AN: OKAY I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW ITS BEEN ABSOLUTELY AGES SINCE I LAST UPDATED IM SO SORRY PLEASE DON'T HATE ME. This chapter is super short and I've really been struggling with it; I know where I want the story to go I'm just having some trouble getting it there. I still hope you like it though! Also, thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter:
leonix2009: I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter - sorry for the wait for this one; I hope you like it just as much.
Blue Raging Fire 111: You're welcome! You'll just have to wait and see how things turn out with Voldemort, everything should unfold in the next couple chapters.
DamonsPrincesss: Yeah, I want Hermione and Sirius' relationship to develop as naturally as possible, so it'll still be a while before things are wonderful and fluffy and great between them.

The nightmare had once again dragged her screaming from slumber, her blood boiling and her arm aching as though the wound there had been freshly carved. She had sat on her bed, tangled in a sweaty mess of quilted fabric, breathing hard in an attempt to calm her racing heart. Her body shook in terror, and she mustered all of her Gryffindor bravery before creeping down the hall to Sirius' room.

Morning came too quickly, and Hermione blinked her heavy eyelids as she took in her unfamiliar surroundings. When she remembered the events of the previous evening, her face flushed and she carefully extricated herself from Sirius' heavy arms, crawling out of bed and tiptoeing into the hall with all the stealth she could muster. A stunned expletive quickly covered by a cough startled her, and Hermione whirled to see Remus standing in the hall, staring at her in shock and poorly disguised horror. She could feel her face redden, muttering, "I had a nightmare." quietly under her breath, before fleeing into the safety of her own bedroom, slamming the door unintentionally behind herself. Leaning her back against the closed door, she took a deep breath and shut her eyes, sinking to the floor as she tried to shove her embarrassment away.

Sirius awoke as the sharp noise of a slamming door reverberated through the previous silence of the small flat. Grumbling, he nestled deeper into his pillow, a feminine scent enveloping him. He sniffed hard, once, before his eyes shot open, sleep fleeing from his features. A smirk formed on his aristocratic features, unbidden, as he remembered Hermione sneaking in the previous night. Sirius stretched and ran a hand through his shaggy black hair before rising from bed and pulling a well worn pair of muggle sweatpants over his boxers and padding out into the kitchen. Whistling cheerfully, he methodically poured himself a glass of water, pointedly ignoring the loaded looks that a very disgruntled Remus was shooting at him from where he sat at their rickety dining table.

When Remus had very loudly cleared his throat for the third time, obviously trying to catch Sirius' attention, the latter wizard chuckled to himself.

"Alright there Moony?" He beamed at his friend. "You seem to be coming down with something." Remus' glower darkened, and as he opened his mouth, Sirius braced himself for a tirade of Minerva McGonagall proportions.

Suffice to say, he was not disappointed. Remus lectured his friend extensively on how he was "taking advantage of a girl in distress" and how he "thought you were better than that Sirius!" and "you really do need to grow up you know". Finally, when he had exhausted his breath, he simply fixed Sirius with a glare. Sirius, enjoying the ease with which he could wind up his straight-laced friend, simply smiled wider, his eyes dancing with mirth.

"She wasn't complaining Moony." Remus' face paled, and his jaw fell open, his mouth gaping in shock, before he quickly snapped his mouth shut and primly took a sip of his tea.

The weeks following Sirius' and Hermione's encounter, as she had taken to referring to it in her head, had been deceptively calm. Hermione had not found herself in Sirius' bed again, instead choosing to cast silencing charms over her room, and avoid her dark haired roommate whenever possible. Lily was nearly frantic with planning her upcoming nuptials, and frequently spirited Hermione away, aiding Hermione in her desire to be at the flat as little as possible. Preoccupied with both Lily's wedding and her avoidance of Sirius, Hermione had not noticed a small rat who had taken up quiet residence in a dark corner of Dogweed and Deathcap.

From the shadows, Wormtail simply watched, the beady eyes of his rodent form carefully studying Hermione day in and day out. Despite the unrelenting hatred he felt for her due to her involvement with his expulsion from the Marauders, he also felt strangely intrigued by her daily habits. He watched as she swept a golden brown curl behind her ear, revealing her delicate profile, as she perched daintily on a stool reading a thick tome. Wormtail shrunk further into the shadows as she shifted slightly, worried he may have been seen, but she settled again, her eyes continuing to fly over the pages as Wormtail continued to keep his watch.

AN: Thank you for reading! I hope it won't be quite so long until the next update - I've already begun working on the next chapter and it's coming along nicely. In the meantime, please leave me a review!

Xo

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