've definitely got plans to finish the saga I've started and hope if you've stuck with me this long you'll continue to join me on this journey. Many thanks to those of you who have read and reviewed! You're lovely and I appreciate you!

The Second Sixth Year of Sirius Black

By: Rae

-A "Harry Potter" Fic-

She winced when Sirius's jaw dropped and Remus raised a skeptical brow at her. She held her hands up in front of her in defense and decided to plow on with her thoughts, tangled as they were.

"I know you and Arthur talked about the Borgin and Burkes thing, Remus," she said, "but that and the disappearances from the map aren't the only reason I think Harry might be right. Honest. It's just that there are some other things that have happened this year to make us wonder about him," she said, heaving a sigh. She collected her thoughts and continued, "Malfoy quit both his Prefect position and the Quidditch team, and I know he loves Quidditch just like Harry does. Harry overheard him have a conversation with his Slytherin mates on the train in September about having some big, important job to do."

Sirius rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to interject.

"And then there's Padma," Hermione added quickly.

"What do you mean? What's going on with Miss Patil?" Remus asked sharply. She knew he must be concerned from a teacher perspective.

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "I've caught her having a few tense conversations with Malfoy this year, and one time she sounded like she was asking him to stop doing something and he turned her down. Parvati's asked me to try and talk to her about it because Padma won't confide in her, but I haven't found the chance to do it yet. I just suspect there's something going on there."

"Have you considered, Hermione, that maybe it's just a case of young romance?" Remus asked not unkindly.

"What?" She asked, dumbfounded. She realized, a bit slowly, that Remus was actually implying Padma and Draco might be dating. Hermione laughed out right at that thought but stopped when she realized Remus and Sirius were looking at her hard.

"Isn't it possible that Miss Patil and Malfoy could have had something like a lovers' tiff and that's all you're seeing play out?" Remus asked her now. He was watching her shrewdly. "I understand that she and Malfoy were paired up in Ancient Runes for a project last year, according to Professor Babbling, and they've been close ever since."

Hermione scowled. Of course, she remembered that the two were paired up in Ancient Runes. They'd done quite well on their partner project and earned an excellent grade at the end of the year, despite preparing for their O.W.L.s at the time. She'd been paired up with Anthony Goldstein and worked with him on their project, but she'd never noticed anything particularly special between Padma and Malfoy.

Her mind wandered back to their classes the previous year, and she tried to remember just what she had noticed between them. She colored briefly when she realized she'd been so busy preparing for her exams and dealing with all the chaos wrought by Professor Umbridge that she really had very few memories of the two in class. Perhaps Remus was right and they had hit it off in Ancient Runes.

"It could be very similar to what Ron's going through with Miss Brown right now," Remus added gently. "Maybe what you're sensing as Padma knowing more about what Malfoy is up to, so to speak, is really just a result of their romance hitting a snag."

Hermione nodded along for a moment and then remembered something. "Then why would she want to talk to me about it?" She asked, puzzled.

Hermione looked up to see both men exchanging confused glances.

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked her.

She sighed and admitted, "A while back, before you were, well, alive again, Padma pulled me aside after I saw some odd behavior between her and Malfoy. She told me she'd tell me everything when we could get together. I agreed, but then the hols came and there was the potion and I kind of forgot all about it. We never got the chance to talk it through."

Remus sighed aloud and said, "Perhaps she just wanted to get some relationship advice?"

Sirius barked a laugh and quickly asked, "From Hermione? I don't think so." He chuckled and looked at her before saying, "No offense, Hermione, but I don't see your peers coming to you for relationship advice. Do you?"

Hermione felt miffed. It was insulting for sure, but she forced herself to calm down and think about what he was saying. It took long enough that he began to speak again, trying to explain himself.

"It's not that you aren't a good friend," Sirius said, "because you're clearly the best friend Harry and Ron have ever had. It's just that…well…how do I put this?" He paused momentarily and said, "Well, to be frank, you've got basically no relationship experience. So I can't see why anyone would come to you for advice."

Hermione scowled at him even as Remus chided, "Sirius, that's entirely uncalled for. Hermione is a great friend because she understands people. Even if she doesn't have much relationship experience, she could still give decent advice about them."

"Thank you, Remus," she said stiffly, knowing he meant well. "But I think Sirius is, unfortunately, right. I don't think Padma wanted to get romantic relationship advice from me. I think there's something else there." She held her hand up when Remus opened his mouth. "She could, maybe, be seeing Malfoy, but I just don't think that's what she needs help with."

Sirius clapped his hands together and said, "So we just need to get you together with Padma and talk through this thing with Malfoy then. Right?" When no one replied, he grinned and said, "Easy peasy."

Remus glanced at the clock on the wall and sighed. "I think we should finish this conversation another time," he said. "We're going to be late for dinner."

Hermione went to move the wheelchair when Remus appeared at her side. "I'll help you, Hermione," he said, smiling at her. He turned the chair and pushed their way out into the mostly empty halls.

They walked down the hall toward the stairs when Remus stopped and said, "Hermione, I know you agree with Harry about Malfoy, but I do think we should try to convince him to stop pursuing him on the map."

Hermione nodded but said, "I don't know how easy that will be, but Ron and I will try."

"Why wouldn't it be easy?" Sirius asked.

They might have continued their conversation, but the sounds of feet in the corridor arrested their attention, and then voices accompanied the feet moving their direction. They turned together to see a group of Ravenclaw first and second years making their way down to the first floor for dinner.

"We can talk more later," Remus said, turning to the wheelchair and pushing it toward the stairs. "Now we should get to the Great Hall for dinner."

Together they made their way into dinner and joined Ron and Harry, bidding Professor Lupin goodbye. Harry informed them he hadn't been able to find Katie Bell yet but was hoping she'd be there for dinner soon.

In the days that followed, Harry turned back to Malfoy, specifically to dogging his every movement on the map like never before. Hermione and Ron, even Sirius, spent the next week watching as Harry walked around with his nose in the Marauder's Map, tracing paths with his fingers over the little pair of feet that indicated Draco Malfoy's movements. He muttered to himself at times, and Ron and Hermione exchanged long glances full of meaning, knowing the kind of obsession Harry tended to. Sirius, however, was new to this side of his godson, and thus, Hermione found herself having a very unusual conversation with him one evening after dinner.

Hermione was securing her hair in a tie as she settled in for her nightly bath, and Sirius, too, was settling into the chair that perched just outside the curtain. He held a book that he'd borrowed from the library under the very suspicious gaze of Madam Pince, who glared a little when he'd tried throwing her a charming smile. Hermione sank into the tub of scented bubbles with a sigh, massaging her temples as she did and giving a little moan of pleasure.

She'd developed a headache over the course of the afternoon as she, Ron, and Sirius tried in vain to engage Harry from his pursuit of Malfoy. It was, as usual, an exercise in frustration that only stopped when Ron reminded Harry of their Quidditch practice that he had almost forgotten about. Ginny ambled over when the boys stood up in the common room and accompanied them down to the pitch, but Hermione and Sirius declined an invite to go watch.

Instead they went back to the library to fetch a book Hermione wanted, and Sirius picked out a book of his own to borrow before they went to their shared room. Now she was enjoying a much-needed bath and wondering how she could convince Harry to take a break from the map.

"Should we steal it?" Sirius's voice came from outside the curtain, and Hermione hummed in confusion.

"What?"

"Should we steal the map?" Sirius clarified. When she stayed quiet, he added, "I've never seen Harry so obsessed with something. He's like a dog with a bone, and it's getting out of hand, don't you think?" His voice was carefully neutral, but there was no missing the concern edging in.

"You might not have seen him like this, but Ron and I have," Hermione said with a sigh, continuing to massage her temples. "He was like this with the DA last year, with every vision he had from He Who Must Not Be Named last year, with every task in the Goblet of Fire, with following Malfoy our second year…" she trailed off, having ticked off the various obsessions of her best friend in quick succession.

Sirius shifted in his seat and said, "So you're saying this is normal. He's done this before." He made a sound in the back of his throat. "So what do you two do when he gets like this?"

"What we've been doing," she replied, frustrated. "We try to distract him, to get him out of his head. He gets stuck in his head, going over and over whatever he's obsessing about, and we have to try and get him to think about other things. I don't envy Ron and Ginny. He's going to be awful tonight." She sighed again.

"What? Why?"

"Because he's upset about leaving the map for practice," she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "When Harry gets like this, it's impossible to get his mind off whatever he's latched onto, and he'll be hard on the team during practice as a result. Just ask Ron tomorrow."

"So there's nothing you can do to make him stop?" Sirius's voice was full of irritation that set Hermione off.

Shifting in the water and groaning a bit, she snapped, "Sirius, what do you think? You knew both his parents. Is Harry the type of person who takes distractions well? Was James? Or Lily?"

For a long moment there was quiet outside the bathing chamber. Then she heard, "I see what you mean." Sirius chuckled a little. "I remember how James was with Lily. Obsession really is the only way to describe his interest in her. I guess the Potter genes got passed down well enough."

Hermione relaxed a bit and allowed a smile to bloom on her face. She loved Harry, but he really could drive her mad at times, and this obsession with Draco was beginning to wear on her nerves. Sirius went quiet after that, and she heard the telltale sign of the pages of his book moving as he read, and she allowed herself to completely relax in the warm, sweetly scented water.

When shThey finished the trek back into Hogwarts and walked a little while in silence until Remus appeared near the top of a staircase and hailed them. Hermione smiled a tense smile as he came down to meet them.