Oct. 1st, 1977

She took the next four weeks getting to know the girls she shared her room with and the Marauders. She had met Peter the second day there and he was the sweetest, so shy that he blushed when he heard how she and Sirius interacted. She knew that she could prevent him from betraying his friends.

She shared study sessions with Lily and Remus, who both cared about their school work as much as she did, then she also helped James, Sirius, Remus and Peter make some of the funniest pranks, remembering some from Fred and George.

They had gotten just as close, if not closer than she had been with Harry and Ron, and that was strange to her. She was completely surprised at how different life was for her here.

She was undoubtedly the closest with Sirius. Hermione had to admit that she and Sirius were inseparable and her feelings for him were heading in a different direction than the others. She hadn't acted on her feelings yet because she was afraid he wouldn't feel the same and it would ruin what they had.

"Morning kitten." Sirius said, walking down to the common room and grabbing the book out of her hand, sitting it down.

"Padfoot, remember what we talked about." She heard James tell him in a whisper and he just nodded back to him. Morning, 'Mione!"

"Morning James! What was that about, Sirius?" Hermione asked him as he leaned over her shoulder from behind.

"Oh nothing, Prongs was just reminding me to do something. Care to take a walk with me, love?" He asked her and she smiled up at him and nodded.

They walked in near silence down towards the lake and Hermione was starting to worry. Was something wrong? Could he tell she liked him and didn't feel the same?

She couldn't take the silence any longer and spoke up.

"Sirius, what's going on? You're acting very... unusual? It's quite worrying to be honest." Hermione asked him, stopping just before the lake. Sirius reached out and took her hand.

"I don't mean to worry you, kitten. I'm just trying to do things the right way. Since you've been here, I've come to care for you, and not just as a friend. This is all new to me. I've never had a real girlfriend before, just random snogs here and there, but I don't want you to be just some random snog. I was thinking a bit more... long term.

Bloody hell I sound like a blubbering girl!" Sirius said, but was cut off by Hermione reaching up to him and pulling his head down to her level, covering his lips with hers.

The connection was immediate and they both could feel it. Once Sirius got over the shock of her kissing him, he kissed back just as passionately and it was truly magical. The tension between the two had been palpable for at least the last two weeks and now they were releasing it all. They felt a burst of magic surrounding them, then it slowly faded.

After pulling away, Sirius rested his forehead on hers and smiled. "Bloody hell, kitten, you are incredible. So, does this mean you'll be my girlfriend?"

She looked up and him and smiled. "Yes, Sirius, I'd love to be your girlfriend."

"I was afraid you wouldn't feel the same, which is why I waited so long. I've wanted to ask you for about two weeks. James finally worked me up enough to actually do it." Sirius told her, sliding her hand in his as they began to walk around the lake.

"Honestly, I was the same way. I was afraid you wouldn't feel the same, too. The girls were trying to convince me to be all flirty with you, but you know that's not how I am." Hermione told him and he laughed.

"My kitten, flirty? I don't think so. You are just how I like you, which is different than other girls, so thank you for not taking their advice, love." He told her. "I don't think things will ever be 'normal' with us, do you, kitten?"

"I doubt it. I mean, I trusted you from the very first moment I saw you with life-altering, world changing information. You turn into a dog at times, I am working on becoming an animal of my own. We have a werewolf as a best friend. I think it's safe to say that no, life won't ever be the stereotypical normal. We'll just have to make our own normal." Hermione told him and he smiled back at her.

"I like the sound of that. So today's the last day for your leaf. Then we'll need to use it to make the potion tonight. Once you drink the potion, you have to recite the incantation "Amato Animo Animato Animagus" daily until you transform for the first time. It took me about three weeks, but I found that when I turned to meditation before saying it, it happened much quicker. It took five weeks for James and nearly two months for Peter." Sirius explained to her and she nodded in understanding.

"I'm so glad that I will get this leaf out of my mouth tonight, then I can kiss you properly. Please tell me that the potion at least tastes better than this leaf?" She asked

and he grimaced.

"Afraid not, love. It's actually about 10 times worse." She looked at him with an unreadable expression. "Oh don't give me that look, I promised you I'd never lie to you, so I'm giving you the honest truth. It's not my fault if it's not what you wanted to hear, kitten." He told her and she punched him on the arm jokingly.

She laughed and then wondered if it tasted anything like the polyjuice.

"What was that look?" He asked and she washed away the gross taste in her mouth.

"I was just hoping that it didn't taste like polyjuice potion. It's absolutely horrid." She mentioned and he looked at her curiously.

"And when did you use polyjuice potion?" He asked, wondering how many crazy things she had done.

"I brewed it in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom during my second year. We were trying to figure out who the heir of Slytherin was because they opened the Chamber of Secrets. Our plan was to turn into some Slytherin's so that we could question Malfoy, but apparently the hair that I got off the girl's robe was a cat's hair. Didn't stop coughing up furballs for weeks!" She told him and he let out a loud belly laugh as he listened to her story.

"I think that gives me a new reason to call you kitten, love." Sirius told her, laughing. She glared at him before laughing, herself.

"Sirius, what happened when we kissed? With our magic, I mean?" Hermione asked, wondering if he knew since he was a pureblood.

"I don't know for sure, because I've only ever heard stories of it happening, but in the wizarding world, two people can become soul-bonded." Sirius told her quietly as they walked along. She turned to look at him curiously.

"Soul-bonded?" She asked, wondering what that entailed.

"It's difficult to explain. Essentially, it's like having a soulmate, but it's possible because of our magic. If two people's magic is compatible in a certain way, it just fits together. I mean, it would make sense seeing as how I've trusted you fully since day one when I didn't even know you. I know you felt the same connection." Sirius told her, brushing a tendril of her hair behind her ear. She smiled back up at him and nodded.

"It does make sense. So this means you're my soulmate, Sirius Black?" Hermione asked him and he leaned down and kissed her again, feeling their magic buzz.

"The one and only!" He told her. They could see James and Remus standing up at the castle yelling for Sirius.

"Go, they need you. I think I'll walk around for a little while longer before I come back up to the castle, then I'm going to the library to do some research on soul-bonds." Hermione told him and he nodded, leaning down to kiss her again before running back up to the castle where Remus and James were.

Hermione just giggled as he blew her an over exaggerated kiss when he met up with the boys, knowing that it was his way of telling them that they were now

together.

She walked around the lake a while before sitting on a stump, looking out at the water. It was nice and calming, until she heard a branch break on the ground behind her.

She whipped her head around and saw a boy leaning against a tree, watching her with his arms crossed. What caught her attention was that he looked nearly exactly like Sirius, just a tad younger, and wearing Slytherin robes.

"You're Regulus, aren't you?" Hermione asked him and he just scoffed.

"I'm surprised my brother has thought to mention me." He said with a deep voice, still leaning against a tree. Hermione knew that he would have already become a Death Eater at this point, and she wasn't positive exactly when his allegiance changed, so she kept her hand on her wand.

"He hasn't. I just happen to be perceptive." She told him, now standing, clutching her wand to see if he was going to make any moves.

To her surprise, when he saw her defensive stance, he just laughed.

"Getting defensive, are we?" He asked her, still laughing. "There's no need. I don't even have my wand out."

"We both know that neither of us actually needs our wands out to inflict damage." She replied, having witnessed him performing wandless/wordless magic in the halls.

She could also perform wandless/wordless magic, so she placed her wand back in her pocket.

"Seems you are quite perceptive, then. However, why would I want to hurt my brother's new bonded?" He asked, testing her. She wondered how he knew about the bonding, then surmised that he was probably eve's dropping while her and Sirius spoke.

"There are several reasons. One, because you hate your brother, two, because you know what I am, and three, because I know what you are." She explained to him and he stared at her, calculating what to say next.

"And what am I?" He questioned, his emotions staying blank, waiting for her to respond.

"A Death Eater." She replied and he subconsciously rubbed his left forearm before looking back up at her with an unreadable expression.

"How do you know?" He asked, now worried who she might've told.

"I make it my business to know all the Death Eater's in the school. You see, they have a habit of coming after me, so I'd rather know who wants to kill me." She eyed his reaction before continuing, "Now, I'm positive that Sirius knows because your parents tried to force him to take the mark before he left, but I haven't told anyone, and I won't unless you cause harm to myself or any of my friends." She told him confidently. She wanted to break down his walls and maybe even one day befriend him.

"Why haven't you told?" He asked in a strangled voice, his stoic expression gone.

"Because I once knew a boy just like you. He was a pureblood, and it was a duty to his family to become a Death Eater. He wanted the honor, but once he became one, he realized just how wrong it was. Voldemort doesn't care about his followers, in fact, I've seen him kill a fair few, just because. Did you know that he's a half-blood, himself? Not that he'd tell anyone. If you want to know what a man is like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals." She said, actually quoting Sirius from the future.

Regulus' eyes went wide at what she was saying, also the fact that she had said the Dark Lord's name without fear. He could see in her eyes that she had seen worse things than even he had yet. The seed of doubt in him had been planted when he first received his mark and witnessed what this witch had just explained to him.

"I know you aren't quite ready yet, but when you are, come find me and I will help you, Regulus." She told him turning to walk away.

"Are you a legilimens?" He asked accusingly as she turned her back to him.

"Technically, yes, but I didn't use it on you. I saw everything I needed to in your eyes. Are you an occlumens?" She asked him and his eyes snapped back up to her.

"How do you think I've lasted this long already?" He asked her before turning and walking away, his black robes billowing as he did.

This gave Hermione a little hope for Regulus. She knew he was having doubts, and the fact that he was proficient enough in occlumens meant that he was keeping it from Voldemort already. He would come to her eventually and when he did, she would help him.

She took her time and walked back to the castle, where she went directly to the library to find more information on soul-bonds. She knew that she couldn't tell Sirius about her little run-in with Regulus, seeing as he'd likely be very angry.

All of the information that she found in the library was essentially the same as what Sirius had told her, but it also stated that the bond would not be sealed until they consummated the relationship. The book explained that once the bond was sealed, their magic would essentially be intertwined, therefore making both of them stronger. She also read about familial bonds and all different types of loyalty bonds that were very old and powerful magic. How had she never come across this before in all of her reading?

"I thought I'd find you in here," She heard someone say from behind her, immediately relaxing once she realized it was just Sirius. "Find any good information?" He whispered in her ear as he looked over her shoulder at what she was reading.

"Yes, actually. I think you're right about us being soul-bonded, however the bond isn't sealed yet. I found out lots of information on all types of bonds that I'd never heard about. Did you tell the boys?" Hermione asked him and he pulled out the chair next to her and sat.

"I told James. To be honest, he said he wasn't surprised. Mentioned something about the way we both 'clicked'. Told me that it was about damn time that I bucked up and asked you out." Sirius said before standing up and holding his hand out to help her up as well. "Why don't we go get some lunch, love?"

She smiled and grabbed his hand, holding on to it as he pulled her down the hall. As they approached the Great Hall, they walked in, still holding hands while everyone watched them, before sitting down next to James, Remus, and Lily.

"I see you two finally got together then?" Lily asked, referencing the way Sirius had his arm wrapped around Hermione's waist protectively.

"Indeed, we have. Kitten, here, is all mine now." Sirius said before kissing Hermione lighty. Her cheeks tinged pink as they kissed, before she looked back over at Lily.

"Congratulations, then. I was wondering when it would finally happen." Lily told them with a laugh. They continued on eating lunch and Hermione's eyes wandered over to the Slytherin table, happening on Regulus, who was caught watching and before he nodded at her, ever so slightly, before standing up and walking out of the hall.

"I'll meet you guys back in the common room, I've just remembered that I need to ask Professor Dumbledore about something." Hermione told them and Sirius leaned over to her.

"Need me to go with you, love?" He asked and Hermione shook her head no.

"It's nothing important. I'll be up in a little while." She told him, kissing his cheek before walking out of the hall. She didn't know where she was going, she only hoped it wasn't the opposite direction that Regulus had.

Without a noise, someone pulled her into a dark alcove. She saw the black hair and knew that it was Regulus, sighing in relief as she saw it was him and not another Slytherin. "I need to talk with you. Privately." He whispered in her ear.

"Meet me on the 7th floor in front of the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. Midnight. No questions, just do it." She whispered back at him before leaving the alcove.

She took the long route and finally made it back to the common room where everyone was just enjoying their afternoon. She found herself laying across Sirius, reading a book while he and James discussed their next prank, laughing and smiling.

She couldn't help but feel nervous about her meeting with Regulus later, but she didn't let it show.

At 8pm, it was time to take the mandrake leaf out of her mouth and place it in the potion they had been brewing for days. Sirius watched as she sighed in relief once the leaf left her mouth. She threw it in the potion and stirred clockwise ten times before it was declared ready.

"Are you ready, kitten?" Sirius said, pouring some into a flask for her to drink. She grimaced at the thought.

"Might as well get it over with." She said before she gulped the entire concoction down. She nearly gagged after finishing, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the polyjuice potion.

"You alright, love?" Sirius asked her and she looked up at him and nodded before repeating the phrase she needed to say in her head. "We'll start trying tomorrow. Try to just sit and meditate for now."

She did as he said and meditated, trying to figure out what she was going to turn into. She couldn't see much yet, just lots of fog.

At about 10pm, she excused herself for bed and found herself sitting on her bed, trying to think of how she could help Regulus. At quarter to midnight, Hermione walked down to the common room as quietly as she could.

She had decided that she was going to borrow James invisibility cloak to get to the Room of Requirement, but he couldn't know.

"Accio invisibility cloak." She whispered and within seconds, it was flying towards her from the boys dormitory.

She quickly wrapped it around herself before leaving the Gryffindor tower and walking to the 7th floor corridor where the tapestry was. She was surprised to see that

Regulus was already there waiting for her.

She pulled off the invisibility cloak in front of him and he stared at her, wide-eyed.

"Where'd you get a bloody invisibility cloak?" He asked her as she stowed it away in her bag before walking in front of the wall back and forth three times.

"I borrowed it." She told him. A normal sized door appeared in front of them and Regulus looked at the door and then back at her. "Well come on, then, unless you want to be spotted after hours with a mudblood." She told him as she opened the door, motioning for him to walk in.

He followed quickly, walking behind her into the room, which was laid out like a sitting room, shelves full of books lining the walls, a fireplace, and two chairs in front of it.

"What is this place? And how do you know of it when you are a new student? You can't hardly call finding a clearly unplottable room being perceptive." Regulus asked, looking at the room around him as she closed the door.

"There's a lot about me that you don't know, that most don't know." Hermione told him clearly.

"Does Sirius?" He retorted.

"Yes." She responded. "You asked to speak to me, what is it you'd like to talk about?"

"You're not afraid of me, at all." He said as he watched her sit down in one of the chairs, placing her wand on the table next to her.

"No. I've dealt with many Death Eaters, Snatchers, even Werewolves, Regulus. I can handle myself with a 16 year old Death Eater. Even then, I don't feel as if you're a threat. Are you?" She asked him and waited for his response.

"No." He replied quietly. "But I am dangerous."

"I'm dangerous, too. I've taken at least one life, maybe more. I don't really know. But the people I took down were trying to kill me, kill my friends, my family, my 'kind'.

Did I want to kill them? No. Would I do it again? Yes." She explained to him. He stared at her, this innocent looking girl in front of him, wondering if she was telling the truth. "Would you like to take a look? I'm sure you're a legilimens. Go ahead."

He didn't hesitate. Hermione could feel the prodding to her mind and let down her walls to what she wanted him to see, her fighting the death eaters. As soon as he saw what he needed to see, he retreated from her mind, not wanting to invade her privacy any longer.

"Can you help me?" He asked in a strangled voice once he regained his bearings. "I don't want to be a monster."

"I can help you. I won't lie and say that it will be easy, because it won't. You will still need to go when he calls, until we can find a safe alternative, but you are not alone." Hermione told him and offered him to sit down.

He took the seat and put his head in his hands, his long hair falling into his face. Hermione stood up and walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. His first reaction was to tense up, not being used to that sort of comforting touch, but he slowly found himself relaxing, even going so far as to lean his head into her arm.

After a while, Hermione went to sit back in her chair and he looked at her. "What do I need to do?"

I couldn't help but bring Regulus in... I feel like he is a lot like Draco, and if he just had a little bit of help before getting in too deep, things would have ended up different for him. I even entertained the idea of writing a Hermione/Regulus story, but we'll see. Ideas? Let me know!