AN: This is just a one shot, a little story that's been beating my brain in to be written. There is no pairing, just a friendship that a girl would go to any lengths for and a boy who is blessed with a best friend who gives him the best gift he could ever receive.

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Hermione Granger was a very bright, caring, blessed witch. She had a loving family, she'd been blessed with a wonderful childhood before finding out she was a witch. That wonderful time was spent with her parents though because she could never make a friend, the other kids bullied her relentlessly, so much that her parents became concerned and pulled her out of school and taught her themselves and with private tutors.

When she was 11 years old they finally found out why the kids never liked her. She was different because she was magical and now she would go to Hogwarts and find other kids like her and finally have friends. She was so excited and her parents while sad about the months of her absence were happy for her to have a chance at a full educational and social experience.

Now she was 16 years old and she had found those friends and quite a few adventures along the way. This year, her 5th, had gone from bad, to depressing, to disastrous, to deadly in such a short amount of time. Now one of those friends was shattered and it was the best of her friends. Her Harry was facing the reality that he'd lost the godfather who he loved so much and who linked him to his parents.

She had spent many days in the hospital wing at Hogwarts recovering from injuries received in the battle that Sirius Black died in. In those days she had been unable to be with Harry while he grieved for his godfather. She had however been making a plan. She had a secret and as she said goodbye to Madame Pomfrey upon her release she hurried to Gryffindor Tower to share it with Harry.

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Hermione was frustrated because she'd been through the castle and couldn't find Harry and he wasn't at Hagrid's either. She had just about given up as she plopped down next to a tree at the black lake when she remembered Harry's map!

"Accio Marauder's Map!" she called out while pointing her wand at the castle.

It took a few minutes but the map came and softly landed in her lap and she quickly opened it and looked for her friend.

In the end she gave a laugh that her friend was actually across the lake from her and if she had paid attention she might've seen him. It was just difficult because he was laid down over there between some bushes.

She got up and started jogging again, excited to tell him her idea. Jogging however was not such a smart idea and she was winded fairly easily since she was still not all the way better from the curse she took.

"Harry!" Hermione called out when she'd finally walked around to where he was.

Harry sat up too fast and scraped his cheek on one of the bushes. "What are you doing here 'Mione? You're meant to be getting better in the hospital."

"I have a secret to share with you but you can't ever tell. Not about what I have or what we're about to do Harry because it could land us in Azkaban for the rest of our lives, and that isn't an exaggeration." She said grimly.

"Of course, you know I don't share our stories or secrets." Harry thought a new adventure might distract him from depression.

"Well just after I woke up in the hospital I was going through my things to make sure nothing got lost. I didn't lose anything but I did have something extra that I didn't have when we went into the Ministry." She smiled at him.

Harry raised an eyebrow at the statement because Hermione looked a little mischievous when she made that particular face.

"I'm guessing Neville thought it was my necklace because he'd seen one on accident 3rd year and asked me what it was. I told him my grandpa got it for me, and he said it was pretty. I made sure nobody ever saw it again until you and I wore it to save Sirius!" She smiled. "He probably is the one who put it in my pocket thinking it was mine."

"Hermione, you have?" Harry stuttered.

She pulled a time turner necklace out of her pocket. "I thought, why not? It's tradition we use this to save Sirius from certain death at this point, right?" She giggled as Harry tackled her to the ground hugging her.

"Now, I've been summoning, and banishing books all week getting all the research done. We have already cheated death by saving Buckbeak once. Sirius didn't count because technically he wouldn't have died he would have been a shell." Hermione said disgustedly. Dementors should be banned.

"To do it twice would cause disastrous things with magic and our world could plunge into endless evil." She whispered while looking around to make sure the twig she heard snapping wasn't an eavesdropper.

"Just a rabbit 'Mione, its fine. How can we save him if the results are that bad? I don't think we should do this after all, he'd be so mad." Harry said sadly. Once more his face sunk into the destroyed loss that broke her heart.

"Harry, we aren't going to cheat death this time. We have to exchange one life for another." Hermione said this so softly he almost thought he'd imagined it.

Harry was shocked! "Hermione are you...do you mean?"

He couldn't believe his sweet little bookworm friend had just casually mentioned murder.

"I know Harry, it's bad but can you not imagine one person who deserves death in exchange? We can't choose Voldemort unfortunately as that would be too hard with just two of us. However, he does have a follower who has killed, tortured, and caused as much havoc as he, is just as evil but not as hard to kill given certain advantages."

"Bellatrix Lestrange!" Harry cried excitedly.

"Exactly Harry. There is just one problem that I foresee that could stop us." She really was dreading this part of her plan.

"What?" Harry didn't see a problem only a justifiable solution.

"Harry, to Avada another person the research all says you have to really mean it, you have to put your own soul on the line and really be willing to pay that price to kill. You have to honestly want that person dead and it changes you to damage your soul that way. I don't have what it will take, mine will knock her out maybe but it wouldn't kill her." Hermione finished and looked down and picked up a stick to play with. She couldn't watch him put the pieces together and realize her meaning.

"I do mean it, and my soul is damaged by murder anyway so it won't make much difference. I have no problems killing that bitch if that is what you're trying to say." Harry said without even thinking."

"Harry, you have to be very sure. If we go back you can't change your mind. If we go, we are consciously deciding to commit murder. I have figured out how we do this but you have to do your part because it won't work otherwise. He will still die."

"We're good 'Mione, trust me. Also, when we get back we all three make an unbreakable vow to never talk about this to anyone or within anyone's hearing range. That way each of us is safe." He urged.

"In light of the circumstances I think that is probably a good idea at this point." She agreed. "Now, it has to be timed perfectly. I think if we get to the Ministry 2 minutes before we all get there as a group and hide under your cloak we should be able to follow ourselves to the Department of Mysteries. At that point we follow until we get to the room with that veil which is where we will stay as the group leaves looking for Sirius."

"Alright." He agreed, face grim.

"So Harry, I was already unconscious in another room when the Order showed up and it was just you and Neville in the veil room. You will need to remember exactly where Sirius and Bellatrix were positioned in the room and find a place you and I can be hidden and still send a spell at both of them." She told him.

"What? Why Sirius, I thought we were meant to save him?" Harry was upset.

"Harry, she has to send that curse at Sirius. The ministry will examine wands of Death Eaters that are there and they must see that she sent that or an order member will get blamed and could end up in Azkaban unfairly." Her countenance was grave and he understood the seriousness then.

"So, you have to trust me to save him while you take her out. There were so many spells shot out from what I could piece together from the different viewpoints I've been given since and a lot of those were killing curses. So I doubt anyone would question that she was killed by a stray Death Eater curse rebounding. As long as you are precise Harry, and everything hinges on that timing, we leave immediately after we send the spells for this time right now as soon as she dies. Then we find Sirius and make the vow after telling him what we did. He will keep our secret."

"In fact, just to be expedient why don't you get the cloak and Hedwig at the same time. Just tell her to fly to me and while you're getting the cloak I will write Sirius a note asking him to meet us right here just after dinner and we can tell him everything." She suggested.

Harry agreed and hugged her. Excited now instead of distressed and down he started to take off for the castle to do what he needed to before leaving.

"Oh Harry!" Hermione called out. "Remember, you're devastated right now, in mourning. Get rid of the happy face before you're seen."

Harry laughed and waved at her and took off running. When he returned Hedwig was with Hermione and she told his owl to stay in this spot up in a tree until they got back and then deliver the note as soon as she saw them. Hedwig hooted her understanding and flew up to a tree to wait.

The two friends took a steadying breath and Harry hugged her again in thanks. They put the cloak on and just to make sure they were never seen she disillusioned both of them. Hermione pulled out the time turner and put it around their necks and turned it the correct amount of times. The two invisible teenagers disappeared from Hogwarts grounds.

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When they showed up next they were still invisible until Hermione cancelled the spell and she and Harry were visible once more.

Harry was on his knees vomiting bile and tears poured down his cheeks. Hermione conjured a cloth and got it wet in the lake, she returned to his side and laid it on the back of his neck. She rubbed comforting circles on his back the way her own mum did whenever she was sick since it always comforted her.

"Hermione, that...it hurt. I didn't expect it to feel like that when I killed her." He cried into her shoulder when he was done being sick.

"I know Harry. That is why I debated so much about telling you my idea but I figured Sirius was yours so it should be up to you not me. I'm sorry Harry. I'm so SO sorry." she cried with him now.

"Hermione! Please don't be sorry, you've given me the best gift I will ever receive, I just have to adjust to knowing what I did. She was evil but she was still a person. I think it is just going to take time." He reached up and wiped her tears away from her cheeks as she did the same to him.

"Come on Harry we have to be at dinner, we can't be missed." Hermione told him having seen Hedwig take off as Harry fell to his knees to vomit.

"Okay, dinner and then Sirius. I can handle it that long and then he will help us both heal." Harry grabbed her hand, intertwined their fingers and they began the walk to the castle.

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When dinner was finished the two friends made excuses to Ron and the others and walked outside. Once they were sure they couldn't be seen they grinned at each other and took off running hand in hand again, laughing as they sped to the lake.

When they broke through the bushes they both stopped and stared. There in front of them was Sirius Black, looking very confused as two teenagers tackled him to the ground hugging him and crying at the same time.

"Bloody Hell!" Siruis cried out, holding them and patting their backs. He was seriously confused but he would let them cry it out before getting his answers.

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AN: Hope you enjoy this one!