Winter Dreams

Prologue: Run

"Hermione come on!" Sirius Black hollered frantically.

"Why are they after me?" Hermione cried out stumbling over a root as they ran across the Quidditch field towards the Forbidden Forest.

"Don't have time. Run!"

Hermione who'd been breathing very hardly cried out as she fell to the ground not bothering to get up, "I can't, I can't."

Sirius whipped around, a red flush of anger creeping over his face. "Hermione Granger get up this instant. Don't make me carry you!"

"Why couldn't Remus just."

"He couldn't get the councils permission to protect you. I'm sorry, get up now!"

"Just leave me here," Hermione cried.

She was tired from all the running, she'd been running for hours it seemed, all around Hogwarts trying to find a way out, leaping off of the changing stairs, running through secret Marauders passage ways, as Sirius called them, dodging Avada Kedavra curses, Crucio curses, and Hermione attempting to give one of the Death Eaters locomoto mortis since Sirius had been busy dodging Avada Kedavra; it was a nightmare and exhausting.

"Damnation girl," Sirius whispered furiously as he yanked her arm throwing her over his shoulder.

"Sirius! You shouldn't have to do this! Why are you putting yourself in danger for me? You should be protecting Harry not me!"

Sirius grunted as Hermione struggled trying to get out of his grasp. He reached up and spanked her on her butt, hard, and she stopped squirming.

"He's not the one that needs help right now. He's powerful, he can protect himself against old V," Sirius explained referring to Voldemort.

He dashed through the Forbidden Forest, leaping with ease over broken decaying logs, pieces of broken twigs, roots that overlapped out of the ground, and small animals that scurried about.

"Should we be in here?" Hermione whimpered in fear.

Sirius placed her on her feet as he leaned against a tree. His muscles flexed as he gained his breath, his beautiful face was flushed with heat and drops of sweat that seeped into and burned his eyes. His soulful eyes glanced up.

"As soon as I get my strength back I'll Apparate us both to the cabin Remus gave me as a hideout. I just need a breather."

Sirius had failed to miss one of the curses thrown at him, Crucio. The only way to lift that curse was to have the wand withdrawn from the person behind it. Remembering from her karate classes she'd taken over her summers at home leapt at the chance and roundhouse kicked it out the Death Eaters' hand. The Death Eater had tried to counter another blow and leap for his wand, but Hermione, reacting on instinct, squatted sweeping her feet under her tripping him. Then she followed with an uppercut that was meant to just hurt the bastard, but ended up being a little too hard, too much in the right place, and drove his nose into his head.

Hermione had collapsed in shock. Although he was a Death Eater, a person who didn't have the right to be thought of as a normal person, deserved to die, but not by the hand of Hermione. She'd killed someone. She was murderer. She wasn't any better than Voldemort.

"I'm murderer," Hermione cried.

Sirius, who'd been looking to his right glanced at Hermione just in time to see a tear whisper down her check. He got up from the tree and walked over to her. His hand swept up to her face rubbing it, soothing her.

"Don't shed your tears for them," he whispered.

With his hand still caressing her cheek, he leaned his forehead against hers, whispering words to her.

"Hermione they don't deserve your tears, my darling. They don't even deserve to look at you, they should be lucky that they were blessed once in their terrible life to set eyes on such beauty."

Hermione jerked her chin away. "You're saying that cause you have to, you know I need to hear something encouraging so I'll start running, so I'll start caring whether I live or I die!"

She turned her head into her shoulder and shook with sobs. Sirius sighed, not knowing what to say, only knowing she'd been to hell and back; he wrapped his strong arms around her waist, pulling her slender body to his and Apparated to the hideout.

To Be Continued...
>