Chapter 4:  Run in With the Aurors

 

Time: Sixth Year, first term


As one, Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked up to watch the descent of the morning's owls. A flurry of wings and mottled colors, Hermione hadn't been very interested in them since her first year but today, for some reason she didn't understand, she was today. A large brown delivered the Daily Prophet to her while a smaller one alighted next to Harry and held out a letter.

"Who's that from, Harry?" Ron asked through a mouthful of porridge.

"Snuffles," was the one word response.

Hermione exchanged looks with Ron over Harry's head as their friend's face paled slightly as he read the letter. Hermione felt a near uncontrollable surge of dread, which didn't seem to belong with the rest of her thoughts.

"What's wrong?" Ron was looking much like Hermione felt.

"He's coming here, to Hogsmeade," Harry added quietly at Hermione's disbelieving gaze.

"He's what? Why would he do that, is he mad? After what happened the last time I would think he would try to stay as far from Hogsmeade as poss--" Ron stopped abruptly as Hermione kicked him hard under the table. Hermione gave both Ron and Harry sharp looks and the letter disappeared as Malfoy skulked by behind the boys on his way to the Slytherin table.

When he had finally returned to the other Slytherins Hermione leaned across the table. "We shouldn't talk about this here."

The boys nodded in agreement and they gathered their belongings, Ron pausing to stuff another piece of toast into his mouth before catching up at the door.

"No one will be at Care of Magical Creatures," Harry muttered. "We can talk on our way out to Hagrid's."

It had been a mild winter so far and there was only a slight dusting of snow on the ground as they headed towards Hagrid's hut. However, dark clouds near the western horizon seemed to be preparing to unleash a storm later in the day, but for now the sun warmed the air and the walk would have been a nice one under different circumstances.

"Dear Harry,"

Hermione read the letter out loud in a whispered voice while Harry and Ron watched for eavesdroppers.

"I'm going to be in Hogsmeade very soon. Dumbledore has sent for me, though I'm not sure why; he did not want to say in the letter. I hope to see you but do not sneak out of school, it isn't safe."

"What is Dumbledore going on about?" Ron was indignant. "Those Aurors almost killed Sirius last year when he tried to get near Hogsmeade."

It was true. As Voldemort gained more power and the Muggle disappearances became more common, the Ministry had become more intent on putting Sirius back into Azkaban. The famous Auroring team of Stuart August and Goodwin Dobbs had been sent after him. They were far worse than the Dementors, hounding Sirius as he came to Harry's aid last year. Hermione, Harry, and Ron had seen the Aurors once when Sirius had tried to meet Harry in Diagon Alley the summer before last year. The two men had come slinking into the Leaky Cauldron while the trio had awaited word from Sirius. Harry seemed to hate them more than he had ever hated anyone.

When classes had started, reported sightings of Voldemort rose sharply in the area around the school. Fearing for Harry's safety, Dumbledore had sent him away from the school to go into hiding with Sirius. But it had been impossible to escape the Aurors in England. They had spent an entire month in Belgium where Dobbs and August had no jurisdiction, but it had been very dangerous and Hermione couldn't understand why the Headmaster would jeopardize Sirius' safety like that again.

"It must be important," Harry said as if replying to Hermione's unspoken question. "It must be really important for Dumbledore to risk it."

Hermione took in Harry's gray face and said, "But it will be all right. The Headmaster knows what he is doing. And anyway." Hermione paused as she looked ahead of them. "What does Hagrid have?"

They had been so busy talking that they hadn't realized that Hagrid's was so close. The trio had almost broken into his clearing. Several large crates were sitting in the paddock and Hagrid was leaning next to one. He heard them approaching and turned with a great grin on his face.

"Hullo there bit early aren' yeh? No matter, I've got a fine treat for yer. Thought we could do a little bit with these Streelers, it'll be fun, las' class before the holidays and all."

Harry, Hermione, and Ron suspiciously eyed the giant snails that, as they watched, turned from orange to a bright blue. Sticky slime trails marred the ground. Exchanging a bemused smile, the three friends put the letter away and approached.

~*~*~*~

Hermione grumbled lightly while mopping spilt Butterbeer off of her Potions text. Ron hadn't been very apologetic about it as he figured that she should have left her books at school. It was the last Hogsmeade visit before Christmas and they had all decided to stay for the Holidays. Hermione had wanted them to visit her parent's with her but with reports of Voldemort becoming common enough that they were beginning to show up in the Daily Prophet despite the Ministry's best efforts to keep it quiet, Dumbledore had told Harry that he had to stay at Hogwarts, which meant that they would all stay at Hogwarts.

"Here Hermione." Ron had returned from the bar and he was holding out a full mug to her.

"I swear, Ron Weasley, if you spill that on my Potions book again I'll..." but Hermione stopped suddenly as a white-hot flash of anger shot through her followed quickly by fear. She was so surprised by it that she didn't even notice that Ron had spilled the replacement mug of Butterbeer again. "What is it?" she whispered.

"They're here," Harry muttered darkly.

Hermione looked at Harry. His fists were clenching the edge of the table so hard that his knuckles were white. His face was ashen and his eyes flashed as he stared across the room. Hermione followed his gaze. The Aurors who were after Sirius were sitting at a far table in a darkened corner. Both were wearing robes of a dark, indiscernible shade. August was the larger of the two but they were both so far bent over their table that it would be impossible to tell.

"They must have tracked him here," Ron's voice was equally low. "Have you heard from him since yesterday?"

"No, I would have told you if I had. What are they looking at?"

Hermione squinted as she tried to make out what the two Aurors were examining so closely. However, it was hard to see across the room amidst the smoky dimness and the mass of happy students about to head back to school.

"I can't see, is it parchments?" Ron said. "Everyone is going back, what do we do?"

Hermione came to a sudden decision and stood up. "Go on ahead," she muttered while pulling her book bag on and picking up her Potions book.

"What are you doing?" Harry questioned.

"Just go on, I'll be fine," said Hermione as she set off across the room.

She had to make it look accidental, it couldn't seem like she was making a beeline for their table. Instead she headed to the bar first, her book held firmly in front of her. She pretended to scan the pages as if she were reading. Hermione was rather skilled at walking and reading at the same time so the fact that she smashed head long into the Aurors' table after skirting the edge of the room was completely intentional, though she pretended to be just what she appeared to be, a lost bookworm with her head in the clouds.

"I am so sorry!" Hermione cried as papers went everywhere. She kneeled down immediately, pretending to help sort out the mess that she had made.

"Stupid girl," Dobbs hissed his small blue eyes narrowing in annoyance. "Watch where you're going."

Hermione grabbed madly at whatever she could, scanning things quickly before handing them back. There were memos from the head office, a furious letter from Fudge about their lack of success, and then a map of Hogsmeade. It wasn't a magical map like the Marauders, but circled in crimson ink were places all over Hogsmeade, secret places. Most were new to Hermione, but two leapt out at her, the tunnel under the shrieking shack that would lead to the Whomping Willow and the cave; Sirius' cave.

"What are you doing?" Dobbs' voice was no longer angry, but it held a suspicious inquisitiveness.

Hermione found herself pulled to her feet by the other Auror, August, and she felt a surge of panic as they examined her. She looked around the room but most of the students were gone. Harry and Ron had vanished. They leaned closer to her and she thought momentarily about calling out.

"There you are Hermione!" Ron's voice came from the door. "Come on, we're waiting."

With a rush of relief fueling her strength Hermione pulled out of their grasp and ran to Ron. She glanced back and saw the Aurors watching her still. Ron grasped her arm then and pulled her outside. They walked along with the other students for a few meters before Ron pulled her down a side- alley.

"Well?" Harry was waiting for them.

"They know about the cave," Hermione whispered as she tried to picture the map in her head once again. "They know about the tunnel under the Shrieking Shack too but not the one under Honeydukes. At least I don't think they do."

"If he was here, he would be in the cave, wouldn't he? We have to go warn him." Harry started pacing.

"He'll have to leave but where can he go?" Ron asked.

Hermione curled a lock of hair around one finger as she thought. Where would he be safe? Where could the Aurors not go? And then a spark of inspiration came to her.

"Hogwarts."

"What?" Ron and Harry said in unison as they turned to stare at her.

"We have to get Snuffles into Hogwarts; it's the safest place. Dumbledore can keep the Aurors from entering and there must be thousands of places to hide." Hermione seemed to be forming the idea as she spoke.

"Okay, well, how do we get him there?" Ron asked Hermione.

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know."

"We'll go get him and then take the tunnel back through the witch," Harry said firmly.

"And no one is going to notice us smuggling him through Hogsmeade and into Honeydukes?" Ron questioned.

"Not with this they won't." Harry pulled out his invisibility cloak. "I thought that if an opportunity to see Sirius arose, I wasn't going to come unprepared," Harry explained to Hermione at her incredulous look.

"Well if we have the cloak, why don't we just walk him back through the front doors of the school?"

"Ron," Hermione said, "by the time we go get him it will be very late."

"And I don't fancy trying to sneak him past Snape either," Harry added for their Potions professor was going to be checking them off as they returned to Hogwarts.

"That's right," Ron frowned. "I had forgotten about him."

"Quiet," Harry commanded.

They fell silent and watched the mouth of the alley as two figures headed past. Hermione was thankful for the dark shadows that hid them from the Aurors. In their hands they held the map of Hogsmeade.

"They're heading towards the Shrieking Shack," whispered Ron once they had passed.

"Let's go." Harry tucked his invisibility cloak away and led them out of darkness.

They could go faster without the cloak and there were still enough Hogwarts students trickling through the crowds that they wouldn't stick out too much. It was sneaking back into town with Sirius that was going to be difficult. If Hermione could remember correctly, it had taken them almost a half hour to get to the cave the last time she had gone there. And then, of course, she expected Sirius to not be entirely agreeable over the whole matter.

~*~*~*~

They climbed carefully over the sharp rocks. The sun was almost set and the walk to the cave was very dark but they hadn't dared to light a wand in case anyone was watching. It was rough going and Hermione's feet were terribly sore by the time they reached the crevasse scarring the ground. Harry slipped down first and helped Hermione while Ron followed behind constantly watching for movement in the night.

"Sirius?" Harry called hopefully.

Hermione looked around at the cave's walls. It was icy cold and the lichen covering the walls was covered with a veil of frost. There was no light other than the sliver of moonlight that shined through the opening from the crescent in the sky.

"Sirius?" Harry called again as he moved deeper into the cave.

"Isn't he here?" Ron's voice echoed against the walls.

"Sirius!"

Hermione hurried after Harry when she heard him exclaim. Throwing caution to the wind she pulled out her wand, whispered lumos and then the cave was lit with a bright flickering light. Harry was crouched next to a still form in the back.

She gasped and moved to kneel next to Harry. "Is he all right?"

"I don't know," said Harry sounding frantic, "he's hurt."

"Look here." Hermione pulled on the tattered cloak that Sirius was wrapped in and they saw a sticky darkness staining the side of his robes. "It is several days old. It looks like a curse wound."

"Sirius, Sirius you have to wake up now." Harry commanded pulling on his guardian sharply.

Hermione pulled at his robe until she could see the wound. He had tried to staunch the bleeding with a compress of mugwort and spikenard but he hadn't done it very well. She pulled it off and set her bag on the ground. Hermione dug through it until she found a small pouch from which she retrieved several smaller bags containing different herbs.

Harry looked up momentarily distracted and asked, "You keep Potions ingredients on you?"

"Just a few of the most useful ones," Hermione replied as she folded a handkerchief several times over and then, using a stone, began to grind up a sprig of lavender and a nugget of myrrh. "Here, use this to wake him up." Hermione paused and pulled a small glass vial from her bag.

"You have smelling salts?" Harry was now staring at Hermione in complete amazement.

"My dad is afraid of pigeons and he sometimes gets a little dizzy when he sees them. Mum and I just got use to carrying some with us." Hermione added a few drops of lotus oil to her pile of powder and started to fold it over again several times.

"What are you two doing?" Ron had finally given up his post and entered the cave. "Did you find him or not? Is he all right and what are you doing Hermione?"

"Sirius is hurt. Hermione is making something to heal the wound," Harry said while holding the bottle under Sirius' nose.

"It won't heal the wound. Give me your belt, Harry," Hermione ordered as she placed the compress against the wound. "It will hopefully stop the bleeding for a little while and more importantly, it should mask the odor." At Ron and Harry's confused look she explained, "I think that the Aurors are so close to Sirius because they've been tracking his blood. It's not hard if you know the right spells." Hermione looped Harry's belt around Sirius' thins waist and tightened it over the compress, holding it in place.

"How did you ever get so smart Hermione?" a gruff voice asked from below.

All three started at Sirius' words. He had opened his eyes and was watching them, Harry's hand still holding the smelling salts a few millimeters beneath his nose.

"Sirius," said Harry sounding relieved, "come on, we've got to get you out of here."

Ron had moved back to the entrance of the cave. "Hurry, I see a light, I think they're coming."

Sirius did not argue as Hermione and Harry helped him to his feet. He swayed there and Harry had to help him to the exit.

"Ron, I don't think I can get him down to Hogsmeade alone," Harry called.

Ron immediately went to Sirius' other side to help keep the man standing while Hermione took point. She extinguished her wand and they started back towards Hogsmeade. At one point near the base of the rocky hill they had to stop and hide in the shadows as two men made they're own way cautiously up the hill.

"We won't all fit under the invisibility cloak," Ron said once they reached the edge of town.

Hermione reached around Harry to pull the cloak from his bag. "You two have to help Sirius," she said and threw the cloak over their shoulders.

"But what about you?" came Harry's disembodied voice.

"I will wait a few minutes in the shop before following after you. No one ever expects me to be breaking rules anyway."

She could hear Ron and Harry having a muted exchange. Sirius, it appeared, seemed to have passed out again. "Come on Harry," Hermione exclaimed finally, "we don't have time to stand here and argue about it." And she turned and walked off not waiting for a reply.

There weren't any students left in Hogsmeade but Hermione walked with such purpose into Honeydukes that no questioned her. She stood near some large barrels of blood imps and pretended to peruse its contents. An invisible hand came down on her arm and even though she was expecting it, the touch was still surprising. There was a squeeze and then the hand pulled away. She knew they had gone. Hermione waited until a kindly looking witch in green was no longer standing next to her and then she dropped to her knees. The counter was only a few feet away, once past that she would be down in the cellar, and in no time the tunnel after that. She would have to take off her bag and carry it in her arms; the tunnel was too small otherwise.

Hermione froze. She didn't have her bag. In their rush to escape the cave she had left it on the frozen floor next to Sirius' old bandage. She couldn't go back for it, there wasn't time, she couldn't risk running into the Aurors. She was about to lunge behind the counter when a pair of feet walked in front of her. Hermione looked up and felt her stomach drop. It was August.

"Why hullo there," he said coolly as he reached down and pulled her to her feet.

"Let me go, I have to get back to school, I'm late already." Hermione struggled vainly.

"Oh don't worry," Dobbs was walking towards them, "you'll be back to school in no time, we only have a few questions for you." In his hands was her book bag.

"What are you doing to her?" This new voice belonged to the kindly witch in green.

"Official Ministry business Ma'am," August said swiftly and he pulled Hermione outside.

She struggled against them as they pulled her down the snowy road but to no avail. They walked for what seemed like an hour, although it was probably only fifteen minutes, before they stopped suddenly at the door of a little blue house with a gingerbread awning and pulled her inside.

"Let me go!" she cried out.

As soon as the door was closed, they did. The room seemed virtually barren; a few pieces of old furniture had been pushed against the side wall as, the wood floors were covered in a layer of dust. Hermione moved to the farthest wall and glared at them defiantly even though she felt that at any moment she was going to be very sick.

"I have to get back to school! I'll be missed!" Hermione tried to sound calm but she doubted it was working very well when the two Aurors smirked at her.

"Won't you please have a seat Ms. Granger?" Dobbs motioned with his wand and a table, followed quickly by a chair, zoomed from the shadows coming to rest in the center of the room.

Hermione stood with her back to the wall, her dark hair disheveled from the earlier struggle. "How do you know my name?"

"You are Hermione A. Granger, sixth year, Gryffindor Tower aren't you?" August came forward, set her bag on the table, and pulled forth her Potions book. "You have that written in each of your books."

August continued around the table towards her, his unadorned gray robes billowing behind him in an ominous fashion that distinctly reminded her of Professor Snape. Hermione stepped further back but there was nowhere to go since she was incapable of fading into wall. The man grasped her arm painfully and tugged her away from the only reassuring part in the room. She found herself forcibly propelled into the chair.

"We have very little time to spare in dawdling with an insignificant little girl." Dobbs flicked his wand and another chair joined the table across from Hermione. "You will also find that we have very little patience. Where is Sirius Black?"

Hermione answered with a question of her own. "Why would I know anything about Sirius Black?"

"There is nothing I find more insulting than being patronized, girl."

While Dobbs talked, August stood upsettingly close behind Hermione. He swooped down on her and seized her shoulders, forcing her to look at him.

"We've been authorized to use any means necessary in finding Black, and I do mean any means." August's voice was menacing.

"But really, we would prefer to do this nicely." Dobb's voice drew Hermione's eyes back to his.

"I cannot see why you would protect this murderer!" August barked drawing her attention again.

"He's not a murderer!" Hermione snapped and then bit her tongue.

A triumphant smile spread across both of the Aurors' faces.

"Oh he's not is he?" Dobbs asked jovially.

Hermione only sank deeper into the chair and glared at him.

"This is ridiculous," snapped August, "I'm not waiting anymore."

Hermione glanced at him and saw his wand pointing at her. There was no time to reach for her own wand, no time to duck, there wasn't even time to flinch as the Imperius curse hit her. And then, of course, she didn't want to duck, flinch, or go for her wand. And why would she? This chair was so comfortable. And the Aurors were smiling at her now. Dobbs did have a nice smile, his teeth were so white, her Mum would have liked that.

"Now Hermione; where is Sirius Black?"

A screaming pain rocketed through Hermione's head and her hands covered her eyes as two voices in her head suddenly waged for control. She knew that she had to remember what Mad Eye had said. She must gain control, but she had never fully mastered fighting the Imperius curse then and the chair really was comfortable.

"Fight it!" her subconscious screamed.

"She's fighting," August said and Dobbs nodded as he pointed his own wand at her.

"Imperio."

Under the effects of two Imperius curses Hermione felt her will waver and then break. She smiled dully at them and rubbed her fingers against her robe-covered knees. She wished that she didn't have to wear black all the time. Lavender and Parvati constantly complained about the lack of color options in the school dress code. Hermione maintained that she didn't care about such things but secretly she agreed with them. Black made her look so pale.

"Where is Black?"

Pulled back from her reverie by August's impatient voice Hermione blinked at the Aurors. She wanted to tell them, of course she did but the words wouldn't come out. She could see them disappearing under the invisibility cloak but she couldn't say so. Hermione wanted to say where the hidden tunnel was, but her voice was so dry. Unable to speak, Hermione's mind wandered away from the question.

She could see snow through the far window. She liked snow. It was so wet and so cold and so soft. And look, there was the Headmaster as well. She liked the Headmaster. The door exploded inward and Hermione supposed that while she might not like explosions that much, this one was very colorful with lots of sparks.

The Headmaster took one look at Hermione sitting complacently in the chair and uttered a curse that Hermione, in her hazy state, didn't hear. August and Dobbs, who had been so surprised by the sudden appearance of Albus Dumbledore that they hadn't even shifted their wands away from Hermione, went flying across the room.

"Finite Incantatum!"

The world came rushing back to Hermione as the warm happiness was suddenly purged from her by the Headmaster's words. She sagged against the table, trying to catch her breath.

Ron appeared in the shattered doorway. "Hermione? Are you all right? Did they hurt you?" He came to her side and helped her to her feet.

"I'm all right," she whispered as she looked at Professor Dumbledore who was looming over the two downed Aurors looking as if he was about to unleash an apocalypse.

"How dare you." His voice was low and steady but Hermione shivered. "How dare you use an Unforgivable Curse against one of my students."

Dobbs and August cautiously got to their feet, both bleeding from various wounds. They were furious but frightened.

"We have been authorized by the Ministry to use certain curses..." August tried to explain but the Headmaster cut him off.

"The Ministry no longer has jurisdiction over my students."

"That girl knows the location of Sirius Black." Dobbs pointed at Hermione.

"Is that right?" the Headmaster mused softly.

"She was in the cave where he was hiding. She helped him escape before we could corner him. You must let us question her before he gets even further away." There was desperation in Dobbs' voice now.

"Were you in that cave, Hermione?" Dumbledore asked her kindly, the fury in his eyes disappearing when he looked at her.

"Y...yes I was," Hermione replied to the look in Dumbledore's eyes that was urging her to tell the truth.

"And what were you doing in that cave?" Dumbledore asked, but he wasn't looking at her, instead he was looking at Ron.

Ron, picking up on his cue, stepped forward. "She was with me."

"They were both there, they both helped him!" August was triumphant.

"I ask again, what were you doing there?" Dumbledore ignored August.

"We were... we were." Ron stammered nervously as his ears went scarlet and then Hermione knew what he was supposed to say.

Hermione threaded her fingers with Ron and leaned close against him. "We're in love," she told the Headmaster.

Ron relaxed, obviously pleased about not having to actually talk about just what two sixteen-year-old teenagers were doing alone in a cave.

"While I frown upon such physical relationships amongst my students," Dumbledore was speaking to the Aurors again, "it is hardly worth such an interrogation. Get your things Ms. Granger."

She didn't have to be told twice. Hermione let go of Ron's hand and swooped towards her bag that had been left next to Dobbs' chair. She slipped her Potions book away and stepped back to Ron.

"I want you to leave this town. I do not want you anywhere near my school." The Headmaster was still speaking in his soft almost cheery voice but there was a definite threat in his tone.

"But Sirius Bl..." August tried to say.

"I can assure you that Sirius Black is no longer in Hogsmeade." Dumbledore turned to look at Ron and Hermione. "In fact, I believe that he made his escape safely while you were busy manhandling Ms. Granger."

The Headmaster turned his back on them and led Hermione and Ron outside. He paused after the door was closed and examined Hermione closely.

"You are unhurt?" he asked while holding his lighted wand near her face. She nodded and opened her mouth to speak but stopped when he shook his head. "Speak of nothing till we are back in the school."

They headed back through town and behind Honeydukes they came upon a trail that Hermione had never noticed before. It appeared to be a short cut. Hermione assumed it to be magical, for it took them only a few minutes to reach the front doors of the school. They stopped in the entrance as the Headmaster turned towards them.

"I do not agree with what you have done. It was very foolish of you to risk yourselves. Those Aurors are well known for using duplicitous means in order to get information and you are lucky that you weren't hurt."

Hermione guiltily dropped her eyes to the ground and studied the Headmaster's shoes. They were pointy and aquamarine.

"Of course, had you not gone to his aid, it is quite probable that Sirius would be dead now, his curse wound was poisoned. Madame Pomfrey is tending him now. You'll find Harry with him in the hospital wing." The Headmaster turned away, walked through the entrance hall, and disappeared through a side door.

Ron looked at Hermione and she looked back at him. They turned together and wordlessly headed up the main stairs, taking them two at a time.

Harry was waiting impatiently for them outside of the hospital wing. He had been pacing back and forth but stopped as they broke through a door and into his corridor. He ran to them and swept Hermione into a hug.

"Are you all right? We were so worried when you didn't come. Ron even went back out with the invisibility cloak on and saw them dragging you off."

"I wanted to go after you then but I didn't think I could take both of them," Ron added.

"I'm fine." Hermione struggled out of Harry's grasp. "Really I'm fine. How's Sirius?"

"Madam Pomfrey said he would be all right. They poisoned him can you believe it? Madame Pomfrey said that it happened yesterday some sort of curse, she wouldn't say what, probably doesn't want us to get any ideas." Harry was furious. "It'll take a week or so to work its way out of his system."

"Why didn't he tell us he was hurt when he wrote you?" Ron asked.

"Probably being noble or something," Harry grumbled.

"Is he awake?" Hermione wondered trying to calm Harry.

Harry brightened. "No, but he might be now."

He was still unconscious though when they neared his bed. Madam Pomfrey was tutting over him. She looked them over suspiciously as if she expected something to be wrong with one of them.

"I have to go down to the greenhouses and get some goldenrod root from Professor Sprout. Here, can you do this while I'm there?" She held out a wet cloth that she had been using to swab away from the filth that covered Sirius.

"Why don't you use a spell?" Ron asked in surprise.

"Human touch is far more comforting," Madam Pomfrey told him.

When neither boy moved to take the rag Hermione rolled her eyes and accepted it. "Boys," she muttered and swept regally past them to Sirius' bedside.

She submerged the cloth in a bowl of water and squeezed it gently, counting the drops of water as they fell back into the bowl. Harry and Ron came to stand on the other side of the bed. Ron was telling Harry about the spell that Dumbledore had used to blow open the door as Hermione placed the cloth on the Sirius' forehead and began to carefully rub away at the dirt.

The room was dark, the only light was from a flickering a candle that Madame Pomfrey had left at Sirius' bedside table. Satisfied that she had gotten as much dirt from Sirius' forehead that she could get without dunking him in the lake and scrubbing him vigorously with one of those copper pads that her mother used when doing the dishes, Hermione started to withdraw her hand but she found that it had suddenly been captured. Sirius was awake.

He held her wrist tightly but not painfully. His dark eyes were staring at her in complete shock. He obviously didn't remember being awakened in the cave outside of Hogsmeade.

"Hi Sirius," Hermione said shyly and smiled at him.

Ron and Harry, who had been sitting at the foot of the bed talking in quick whispers got to their feet and moved closer to the bed. Sirius looked at them and then back to Hermione.

"Hello Hermione."

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