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

Author's Note: As I'm sure you've realized by now, this is a slow story. It's just how I write. I enjoy slow builds, slow burns, all that fun stuff, and if you do, too, this is the fic for you. I'm still working on it, and I've got plans through the end of this story and into a third installment in the series. It's been my baby now for a long time, and even though I do have periods where I don't work on it, I am not abandoning this story, so I hope you'll sit tight with me and enjoy it. I cherish every review, by the way, so thank you, thank you for your kind reviews! Now, enjoy the chapter!

The Second Sixth Year of Sirius Black: Chapter Four

By: Rae

-A "Harry Potter" Fic-

The next day Madam Pomfrey declared Sirius would be fit to leave her care by nightfall, and the two patients wondered what that would mean for them. Madam Pomfrey had listened to Professor Dumbledore and Nicole Stubbins when they explained how close a blood bond Sirius and Hermione now shared and agreed to keep Hermione until Sirius was well. In the meantime, she told them, she expected Hermione to begin helping Sirius learn to use his muscle groups again.

Sirius, as expected, had a rather naughty look on his face when she said this.

"Mr. Black, I'll have you know I can and will call the Ministry if I suspect you are seducing Miss Granger," the Mediwitch warned, waving her wand menacingly. "I may trust the headmaster, but I have no problem getting rid of a criminal, so don't try me."

She bustled away to attend a few potions she was brewing after that, but Hermione couldn't help laughing at the way Sirius's jaw dropped.

"You're too obvious, Sirius," she told him. He looked to her, and she said, "Everyone knows how you used to be a womanizer at Hogwarts. Why wouldn't she expect some sort of innuendo from you?"

"I'm not at all surprised by her reaction," he informed her primly. Then his eyes glowed, and he said, "But I am curious as to what you've heard about me and why you expected me to be thinking about…" He trailed off meaningfully with a wink, causing Hermione's cheeks to flare with heat.

"I've talked to Remus a lot about you and the Potters," she said firmly. "That's all." She tried to convince her cheeks to cool off, but they defied her.

"Alas, and here I thought you might have become a woman of the world since my death," he said dramatically, throwing a hand over his forehead in a ridiculous pose. "Surely you didn't turn to Ronald dear in the distress of my death?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, now back on more comfortable footing. "If you must know, no, I did not 'turn to Ronald' for comfort," she told him. "In fact, I was a bit preoccupied trying to get Harry to come out of his shell. He holed up with his horrible aunt and uncle for a while over the summer, and no matter how many letters I wrote him, he refused to write back or come visit me."

Sirius looked suddenly sad, and she knew he was thinking about visiting his godson and helping him recover from what had been such a traumatic loss. Then her words sunk in, and he shook himself to gaze at her shrewdly.

"So you and Harry, eh?" He asked, smirking.

"It was nothing like you're thinking," she defended herself, annoyed with his change in tone. "I just haven't had time for anyone. Between helping Harry, doing my schoolwork, and trying to get the incantation working, I've kind of stepped away from my friends. And it's not as if I like either of the boys, so who else would I go for?"

Sirius eyed her curiously and said, "I thought you'd date at least one of them for sure. It seemed like Ron liked you there for a while."

She waved the idea off and said, "No. Ron's dating Lavender, and I'm happy for them. She seems to be good for him, even if he doesn't know it yet. But I did have a crush on him back in fourth year. Victor helped me get over that, though."

"Victor?" Sirius asked and then nodded. "Oh yeah, that Bulgarian Quidditch player, right? Harry told me how beautiful you looked at the Yule Ball and how Ron was too jealous to pay attention to his own date."

Hermione smirked at that. "Yes, well," she replied, "if he'd been at all ready to date me, I would have gone with him. But I was his last resort, and Victor got to me first. We dated for a while over the summer, too, and I went to visit him in Bulgaria."

"You didn't…?" Sirius asked her, now looking perturbed. His brows creased over his eyes, and he had a disgusted twist to his lips.

She rolled her eyes. "No, we didn't," she said. "We could have, but I decided not to. I wasn't in love with him."

He nodded and stayed quiet for a minute in thought. He looked pensive, his features clouded, and Hermione studied him. Sirius really was an attractive man, she thought. He was trim and healthy with a slim but muscled physique. He looked good no matter what he wore, even the ridiculous patient robes he donned. His tattoos gave him a bit of a bad boy air, but his face had a kindness that belied the look.

She realized then that he was now watching her watch him. Again she blushed, but before she could say anything, he said, "C'mere Hermione," and patted the side of his bed.

"What?" She asked, surprised.

He rolled his eyes. "You have to help me get my muscles working again, right? So why don't you come over here and we practice helping me get out of this bed so I can leave tonight. I'm tired of being stuck in a bed all the time!"

Hermione sighed and climbed out of her bed, but as soon as she got to his bedside, she felt as if some sense of anxiety dissipated with the closeness. It must be the blood bond, she realized, and she savored the calm for a moment. She hadn't even realized she was feeling it until this moment.

Sirius pushed himself to a sitting position but seemed to be struggling with getting his legs out from under the covers. Hermione gently pushed the covers to the bottom of the bed and then watched as he attempted to move his legs to the side of the bed.

He picked up one leg first and then the other, which seemed to be a labor all its own, then braced himself with his hands and began to lever his body oh-so-slowly to the side. Hermione watched in fascination. She'd never seen anyone move in such a way and wondered if this was the same struggle paralyzed patients faced in physical therapy in the Muggle world.

Sirius was slowly working up a sweat. His body wasn't as responsive as it was before, and so he was really having to concentrate to get his muscles to do his bidding. With time and effort, he got his legs over to the side of the bed where they fell, his feet hitting the floor with a dull thud.

Hermione looked at him critically. "Are you sure you want to try this?" She asked him.

The man who had been reborn glared at her and said, "Are you going to help me or not? Come here and help me up so we can get moving." He raised his arm for her to duck under it in support.

Shrugging, she sat on the bed next to him, and he draped his arm over her shoulders. Hermione held his hand on one side and looped her arm around his waist, which felt entirely too skinny now that she was this close to him. Then with a deep breath, she started to stand, pulling him up with her.

Sirius pressed up with her, and she felt a zing of triumph that quickly disappeared when he suddenly sagged, almost dragging her to the floor. Pulling on him, she tried to help him back up to a steady position, but he collapsed, and they fell in a tangled heap on the floor.

"Ugh," she grunted, trying to pull her arm out from around his waist and free herself. She was annoyed but still felt surprisingly happy and content and knew it had to be that blasted bond. Extricating herself, she pushed away to stand up over him.

Sirius half-sat, half-lay on the floor, pushing himself up with his hands on the ground. He was in a rather disgruntled heap and grumbling to himself. As he got seated, she realized the muscles in his arms must be developing faster than his legs from having to use them over the last few days. And since he was so much stronger in his arms, Hermione wondered if there might not be a Muggle solution to the problem of his leg strength.

"Again," he said when he got sorted. He held his arms up to her like a child and looked at her pleadingly. "Hermione, you've got to help me up. I can't get up on my own, and I really don't want to be stuck in a bed."

With that, they went to work in earnest. The next few hours were spent trying and—mostly—failing to get Sirius to his feet and moving.

Eventually they were visited by Dumbledore and Nicole Stubbins, shortly before the time Madam Pomfrey expected to give Sirius his last dose of the blood replenishing potion. Nicole had spent the night in the castle gratefully after her previous nights in the Hog's Head Inn. When the two came into the Hospital Wing, Hermione and Sirius were still trying to move slowly around the room, and Sirius had greatly improved but still needed the support.

"Well, it appears you two have been busy this afternoon," the headmaster said with a smile. "How are you feeling, Sirius?"

"Tired," he replied curtly, his voice tight as he tried to focus and keep moving forward while clutching Hermione's shoulder for support.

Hermione, too, was feeling about as tired and frustrated as Sirius sounded. The two had been at this since morning and only paused when Madam Pomfrey ordered them to eat some lunch, which was helpfully provided by an awestruck Dobby. Since then, Sirius demanded they keep going until he could walk on his own, but he didn't realize the severity of his muscular atrophy.

So they continued moving forward even as Dumbledore brought up two chairs for himself and Nicole to sit in and watch them. They made some progress, but it was clear Sirius was too tired to go much further. Hermione tried to steer him back to his bed, but he tripped as she turned. The two tumbled to the ground, adding to the number of bruises Hermione already had from their attempts today.

She sighed but said nothing. Sirius griped every time they fell, and his surly silences were beginning to annoy her. This time he said nothing but simply waited for her to help him back up. Hermione struggled, tired herself, but managed to lug him to his feet, gritting her teeth when she thought he wasn't going to try to push up. At the last moment, he did, and they stood up together.

"Perhaps I can help, Miss Granger?" Dumbledore asked, coming to stand in front of them. "I think it's high time you both get back to resting, and I'm sure Madam Pomfrey would agree."

Dumbledore pulled Sirius's free arm around his decidedly taller shoulders, and Hermione gratefully shrugged out from under his death grip. Sirius grunted but held his tongue, and he and the headmaster proceeded to walk slowly to the beds. Hermione followed them a step behind, unwilling to risk an attack from stretching their bond too far. She was far too tired to deal with any more pain or stress.

Dumbledore helped Sirius to sit on the bed, and Hermione sat beside him instead of going to her own bed. She dared the headmaster to say something, but he merely nodded and moved back to his chair.

"Well now," he said when he'd taken his seat, "I believe we have some things to work out. Madam Pomfrey has requested I take over your charge once she administers the last of the healing draught, and I would scarce force the good woman to continue something she feels is against her morals."

Sirius and Hermione remained silent, and Dumbledore continued, "I've arranged a room for you in an old professor's quarters that have been unused for some time. I'm afraid there will be no one to supervise you there," he said, a twinkle in his eyes, "but I'm certain Mister Black remembers the ways in which Hogwarts protects its students well enough."

Hermione glanced up at Sirius curiously and caught a knowing gleam in his eyes that turned rather sheepish when he saw her gaze. "I understand, Headmaster," he said, giving emphasis to the man's title.

Dumbledore nodded pleasantly and then clapped his hands. "Now, I believe Miss Stubbins here would like to impart some information to you both about the bond your share before Madam Pomfrey releases you."

Nicole smiled at the two of them and said, "I'm so glad you're already staying in closer contact to one another. Doesn't it make you feel better?" She grinned before adding, "I know it does. So don't try denying it. You might remember I shared a blood bond with a fellow student, and while our blood bond was a very slight connection compared to yours, we still felt more secure when in contact with one another."

"How long did it take for you to break your bonds?" Sirius asked curiously.

Nicole shook her head. "Remember what I told you. It's not about breaking the bond. It's about allowing the bond to mature. When it matures, it dissolves of its own accord because your blood has returned to the proper balance. If you break the bond, you risk killing one or both of you, so you really don't want to be separated from one another for too long."

Hermione's eyes widened at that, but the other witch continued, "As for me, my bond matured in a couple of weeks. We stayed in the same room, slept in the same bed, and tried to be close enough to touch for as long as we could. It did get awkward using the restroom, but that didn't last too long."

Now Hermione's eyes were bugging out of her head. Madam Pomfrey had provided them both with magical waste bins that they'd used to collect their waste. As soon as they finished relieving themselves, the bins instantly cleaned themselves out and returned to their place under the beds. Neither of them had needed the privacy of a bathroom because the bins were connected to soundproof curtains that closed whenever they needed to use the bins and opened again once they'd finished.

She looked up at Sirius who also looked slightly ill at the thought of having to figure out bathroom visits together.

"Since your bond is so strong, I imagine you won't be able to close doors between you for some time," Nicole said. "I think you'd best plan to find a curtain to use when you need a bathroom break." She laughed a bit before turning serious again.

"I know you two are frustrated by all this," she said, "but you'll simply have to be patient. It seems counterintuitive that touch will help with this, but I promise you it will. And you'll have to make sure that you don't get separated for too long, especially if you're past the breaking point of your bond. I'm serious when I say people have died from the breaking of a blood bond. As long as you practice caution, you should be fine."

Hermione sighed. This was going to be very hard indeed. It hadn't occurred to her until today that she was now bound to the very man she'd brought back to life, and she was concerned she might grow to hate him if they were stuck together too long. Besides, she wondered, how would she complete her classes when the second term resumed? She couldn't very well waltz into class with Sirius Black beside her.

Before she could become too agitated by her musings, however, Madam Pomfrey bustled out of her office with the familiar healing draught bottler. Seeing Dumbledore and Nicole, she nodded pleasantly and came straight over.

"Oh good, Albus," she said, "I'm glad you're here. I take it you've got the chair ready?" She poured a spoonful of the draught and gave it to Sirius.

"I have, Poppy," he replied. "I think we're ready to move them to their new quarters now, so as long as you're fine with them leaving your care…?"

Madam Pomfrey hastily performed her charms to verify the potion was working and said, "Yes, Headmaster, I am releasing these patients from my care." She looked at him and added, "I do trust you, Albus, but I wish I knew what you were up to."

"Whenever you'd care to join me, Poppy," he replied evenly, "you know where I am."

She bristled slightly but nodded and then bustled back to her office, ready to wash her hands of her patients.

"Now I believe there is a wheelchair we've produced for you, Sirius," Dumbledore said, standing. "It should be just outside the door here if you'll let me go get it."

"No," said Sirius firmly. "I'm not an invalid, and I don't want a wheelchair. I need practice to get my mobility back. She said so yesterday." He indicated Nicole.

"I'm afraid I don't think Miss Granger can continue being your support," Dumbledore replied sternly. "She looks ready to drop as it is, and the stairs at Hogwarts are not kind. The wheelchair comes from St. Mungos and will easily go up and down stairs."

Sirius glared and opened his mouth, but Hermione stopped him, placing a hand over his mouth. He blinked and stared at her, and she dropped her hand swiftly but said, "Headmaster, if I may, I think I have a solution. Sirius can use the wheelchair at Hogwarts, but could he also have some crutches?"

"Crutches?" Sirius asked, confused. Nicole's eyes brightened, however, and she nodded in support.

Dumbledore mused for a few minutes before saying, "I think that could be arranged, but I'm afraid I won't be able to get crutches tonight. So you will need to use the wheelchair unless you're interested in being levitated to your new quarters?" He stroked his beard and kept a straight face, though his eyes twinkled.

Sirius grumbled but accepted the terms, still not entirely sure what crutches were. Dumbledore clapped his hands happily and then told them, "By the way, we haven't announced your—er—arrival to anyone except those here at Hogwarts. I wondered if you wouldn't like to make a surprise entrance at the Weasley family New Year's celebration. It is my understanding that Miss Brown will be back with her own family and the guests for the celebration will be mostly friendly."

Hermione's eyes sparked with excitement at the thought of seeing her best friends and finally sharing her work from the last semester. She looked up at Sirius to see him grinning madly at the thought of finally seeing Harry again.

"And now I think we should make our way to your quarters," Dumbledore said with a smile, and he went to the door to retrieve the wheelchair for Sirius.

Hermione could see Sirius was still frustrated at his lack of mobility, and she leaned into him, surprised at how such a small motion could be so soothing for her, too. "Don't worry, Sirius," she said. "I'll help you get to walking and running again, and we'll get through this together. We've come this far, right?"

The older man looked down at her, and she caught a slight vulnerability in his eyes. He smiled softly, his features transforming into something almost beautiful, and said, "We have, Hermione. We have. And I don't think I could have done this with anyone else but you by my side. After all, you are the smartest witch in your year."

Hermione's smile remained plastered on her face all the way to their new room.