Sneak Peek | Linen & Curls, 51

"Sirius came and told us what he'd done," Orion agreed. "It took me a while to break the blood magic vow that you and Sirius had made to one another — rather impressive that, darling —" he complimented her, making Hermione preen, "but once the magic was broken, he was able to tell us everything that you had told him."

"Sorry," Sirius said, looking at her. "I know I wasn't supposed to tell anyone."

"'S okay," Hermione reassured him. If she wasn't in the past, she supposed she would want Orion to have the clearest picture about Voldemort and everything that would come to pass. She hadn't told anyone but Sirius about how he'd died and managed to come back to life, to terrorize them again once Harry started at Hogwarts.

"With the knowledge that Voldemort would be killed, it was clear to me and my father more than ever that the Black family could not support him. We would not put the might of our family behind a losing horse," Orion described. "It caused significant disagreement in the family."

"What do you mean?" she asked, confused.

"It means that Pollux and Cygnus thought that they could throw around their weight. Pollux wanted us to follow Voldemort now more than ever. And, he thought if Grandfather was too weak to do it, maybe he should be Head of House," Regulus explained with a snort. "I don't know who he thought he was convincing — even Cassiopeia couldn't stand her own brother."

Chapter Fifty

When Hermione woke again, the sky was a dusky purple outside. She couldn't decide if it was simply evening or if she'd slept an entire day and it was dawn once again. Assessing her body while sitting up in bed, she was pleased that her body did not seem to hurt as much and her headache had faded as well.

In the occupied chair next to her bed, she spied Sirius with his head resting on his hand while he slept. Honestly, at this moment she was of two minds about him. Hermione was so happy that he'd (apparently) lived a life without the mental and physical scars of having been in Azkaban for thirteen years for a crime that he didn't commit. The other part of her... well, she was furious with him.

On her bedside table, there was a pitcher of water and a small glass. Salazar, she hadn't even realized how thirsty she was until she saw it. Getting up onto her knees, she tried to pour herself a glass, only to be surprised at how weak she felt. She set the glass down abruptly.

The horrible clanking sound must have startled Sirius awake, because he was standing at her side in an instant. He took the glass from her and poured it into the cup, before holding it up to her lips. "Here," he offered. "Let me help you."

She glared up at him. "I don't know. You have a funny way of helping me," she said bitterly, but the cool water was too much to resist. She took a greedy drink and then another, using the back of her hand to wipe away the bit of water that had spilled on her chin.

[FFN] [AO3]

Sneak Peek | Linen & Curls, 50

Hearing that she was not going to completely shut him out improved his mood significantly, though Hermione could tell that he was still tortured by what he’d done. He cleared his throat after a moment of staring at her — willing himself to believe that she was really there. “Father wanted us to join him in his office once you were feeling up for it,” he said softly. “There is still much to discuss.”

“Yes,” Hermione agreed, with a grin. “Like how you came to call him Father once more and live in this house again.”

Sirius snorted. “Not much to tell you there,” he explained. “Once you were gone and I saw how worried they were about you, well I... I had to come clean, didn’t I? I had to explain what it was that I’d done, so they wouldn’t exhaust themselves looking for you.”

“I don’t think that could have endeared you to them,” she answered, with a smirk.

“No, I daresay that Regulus will never actually forgive me for it, even if you are here now,” he said with a sigh. “But, Father used it to his advantage. He used it against me — the shame, the guilt that I felt — until he had me back, reinstated in the family, doing as I was told.”

Chapter Forty-Nine

Her head felt like it was full of cotton wool when Hermione began to wake up from what was almost certainly a terrible dream. Every muscle in her body seemed to ache, even when she just fluttered her toes under the blanket. Oh, she was in bed then, she realized, tucked in, with her head on a rather comfortable pillow. Disoriented as her senses began to filter back in, Hermione thought it smelled rather like home.

Muffled sounds began to filter in and Hermione wondered what in the world had happened. One minute she'd been in her wedding robes and then the next minute Sirius —

It wasn't possible that Sirius had been successful, had it? Her head gave a painful throb when she realized she had two memories — one of her and Harry saving Sirius Black from the Dementor's Kiss on the back of Buckbeak and one where she did not, turning in her time turner at the end of the year to Professor McGonagall. In that new memory, Sirius Black had asked to speak with her in his capacity on the Board of Governors for the school, to make sure that she was adjusting well to life at the magical school. How in the world was that possible?

The sounds grew louder, clearer, and Hermione was certain that two people were having a very furious sort of argument, but she was still disoriented, wondering what the fuck was going on.

"— says she won't wake up for a while longer —"

" — don't care what he says, I am not leaving her until I know that she is okay."

"She would have been okay if you hadn't sent her back in the first place."

[FFN] [AO3]

Sneak Peek | Linen & Curls, 49

Regulus took her by the shoulders and pushed her back so that he could look at her face. Gently, he cupped her cheeks, his thumbs brushing the tears away from her cheeks. "Let's get a good look at you now," he said, softly, a bittersweet smile on his face while he spent his time examining her. "You haven't aged a day. I was — I was beginning to forget how you looked, my memory has gone fuzzy after all this time, but there is no doubt in my mind that it's you."

Her mind was swimming with two sets of memories, but Hermione realized that Bellatrix had still sent her back in time, in a fight at the Department of Mysteries, meaning that even in this new reality, they were still fighting Death Eaters. Her stomach twisted with worry about what that all meant.

Was Regulus just naive? What if she wasn't actually the sister that he yearned for, but someone sent to trick them. "You shouldn't just trust that it's me," she whispered, wanting him to be a little more cautious. "You should ask me something that only I would know, to be sure."

@to-pick-ourselves-up-7 just for you, since you asked so nicely!

Chapter Forty-Eight

Hermione saw her parents waiting for her and Regulus on the platform and she smiled at them, but Rabastan was not willing to let her go that easily. He took her hand in his, pulling her around to face him. "When will I see you again?" he asked, staring down at her like she was the only one in the busy train station.

"I don't know when Mother will spare me," she said with a put upon sigh, knowing that she had tons of planning yet to do for the wedding. "I am sure that she has a million and one things planned for me to do." She took a step closer to him, wishing that she could just run away with him now.

"Don't keep me waiting too long," he whispered, pressing a rather chaste kiss to her lips, knowing that they had an audience. "The 30th feels too far away already."

"I wouldn't dream of it," she said brightly, pressing up onto her toes to give him a slightly more lingering kiss, wishing that he would snog her properly, but knowing that it wouldn't do to make a scene. "Goodbye, Rabastan. I love you."

"Love you, too, witch," he said, kissing her a third time — more possessive than the last. "I don't know how that is meant to last me, but it will have to do."

[FFN] [AO3]

Chapter Forty-Seven

Rabastan laughed, the rich sound vibrating in his chest. "That might make work a little bit difficult," he said with a grin. "I don't know that I will be able to get a mastery if I have to drag you along with me."

"So you've decided then?" Hermione asked, knowing that Rabastan had several potential avenues of work that he could pursue. "Arithmancy?"

"Yes, Arithmancy," he agreed. "Father seems pleased, even. He's found a master to take me as an apprentice, if I don't completely fail my NEWT."

"Well, I don't think that's possible," Hermione said with a scoff. "It's clear you have a natural talent for the subject. I'd say you're even better than me. More creative at least."

He rewarded her with a smirk. "That's high praise, coming from you," he teased. "To think that I've finally bested you in something."

Hermione bit her lower lip, carefully considering her next words. "We haven't talked about what I will do after school," she broached the topic carefully.

[FFN] [AO3]

Chapter Forty-Six

"Wow," she said, feeling rather stunned. "What is this place?"

"It's the library that I'd planned on building you," he answered after a beat of silence.

"Planned? That doesn't sound very promising," she said, walking over so that she could sit next to him. Gently, she cupped his jaw, turning his head to make him look at her. "Rabastan, what's wrong?" she asked, needing to know what was going on in his head.

Rabastan looked completely miserable, but his blue-green eyes didn't shy away from her gaze. He could give her that at least. "Don't know what else there is to say," he said with a shrug of his broad shoulders, before he dropped his head back in a bitter laugh. "I guess I let myself get swept up in the fantasy, but I know... I know that Bernie is right."

"Right about what?" she demanded, some ire bleeding into her voice. She would never let Bernard Rosier be right about anything, as far as she was concerned.

He scoffed. "About you and me," he said, clearly upset. "I guess I let my own yearning for you get the better of me. I knew that you didn't want me — you made it perfectly clear that this wasn't what you wanted — but I let myself hope and now I just have to face the facts that I'm a fool and I have been for however many months. That we could have a happily ever after."

[FFN] [AO3]

Chapter Forty-Five

"Though, I would be worried if I was you, Regulus," Bernie said with a smile, his eyes a bit wild. "I mean, you are the only one of us here who has shunned him already. Last year you were just as eager as any of us to join in on those abhorrent tactics and become a Death Eater like you promised. Like you said you wanted."

"Things can change," Regulus said firmly. "The Black family will always make decisions that keep us safe."

"And I suppose you do have to keep your stupid little sister safe, don't you?" he asked, tutting in mock concern. "Why, she decided to go after Death Eaters herself. I suppose she could be forgiven, seeing as she is just a witch, but — I wonder how deep her blood traitor tendencies go."

Hermione felt Rabastan's arm tighten around her shoulders reflexively. This whole time, he'd been listening like he didn't care, but Hermione could feel him slowly getting more and more upset the more that Bernie spouted off. The closer he got to hurting people Rabastan cared about, the more tense he'd become.

"Leave Hermione out of it, Rosier," he snarled, unable to stop himself.

"Oh, and how could I forget you, Rabastan?" he asked, with a laugh. "I almost forget that you are there sometimes. Not hard to do when your brother's shadow looms so large. Will you be joining the Dark Lord, as was your intention just last year?"

[FFN] [AO3]

Chapter Forty-Four

"Much more comfortable than studying in the library here, no?" she asked him with a mischievous grin, pulling out her Ancient Runes textbook. "I don't know why I haven't been studying here the whole time."

He gave her a crooked grin. "Probably because then you wouldn't have been able to study with me, without revealing your secret little room," he said, teasing her. "And, I know how much you loved studying with me last year. You definitely wanted me from the get go, just admit it."

Hermione tossed a pillow from the settee at him. "I wasn't just lusting over you in the library all last year," she said, affronted that he wouldn't think that she was serious about her schoolwork.

"Don't worry, I lusted enough for the both of us," he said, grinning at her.

"Rabastan!" she said, though it was flattering to hear. She wondered just what he'd been thinking precisely and she thought she might like to hear it. But, some other time, when they didn't have an extremely important set of exams coming up.

He held his hands up in mock surrender. "Alright, I will attempt to study," he said, pulling out his own Astronomy book and set to work reading.

[FFN] [AO3]

Chapter Forty-Three

"None of us should have been targets, Rabastan," she said, growing frustrated with him. "There were school children there. Little third years! Innocent villagers who are just trying to live their lives."

He ran a hand through his dark auburn hair — something he did when he was anxious. "I don't know what you want me to say, Hermione," he said, looking forlorn.

"I want you to tell me that you don't follow Voldemort, okay?" she countered, knowing that it was a difficult topic, but at this point, she just had to rip off the plaster. "I don't even understand how Rodolphus could follow the man, after what he did."

Rabastan snorted, looking at her like she was a naive fool. "Please, Hermione, he was already marked," he countered. "Surely, you know that once you are a Death Eater, it is no easy task to walk away. I don't know how he bears the humiliation, but he can't suddenly change his mind. The least he can do is remain loyal to our family by keeping you safe, which he did."

She blinked owlishly at him. She hadn't known what to make of Rodolphus's protection of her, but she supposed that it made sense. Protecting her was in the family's best interest, if it kept the contract in place. "So then, you know even more how foolish it would be to rush into following Voldemort!" she said, wanting him to just confirm that he wasn't going to become a Death Eater the moment he left school.

[FFN] [AO3]

Sneak Peek | Linen & Curls 43

She was startled by Rabastan slipping into the seat next to her. “Everything okay?” he asked, tilting his head towards the letter still clutched in her hands. “You left breakfast in an awful hurry.”

“Fine, it’s just...” Hermione trailed off. “Sirius.”

“Sirius?” he asked, his eyebrows raising when he figured out that the letter was from Sirius, not about him. “I didn’t realize that you were still in touch.”

“I never stopped,” she explained, though she stopped short of telling him more, when the rest of the students began to file in.

She could see his jaw clench, carefully considering his next words. “Trouble?” he asked, unable to help himself, not knowing what was in the letter.

“Not exactly, just over protective,” she answered. “We should talk more, just... after class.”

Chapter Forty-Two

The windows in one of the homes shattered after a fireball hit it, starting a small fire. She knew that she'd never be able to contain the blaze, so she instead focused on one of the Death Eaters. Hermione managed to hit him with an incarcerous, sending him sprawling to the ground.

Her victory was short lived, as he managed to throw off the ropes, and started chasing a Ravenclaw girl down one of the side alleys. Immediately, she took off after him, determined not to let anything happen to her.

She could hear the Death Eater taunting the girl, his laughs echoing off of the buildings. It only made the fire in her belly burn hotter and she knew then that she would make him pay for hurting that poor girl.

Hermione rushed to turn the corner, certain that she would find him there. Her heart stopped when she saw that he was waiting for her, his wand trained on her face. Stuttering to a stop, Hermione looked around to get her bearings, only to find another Death Eater had followed her. Fuck, she was outnumbered.

[FFN] [AO3]

Chapter Forty-One

"Yeah, well maybe if you guys were better about picking up your dirty socks, it wouldn't smell so much," Hermione countered with a smirk. She still couldn't believe the state that it had been in the one time she'd been there. "Did you know, in Gryffindor, there is a jinx on the stairs up to the girls' dorms that turns the staircase into a slide if a boy tries to come up."

Regulus laughed, hearing that. "Wow, they really didn't trust the Gryffindors," he said, rolling his eyes. "Though, knowing Sirius, I don't suppose that I should be too surprised."

"I think knowing Sirius, he probably found about a dozen ways around the jinx," she added with a smirk. "Perhaps I should write him and find out for sure."

Her brother stiffened, but didn't say anything negative about the suggestion. Hermione was certain that their father had talked to Regulus about him reaching out to Sirius over Yule break, but that didn't mean that Regulus was fully on board. She wasn't sure what it would take to repair the rift between brothers, but she was certain that an apology from Sirius couldn't hurt.

"I'm just glad that they obviously trust us in Slytherin enough not to resort to such silly tactics," Regulus said, sitting down on the edge of her bed. "Though... perhaps I ought to jinx you so that you can't get into the boys' dorms."

Hermione felt her face go hot. "Regulus —" she warned.

[FFN] [AO3]

Chapter Forty

"Hi," Hermione answered, grinning back up at him. "Congratulations on winning the game. You were brilliant."

"I didn't think that you liked Quidditch very much," he said, taking the cup from her hand and bringing it to his lips.

"I don't," Hermione assured him rather quickly. And it was true. She did not enjoy Quidditch very much at all, especially not the way that Harry played it. Regulus was a wonderful Seeker — daring and quick — but Harry played so recklessly, like he didn't even consider the possibility of the ground coming up to meet him or the probability of him getting hurt. "But, I like watching you play it and I know how much you enjoy it."

"You don't need to pretend for my sake," he said, taking another sip of the firewhiskey that has suddenly become theirs, to be shared, passed between one another. "I don't expect that we will have everything in common."

Hermione thought of his arse in the Quidditch pants again and felt her cheeks go hot. She was disappointed to see him now, out of his uniform once again. "I'm not pretending," she whispered. "The sport has not suddenly captured my attention, but you have."

[FFN] [AO3]

Chapter Thirty-Nine

"Mum wrote to me today," Rabastan revealed to her one evening, while he was grating a piece of dragon horn. "Sounds like your parents intend to gift us a townhouse as a wedding gift."

Hermione flushed in surprise. "I wasn't aware of that," she said, thinking that it was awfully generous of Orion and Walburga Black. She often wondered just how she'd managed to make such an impression on the pair, that they had grown to care for her so much so quickly.

"Very generous of them," he said, fighting off a smirk.

"And I am sure that your mother was happy to hear about it," she countered with a snort. Now that she had met Madam Lestrange, she knew his mother would rather him stay as close as possible.

"She was furious, but she can't turn it down," he responded. "She suspects that your mother did it just because she was opposed to the idea."

"Your mother is a smart witch. I'd have guessed the same," she said, hopping up to sit on one of the work tables. She loved watching Rabastan prepare the potions ingredients. There was something so mesmerizing about watching him handle each ingredient. She liked to imagine how his fingers would feel on her skin.

[FFN] [AO3]