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

Author's Note: I'm updating now in celebration of the fact I finally managed to get past a mental block on the next chapter that I'd written ages ago. I wrote myself into a corner and had to do some serious cutting and editing to figure out how to get past the issue. And now that I have, I thought I'd go ahead and share this update with you all. I'm currently writing two stories and trying to switch between the two so I don't get burned out on one story, and so far it's a solid strategy. So cheers to writing and moving the story along! Enjoy, and thanks for all the comments!

The Second Sixth Year of Sirius Black

By: Rae

-A "Harry Potter" Fic-

"Here, let me help," Harry said as Hermione valiantly tried to navigate the crowded staircases with Sirius's wheelchair. Hermione gratefully slid aside and stepped next to Sirius as Lavender and Parvati pushed forward with Ron in tow. The group continued pushing up the stairs together, and Hermione felt Parvati take her arm.

Tugging at her lightly, Parvati grinned over at Sirius while saying softly, "Hermione, you didn't tell us you had a gorgeous wizard in your family. I thought you were Muggleborn!"

"Yeah, Hermione," Lavender said thoughtfully as Ron trailed behind her. "We thought you were just a Muggleborn, but here you are with a handsome wizard in tow. What gives?"

Harry and Sirius were talking to one another, but Hermione saw Sirius flash her a glance and hated him for the smirk and wink he gave her as he overheard her two former roommates. "Well, I didn't know, actually," she told them, sticking to the story they'd formulated. "See, Donny is a very distant cousin," she continued, smirking at the nickname he already detested, "and neither of us really saw one another except at extended family reunions. So neither of us knew the other was magical, and it's not like our families would really talk about that at all."

The other two girls were nodding to one another, and then Lavender asked, "So how did you find out about him then? I mean, what happened that you learned he was magical and needed help?"

Hermione mentally rehearsed the story they built up and prayed to any gods listening that it wouldn't be too difficult to keep the details straight and fool everyone. "Well," she hemmed, "it was actually through Dumbledore. Donald told him he wanted to come here to train ages ago, but he was injured at the beginning of the school year and had to stay at St. Bruno's in Ireland for much of the year to recover." The girls were listening with politely interested looks on their faces, so she continued, "Eventually St. Bruno's declared he could be released into the care of another witch or wizard who could help him regain his abilities, and when they started looking into his magical relations, I came up. Dumbledore contacted me over the holidays to see if I'd be willing to help since it seemed to work perfectly with his teaching goals anyway."

Hermione sighed out a breath, already overwhelmed at the complexity of the story she needed to keep up. Lavender and Parvati seemed pacified with her tale, though, and began talking about other things as they moved a little faster toward the common room.

"Hello Hermione," came a chorus of voices. Neville and Luna were walking up the stairs together, Luna taking a more roundabout route to Ravenclaw Tower.

Hermione smiled and greeted them as she continued to walk the stairs next to Sirius. Ron had moved to the other side of Harry and was talking to him and Sirius.

"How were your holidays?" She asked the two now walking with her.

"Good," Neville replied ruefully. "Gran seems to think I'm going to be like Dad and bought me a whole set of books on becoming an auror. She keeps talking about how well I did at the Ministry of Magic that I can't find the heart to tell her I don't want to be an auror." He shook his head and continued walking.

"I'm sure she'll figure it out," Hermione told him, patting his shoulder kindly. "She seems to be a pretty smart woman. I wouldn't want to tangle with her." She gave a chuckle, remembering the scene in Defense Against the Dark Arts their third year when Neville said he was scared of a bogart shaped like his grandmother. "What about you, Luna?"

"It was a lovely week away with my father," she told them in a sing-song tone of voice. "We went camping and spent the whole time hunting the Horny-toed Snarbax. We didn't find one, but we did meet some very nice Muggles near our campsite who taught us how to hunt the Muggle way. Did you know they use these ancient tools called bows and arrows?" Luna gave a little laugh and continued to walk up the stairs slightly ahead of Hermione and Neville.

Hermione exchanged a bemused glance with Neville and said, "Well, it sounds like you had a nice holiday, then." She wasn't sure what else to say.

"Oh, and Hermione?" Luna called as she reached the juncture where she would head off toward her common room. Hermione looked over at the blonde Ravenclaw as she said, "I've been listening to some of Stubby Boardman's music. Do you think I could get his autograph sometime?"

Hermione's jaw dropped, but before she could say anything, Luna stepped away and headed up the stairs with a group of her housemates that had just arrived.

"What was that about?" Neville asked her, his brow furrowed.

"I don't know," she lied, not willing to discuss her speculation with him. Even if Neville was their friend and a member of the DA, Hermione wasn't going to give away any information about Sirius if she could help it. They continued along, joining in with the other three as they talked, and Hermione found she didn't have to say much as the boys all began discussing some of the Quidditch games played over the holidays.

Harry navigated them up the step that led into the common room, and then he pushed Sirius over to the fireplace next to an empty couch. Ron and Neville followed them as Hermione claimed the spot next to Sirius. Harry sat in the chair on his other side, and they were soon joined by Lavender, Parvati, Dean Thomas, Ginny, and Seamus Finnegan.

This time Hermione was able to deflect a bit and allow Sirius to answer the questions about his background and their relation. She gratefully sank into the couch and only responded when directly questioned, choosing to listen instead.

"So what school did you attend?" Lavender asked this question from her perch on the arm of the couch next to Ron. Hermione had expected her to sit in his lap, but it appeared she was barely restraining herself, and this gave Hermione a chuckle as she saw Ron's discomfort at her proximity.

"I attended Beauxbatons," Sirius replied smoothly, winking at her and causing Lavender to giggle.

"Really? You don't sound French," Dean pointed out.

"Does he have to sound French?" Ginny retorted, earning her a glare from her newly ex-boyfriend. Harry glanced over at her with something hopeful in his gaze.

"I had a special circumstance for my attending Beauxbatons," Sirius interjected, using their background and Hermione's own family connections in his story. "My parents had a summerhouse in Toulouse that we lived in for several years growing up. That's where I was when I received my Beauxbatons summons."

"Summons?" Parvati asked. "What do you mean summons?"

"A Beauxbatons summons is what our school called it when they addressed Muggleborn witches and wizards," Sirius explained. "They send out two of the school board of educators with the invitation to attend Beauxbatons as well as your first wand to confirm your magical status to your family in the case that there hasn't been enough accidental magic leading up to this point."

"Really?" Neville asked curiously. "All I got was my Hogwarts letter, and Gran was thrilled I'd even been accepted." He shook his head bashfully.

"Well, you probably didn't blow up the kitchen when you were five years old," Seamus said, laughing. "Me mam was so glad to get me out of the house she practically begged the owl to take me back as soon as my letter arrived."

There was more laughter now, and then Dean said, "I had Professor Sinistra come to my house to deliver my letters."

"Mine was Professor Vector," Hermione said with a nod at Dean. "I wish I'd had a wand to play with when she came. My parents might have believed her more easily, but…" she paused and smirked.

"What?" Asked Sirius curiously.

"I just remembered why they let me come," she said with a chuckle. Everyone was looking at her now, and Hermione grinned at Sirius as she answered the unspoken question. "They argued about it for a while, but they told me I could come after an incident with the mixer and my Gram and cousins. We all got together before the holidays to make some sweets, and my Gram agreed to make four batches of mint chocolate chip cookies." Hermione smirked. "I hate mint chocolate, and I was angry they wouldn't let me make my own cookies, so I used some accidental magic on the mixer. Mum was scrubbing cookie dough out of the ceiling for ages. She and I still joke that cookie dough lasts forever."

The others were all laughing at her story, and Hermione grinned happily, snuggling deeper into her seat on the sofa. The conversation continued around her, and she listened as Sirius charmed the girls and made friends with the boys in her year. It felt familiar and yet strange at the same time to know that a 40-something man now in a 22-year-old's body was making friends with her housemates. It was even stranger when she remembered that not even a month before, this same man had only "lived" in a portrait until her research and work brought him back to life.

She sat and watched him interact with her friends and thought about how her life had been turned upside down. Hermione felt him put a hand on her arm and looked up to see him watching her with a grin. "Getting tired?" He asked her, and she glanced at the clock over the mantle. They'd been talking for three hours, and she really was tired.

"Yes," she said with a nod before turning to look at Harry and then Ron. "Did you two finish your homework without me?" The boys gave her sheepish grins as she glared. "No more talking," she told them sternly. "You need to go finish it now before classes start in the morning."

"We should probably head back so you can get some rest, too," Sirius told her softly, but the others still heard him.

"What do you mean?" Parvati asked. "Aren't you going to be back up in the room with us?" She looked around at the others who were just as confused.

"No," Sirius told her before Hermione could respond. "I need Hermione's help because of my illness, and the headmaster was kind enough to supply us with an old room that isn't being used currently so she can make sure I'm okay." He smiled brightly at them, and Hermione waited to see if they would question him further.

"Oh, okay," said Parvati, content to leave it alone.

Hermione stood up and moved to roll Sirius's wheelchair to the portrait entrance when Harry stood up, too. "How about I help you get back?" He asked, waggling his eyebrows hopefully.

Sirius glanced up with a hopeful look in his eyes that Hermione quickly quashed. "Oh no you don't, Harry Potter," she said sternly. "You need to finish your assignments before tomorrow, so you go over there with Ron and get to work. Since I'm not going to be sleeping in here, you can't count on me to correct your errors, either. Now get to it. I'll be fine."

Harry dropped his head morosely and turned to walk away. Sirius pushed out a pouty lip, but Hermione just rolled her eyes at him. As she pushed the chair through the entrance, she glanced back to see that Harry and Ron were seated at a table. Ginny was just joining them with her own bag, and Harry had a soft grin on his face that Hermione noticed.

He happened to look up just then and saw her gaze. She winked when he blushed.

The first week of school helped to smooth out the strangeness of having a "student teacher" as Dumbledore instructed students to think of Sirius and especially so with one in such an unusual situation. Hermione found she had to get up even earlier than usual to make sure she had plenty of time to get through the crowded halls to the Great Hall for breakfast and then needed to leave breakfast early to get to classes on time. Sirius, though not a morning person, was willing to work with her and got up with her each morning to prepare for the day.

In order to make Donald's student teaching look more legitimate, Dumbledore and Remus had concocted a plan that had Sirius toting around his own small messenger bag of parchment and quills with an actual assessment device given to real student teachers. Different professors had given Sirius leave to interject and give his own thoughts about class topics as well, especially in those classes he was supposedly specializing in. McGonagal and Remus both invited him to speak in their classes considering his skills in both Transfiguration and Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Meanwhile in their Advanced Potions class, Professor Snape made a rather special announcement on the first day of the term.

"I hope your essays on Daffyd's Combination Law will be more adequate than the ones you submitted at the end of term," he said in an oily voice as he passed back their last essays. "As we begin the term, I wish to remind you that I am the professor of this class and there will be no need to ask for assistance from our new student teacher, Mr. Allsopp." He threw an irritated glance at Sirius where he sat in the back of the room with Hermione. "In fact, Mr. Allsopp has stated his concentrations will not be in Potions, and as I have had the pleasure of viewing his interest file, I can assure you that should you ask him for assistance, you might find your grades slipping." He gave a self-satisfied smirk to the Marauder in the back row who was glaring at him. "And of course, he will not be assisting his cousin," the word rolled off his tongue flatly as he eyed Hermione, "either, so there will be no need for any concern about her grades."

Hermione flushed, biting her tongue on the retort that sprang to her lips. Next to her, Sirius shifted in his seat, and she avoided his gaze, knowing he was angry, too.

"Now," Snape said, slapping a handful of essays on the desk in front of him, "your instructions are on the board. I expect you will get at least halfway through brewing this potion." He waved his wand and the instructions appeared. "I trust you know what to do. Begin."

Hermione, Harry, and Ron were clustered in the back of the classroom, and Hermione waited till the rest of the class retrieved their potion ingredients to go get her own. Harry had been stranded since Snape's return, unable to use the potions book he had stolen from the stores. He and Ron worked together when they could manage it, trying to whisper questions and directions back and forth, but the results were still somewhat abysmal. Snape had been convinced to keep the class as-is upon his return, and so the boys and Hermione were still muddling through the Potions Master's increasingly difficult assignments.

In her other classes that she didn't share with Harry or Ron, Hermione found that Sirius was welcomed with open arms. Professor Vector invited him to share any insights he had in her Arithmancy class, and she frequently came over to him while the students were working on assignments to ask about the differences in his classes at Beauxbatons from those of Hogwarts. In Muggle Studies class, Professor Burbage often asked for the students to impart stories about their experiences with Muggles and requested Sirius share his own and any things he felt could contribute to the discussion of the day.

When they arrived at their first Defense Against the Dark Arts class, Hermione wondered how Sirius would act in a class taught by his best friend. She was pleasantly surprised when he remained perfectly polite and respectful to Remus, sitting back and letting him teach through the first lesson of term without a word.

They left the class for their lunch, and Hermione commented on his quiet. "I was expecting you to be more talkative in DADA," she said casually while pushing him forward through the crowds of students.

"I've never seen Remus teach before," he replied, looking around at the students who walked around them. "I thought I'd spend the first few classes just listening," he looked up at her and winked, "before I start correcting him." Hermione rolled her eyes. "He's a good teacher, isn't he?"

She looked down at him, but he'd turned back to face forward again, so she couldn't tell if he was being serious or not. "Yes, he is," she said, deciding to answer the question honestly. "I've always said he was the best Defense teacher we've ever had. I'm so glad Dumbledore got him to come back this year. I've been wondering how he managed that, though."

"Oh, that's easy," came a voice from behind her, and she turned to see Remus walking up to them. She slowed down further. The crowded halls had already thinned out considerably since she wasn't able to move very quickly. Remus reached for the handlebars of the chair, and Hermione gratefully allowed him to push the chair.

"So what's the story?" Sirius asked, craning his neck to look at Remus. "I thought the position was cursed. Haven't had the same teacher for more than a year."

"That's true," Remus said, grinning slightly. "Or at least, that's been the resounding theory. When he asked me to come back, Albus warned me about the so-called curse but said it's actually not a curse at all. He told me the whole thing came about one year because a student returned and requested the position. He wasn't qualified at all, but he begged Dumbledore to take him on so he would have a home. It seems his parents died and he didn't know what to do after graduation. Anyway, Dumbledore told him no teacher would stay longer than a year and that he wouldn't be able to stay over the summers. That sent him packing. He came back asking again, though, so Dumbledore made the position a permanent year-long appointment."

Sirius was nodding thoughtfully. "If that's the case," he asked, "then why was he willing to offer it to you for a second time?" Hermione was wondering the same.

"Well, I didn't stay in the position, did I?" Remus asked. He shrugged and said, "Albus said that the student stopped asking about it ages ago and he didn't see the harm in finally changing his own rules on it."

"But, Remus," Hermione began and then stopped. "I mean, Professor, why would he ask you back after what happened last time? And how did he get it past all the families and the Board of Governors after your-er-"

"Furry little secret?" Sirius offered helpfully.

"Well, yes," she said. "After that came out?"

Remus's gaze turned thoughtful. "You know, I'm not quite sure how that happened," he said as they approached the Great Hall doors. "I just know that when he offered the position, he also held a document signed by the Board of Governors giving permission for me to return to the post. I asked, but you know Albus. He just smiled and pushed the document into my hands."

Remus stepped aside so Hermione could take over the chair, and they entered the Great Hall where they separated. Remus went to the Professor's table while Hermione wheeled Sirius over to the front of the Gryffindor table, a place that now seemed to belong to them as the Gryffindors had all made room.

In the rest of her first week, Hermione found herself growing more and more tired from pushing the chair through the halls. Her muscles ached, and she constantly found herself rubbing at sore spots that bothered her. She tried not to let Sirius notice, however, because he was so anxious to regain his strength and would take any excuse to get out of the chair and try to walk around the school. She just wasn't certain he was well enough yet and was hoping to avoid any incidents where they might get stuck somewhere without the chair or a way to get back to the room.

By the end of the first week of term, Hermione and Sirius were both worn out. That Friday, she wheeled him straight back to their room rather than join her fellow Gryffindors in the common room to talk. Both she and Sirius fell into their beds that night and slept the night away, trying to recover their strength for the coming weeks.