Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I write for entertainment purposes only.
Author's Note: Well, I disappeared again for several months. I apologize for that. I'm trying to get back into this story but will admit other stories have been gaining more of my attention of late. That said, I wanted to put this out so it was available for your reading pleasure. Many thanks to all of you who have stuck around so far!
The Second Sixth Year of Sirius Black
By: Rae
-A "Harry Potter" Fic-
The next morning Hermione slept in more than she intended, having tossed and turned almost the whole night. She was woken by the sounds of a knock on the door followed by the entrance of Remus. As she and Sirius still had trouble being separated, most of the staff that knew the circumstances had been given the password to the room to enter it without difficulty. Hermione and Sirius had been told by Dumbledore that as their blood bond matured and they could separate over longer distances, they would have the ability to change their password and control the entry and exit of others. Though the headmaster did give Sirius a long look that seemed to speak volumes about his ability to know what happened in the castle at all times.
Sirius just gave him an abashed glance and winked at Hermione when Dumbledore looked away. She was experiencing her own amusement at the thought that the headmaster might have an idea what all she, Harry, and Ron had gotten up to in Hogwarts starting in their first year. Perhaps he wasn't as omniscient as he'd like people to believe.
Now Remus walked into the room and settled into the chair opposite the matching beds, and Hermione realized Sirius had been awake before her as he was sitting up in bed with a book in hand. One of her books, she noticed with surprise. He closed it and set it on their shared nightstand to greet Remus.
"Mornin' Moony," he said with a grin. "Will Tonks be here to make me up soon?" His eyes were bright with the promise of spending much of the day in classes with Harry, though Hermione didn't have the heart to tell him she and the boys had split in some of their electives.
"Yes, she will," Lupin replied and then turned to Hermione. "Good morning, Hermione. How are you doing?"
She had sat up, pulling the covers up to cover herself. Getting used to sleeping in the same room with Sirius had been difficult, and she still felt nervous when she was seen by one of the professors in her nightgown. Though a week of time discussing her predicament while in the hospital gown had somewhat cured her of too much modesty.
"Good morning, Professor," she greeted him with a loud yawn. She rubbed her eyes and tried to remind herself that her friend was also her professor and she needed to be a good example for Harry and Ron.
"Are you okay?" Sirius asked her, also studying her. He raised a brow at her, and she wondered how bad she really looked.
"I'm fine," she insisted with another yawn. "I just had trouble sleeping is all." She wouldn't tell them about the nightmares she'd dealt with.
The two men seemed satisfied with her answer because Sirius turned back to Remus and asked, "So what brings you here so early?"
"Well, actually, the headmaster," Lupin replied, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "You see, Hermione, we've just discovered something that needs to be remedied, and Headmaster Dumbledore asked me to discuss it with you before he presses on with his solution." His tone and expression told her she wouldn't like this one bit.
"Before you jump on me, though, hear me out," he told her firmly, and she nodded. "You see, we've remembered that you are, in fact, a Prefect—" Sirius groaned. "—and you will have some difficulties in performing those duties if you are also attending to Sirius—" Here Sirius snorted loudly. Remus raised his voice, "So the Headmaster thought it might be a good idea to relieve you of your duties for the remainder of the year. You'll still be a Prefect in name and have the same privileges and be able to award or remove House points, but we would ask another student to take on your Prefect duties for the rest of the year. And," he added before she could speak, "he thinks it would be helpful if you gave a recommendation for the student that would take over your duties. Perhaps one of your old roommates?"
Remus stopped speaking and leaned back in the chair assessing Hermione. She tried to remain stoic but couldn't help a frown as she realized he was right and she hated it. Taking care of Sirius and maturing their blood bond would be difficult enough, but it got so much harder when she added in her schoolwork and Prefect duties. Hermione put her hands on her temples and massaged them gently, realizing she was developing a headache.
Sirius sighed and stood up, taking the short step needed to get to her bed and sat down next to her, slinging an arm around her. As he did so, the now-familiar sense of relief filled her, and she relaxed her tense shoulders. Blinking in surprise, Hermione allowed herself a moment to relax against him, sinking into his loose embrace.
"If you feel bad, just come give me a hug," he said simply, squeezing her shoulder. "You know it makes both of us feel better, so don't hold back. Nicole said we should be in constant contact to help this thing get easier."
"I know," she said, glancing up into his face and feeling a bit embarrassed to realize how close it was. She looked away to meet Remus's gaze and felt her face heating up.
"Don't mind me," he said with a smirk, and Sirius barked a laugh.
"Jealous, Moony?" He asked, holding Hermione a bit tighter. "Wish you had a beautiful young witch of your own to bond with?" He winked, and Remus shook his head. Then Sirius tilted his head quizzically and asked, "Or have you found a beautiful young witch since I've been gone? Seems to me Hermione might have mentioned something about that."
Hermione elbowed him quickly and looked away from her professor. "Do I need to give a recommendation now?" She asked, trying to change the subject. "Or can I have some time to think about it?"
Lupin rolled his eyes at Sirius and then asked Hermione, "So you're okay with Dumbledore's plan?" She nodded. "He said you can have til the end of today. If you want to tell either Professor McGonagal or the headmaster, we can make an announcement in the Gryffindor common room when it's settled."
"Speaking of announcements…" Sirius began and trailed off as a knock on the door heralded Tonks's arrival.
"Wotcher Hermione, Sirius," she greeted them, coming in and nearly tripping over Remus's feet as she tried to get past him in the space between the chair and Sirius' bed. Instead of falling, however, she landed squarely in his lap when he reached out to steady her. Her hair shifted from its current blue to a bubblegum pink and she colored prettily as she tried to scramble out of his lap. "Sorry, sorry, Remus," she muttered, clambering up and scooting over to the side of Sirius's bed. She looked pointedly away from him even as Hermione and Sirius noted his cheeks coloring slightly.
"What was it you told me about Moony?" Sirius murmured in Hermione's ear, and she shook her head quickly, disguising the shiver that ran up her spine at his closeness. She ignored it, certain it was just their proximity and the blood bond, and then greeted Tonks.
"You'll need to get ready and head to the Great Hall," Remus said, standing up and heading to the door. "Professor Dumbledore will be making an announcement about you, Donald, and your studies to become a teacher, and he'll want you to look presentable." Nodding to them, he ducked out of the room, and Hermione wondered at the quickness of his exit.
Tonks, now back to her blue hair, settled into business as soon as Hermione was able to get to the wardrobe and pull out her clothes and school robes. Sirius sat on his bed facing Tonks so she could work her magic, and Hermione stood behind him, dressing and preparing for the day. The students would arrive back by lunch time, and they were expected to be there.
A few minutes after Tonks finished her work on Sirius and was settling in to tutor Hermione in some of the advanced Transfiguration spells she used, Dobby popped into the room with a tray for their breakfast.
"I suppose I should head out, too," Tonks said as the little elf set the enormous tray on the table that sat next to the chair Remus had occupied. "I need to get some grub as well and get ready for, er…" She trailed off, glancing at Hermione guiltily. "Order business," she finished lamely, and Hermione rolled her eyes.
Standing up, she smiled at them before rushing out the door. Dobby popped out of the room as well, bobbing a little nod to Hermione as he went, and she smiled kindly at the little elf before glancing at the tray that was laden with food. Hermione's stomach rumbled, and she blushed when Sirius chuckled.
"Let's eat then," he said, moving to lever himself off the bed, Hermione moved over to assist him so he could sit in the chair next to the table. Once he was seated, she grabbed a plate of food and sat on the bed opposite him.
They ate mostly in silence until Sirius polished off the last of the pumpkin juice in the small pitcher they'd been given and then sat back, eyeing her as she continued eating. When she finished her last bite of eggs, he leaned back in his chair, putting his hands behind his head and just stared at her.
"What?" She asked, glancing down her front to see if she'd accidentally spilled some food on her.
"I'm just wondering what you know about Moony's love life and if there's something you weren't telling me," he said speculatively. "Does Moony have a girl I don't know about?"
Hermione blinked slowly, surprised at the question. "No," she told him honestly. "At least, I don't think he does."
"But he likes someone?" Sirius asked her, his eyes glazed a bit. "Or maybe someone likes him?"
Hermione shifted in her seat, not sure if he actually wanted an answer to his question. Apparently her movement caught his attention because his gaze narrowed in on her.
"Hermione, love," he began cautiously, "you said you hadn't had time for boys between everything you're doing. Are you sure you don't have a crush on someone a little bit older than you?" His brow furrowed as he asked her what seemed a distasteful question.
Hermione burst out laughing. "Are you really asking me if I fancy Remus?" She asked incredulously. Sirius glared at her. "Honestly, Sirius, that's like asking me if I like…" she paused to think about her answer, "if I like my older brother. And you know he's my professor and was my professor first. Wouldn't that just be strange?"
Sirius sputtered a bit and said, "Stranger things have happened, and I happen to recall several of the girls in my day having crushes on our professors. A couple of the Defense Against the Dark Arts professors turned tail and ran because of the love letters that came pouring in over Valentine's Day." He chuckled at the memory.
Hermione laid back on the bed, not concerned that it was Sirius's bed, and thought about his comment. It was true she'd had crushes on professors before. A scowl crossed her face as she thought about Professor Lockhart. Harry and Ron had given her hell for that for ages. And then there was Professor Lupin…
True, when he'd first come to Hogwarts and she'd met him on the train, Hermione wondered if he would be a better professor than their last one after seeing his shabby dress. She cringed now when she remembered that, because it was mostly her parents' prejudices coming through. The Grangers weren't exactly well-to-do, but they prided themselves on finding advantages and associating with "the right sort of people" in a way that helped them to achieve social standing. Hermione had benefited from this as a child by qualifying for entry into some elite schools, but that was where the benefits ended.
As she thought about her immediate assumptions about Professor Lupin, she compared those stereotypes to what she'd learned about him in her third year. She wouldn't have called it a full-blown crush, but she was somewhat attracted to him by the end of the year. She even had wondered briefly what his werewolf form looked like but seeing how sickly he looked after each full moon had her feeling more sympathy for him.
Sirius had been lost in his own thoughts as Hermione thought back over her relationship with her professor. Finally, she sat up and said, "I think I had a small crush on him in third year, but then when we got to know him more, he felt more like a friend or an older brother, and I stopped looking at him like that."
Sirius nodded slowly. "I can understand that," he said. He leaned forward so that he could touch her hands where they rested on her knees. "So who does Moony fancy?" He asked with a smirk.
Hermione stood up, shrugging off his hands and shaking her head. "You're incorrigible," she said. "Were you always like this? Wait. Don't answer that," she stopped him as he opened his mouth. "C'mon, I need to use the bathroom."
They still couldn't be separated by more than a couple feet without it taxing the blood bond, and Hermione had dreamed about what it would be like when they were in the school, how they would be able to navigate the halls and make sure their bond wasn't broken. Nicole had warned them several times that breaking the bond could result in death, and neither of them was willing to risk the other's life.
After going to the bathroom, they laid back down in their separate beds to relax a little before the luncheon that would be their first test. They'd talked and talked about their story and the relationship between Hermione and "cousin Donald." Sirius argued they should make certain people knew it was a very distant relation so no one would question him touching her. Hermione argued that being closer wouldn't be seen as something strange. They eventually decided to go with Sirius's plan, mainly because he whined long enough that Hermione finally gave in.
The morning was mostly quiet. Both of them kept to their own thoughts, and Hermione worried at her lips, chewing on them as she remembered her nightmares until it was time to head to the Great Hall. Sirius grumbled but sat in his magical wheelchair so that Hermione could wheel him down to meet their friends and her classmates and see how the rest of the year would go.
She pushed him down the halls and stairs, thinking how nice it was to have a magical wheelchair to use. It looked very similar to a muggle version. The only difference was the slightly wider wheels on the back of the chair that were magically charmed to be able to handle any terrain, including the numerous stairs lining the halls of Hogwarts. As they made their way toward the Great Hall, Sirius grew visibly more excited at the prospect of seeing Harry again.
"Do you think we can go up to the common room after the feast?" He asked eagerly, turning to give Hermione puppy dog eyes. He'd asked her that no less than five times already, and she growled in the back of her throat. He pushed his lower lip out into a pout, and she couldn't help laughing at him.
"Fine," she said with a sigh. It would be a bit difficult to maneuver them into and out of the common room, but she could get one of the boys to push the wheelchair while she walked alongside it. Her arms were already tired from pushing it despite the charms placed on it to ease the burden of movement.
Sirius turned around and bounced up and down in the chair slightly. Hermione shook her head and smiled at his enthusiasm. He really was thrilled to be back with Harry again, and she couldn't blame him. She was looking forward to having the boys around to spend time with, too. She'd been missing her best friends this year and really only had herself to blame after spending so many months working on her big project to bring Sirius back. Now she could spend some time with them and enjoy herself while working on maturing the blood bond with Sirius.
They made it to the ground floor and saw what looked like the last of the students shuffling into the Great Hall, trying to get there so they could get some of the delicious food the house elves had prepared. Hermione pushed Sirius toward the doors as the last of the students made their way inside.
"Wait!" She called as one of them, a first year judging by his size, made his way in and started to close the door behind him. He stopped and turned to her, his eyes widening at the sight of the grinning man in the wheelchair. "Thank you," she said as she pushed closer to the door he held open for her now. The boy nodded and headed off to the Hufflepuff table while she rolled Sirius hesitantly towards the Gryffindor tables.
"Hermione, over here!" Ron called out, and she saw his red head bobbing above the rest of their housemates at the far end of the tables near the front. Drawing in a breath, she prepared to push Sirius through the now-gawking students nearby, all of whom had been alerted by Ron's call and were trying to get a glimpse of the man in the chair. She pressed on, moving steadily through the tables that had seemingly been set more widely, probably by Dumbledore. When they got closer, she saw that Harry, Ron, and Ginny had all settled together at the end of the table and shoved the benches down on one side for the wheelchair to sit.
She settled the wheelchair at the end of the table and took the seat next to it that Ron vacated for her. He shifted over to sit closer to Lavender, who-Hermione noticed-was grinning at him slavishly and clutched onto his arm with a grin and the beginnings of what looked like a long story to share. Hermione found herself seated across from Ginny while Harry was across from Sirius.
"Hello Harry," Sirius said with a grin, affecting a slightly deeper tone of voice he'd been working at to go with his new persona. He looked to Ginny and nodded, "Hello Ginny. How are you all doing?"
"Good," Harry replied. "Better now that we're all together again. This is going to be the best year ever, er…" He paused, looking confused for a second and opened his mouth to ask something when Dumbledore stood and drew the attention of those in the room.
"Welcome, welcome, one and all!" He greeted with a smile when silence filled the room. Spreading his arms, he said, "I trust you all had a safe journey and good holiday with your families! Now before we go over some minor announcements, I implore you to enjoy the delicious feast before you!"
With that, he sat down and the tables filled immediately with food. Everyone began filling their plates and goblets with food and pumpkin juice. Hermione, too, filled her plate and cup and began to dig into her food. Sirius was doing the same next to her, and she turned to see Ron shoveling in food faster than ever, acting as if he hadn't been stuffed from Molly Weasley's delicious food throughout the holidays.
"So, uh, what are we supposed to call you?" She heard Harry asking Sirius in between bites of food.
Sirius grinned and said, "Donald Allsopp, at your service." He tipped an invisible hat, and Ginny chuckled.
"Nice to meet you, Donald," Harry replied with a smirk. He looked at Hermione with a question in his eyes. "Allsopp?" He asked.
"You'll find out later," she replied, knowing Dumbledore would be explaining their story to the whole school after dinner. "How was your New Year, Harry? Ginny?"
"Same old, same old," Ginny replied with a shrug. "At least there was no Celestina concert for New Years to deal with. Ron and the twins got into a fight. You should ask him about it." She smirked evilly, and Hermione wondered what that was about.
"I heard that," Ron grumbled from her right. She turned to see him leaning her way as Lavender was whispering in Parvati's ear.
Hermione raised a brow at him, but he shook his head and went back to eating.
"You should ask him about his Christmas gift from Lavender," Ginny whispered not-so-softly from across the table. Ron grunted but refused to rise to the bait. Hermione looked back and forth between the siblings, but they both went back to their food.
"Did you do anything special for New Years?" Harry asked Sirius now. "Set off any fireworks in the halls?"
Sirius barked a laugh. "Been listening to tales from Remus, have you?" He asked. Taking a bite of his roll, he shook his head. "We were too busy to do anything interesting for New Years," he said with a nod toward Hermione. "We've been spending all this time trying to figure out what story we'd come up with for everyone's return."
Hermione shushed him, noticing that students at nearby tables were glancing their way and whispering to one another. It was quickly becoming clear as students finished up their meals that word was getting around about the man in the wheelchair. Sirius rolled his eyes at her, and she glared back at him, knowing how important it was to keep their stories straight and his background quiet.
A clapping sound caught their attention, and they all looked to see Dumbledore standing up and looking out over the feasting students. He waved his wand and their food all disappeared suddenly. Hermione sat up straighter, determined to listen and set an example for the other students at the table.
"Well, well," he said with a benevolent smile, "I'm so glad to see your long holidays have done nothing to put a damper on your appetites! I hope you'll bring the same enthusiasm to your classes tomorrow." He chuckled at the groan that swelled through the room. "I'm assuming there will be great enthusiasm tonight to complete your assignments, then?" He asked, and some titters of laughter filled the air.
Hermione saw him shift his gaze to where she sat with Sirius and felt her shoulders tense. It was time, but she wasn't sure she was really ready for this. She ground her teeth together and tried to take a deep breath. Sirius reached over and put a hand on hers where it lay in her lap. Hermione felt the now-familiar sensation take hold and let loose a deep breath, looking over at him. He nodded at her encouragingly, and she tuned back into what the headmaster was saying.
"As I'm sure some of you have noticed, we have a new addition in our fair halls," Dumbledore said, nodding in Sirius's direction. "If you'll permit me, I'd like to introduce to you a special person who is joining us to finish out the school year. Miss Granger, if you will, please, come up here." He gestured to the space in front of his podium.
Hermione took a deep breath again and stood, pulling her hand away from Sirius's and instantly losing that comfort of their connection. Stepping behind his chair, she wheeled him up and positioned him in front of the room. She stepped to the side and waited for him to stand up next to her, not offering him her arm, knowing he wouldn't want to appear weak.
"Hogwarts is welcoming a student in training this semester," Dumbledore said. "This is Donald Allsopp, and he is a distant relative of Miss Granger here. Mr. Allsopp is going to be with us on his training in becoming an educator, and you will all give him the same respect you give your current professors as he is learning the skills he needs to become a professor. Mr. Allsopp, as you will note, is going to be traveling in a wheelchair for a time while he recovers from an illness. Miss Granger, as his closest magical relative, has been requested to give him aid while he recovers, and so he will be attending classes with her until he recovers his strength enough to attend other classes and learn from those professors."
Dumbledore paused, and Hermione resisted the urge to turn around and see what expression was on his face. Sirius was standing and looking around the room, grinning at some of the students that chanced a smile his way. Hermione looked down, not wanting to meet anyone else's eyes.
"I want everyone to give Mr. Allsopp a warm Hogwarts welcome and make him feel comfortable," Dumbledore said. "We welcome you to our school and are eager to help you in your aims, Donald." Sirius turned to him as Hermione did the same, and they both caught the quick wink he gave Sirius before gesturing back to the Gryffindor table.
"Now, I think it's best you all head out and spend the rest of your afternoon and evening reorienting yourselves with your rooms and perhaps cranking out some of those assignments you've put off." With a twinkle in his eyes, Dumbledore dismissed them, and the Great Hall erupted in the sounds of shuffling chairs, talking students, and shoes moving across the floor.
Hermione stood up and prepared for her first big challenge as she wheeled Sirius's chair towards the exit with her friends and headed to Gryffindor Tower amongst her curious house mates.